Ephesians
Purpose
Ephesians soars above most of Paul's correspondence as a sustained meditation on the church as the eternal purpose of God unfolding in Christ. Written from prison, likely as a circular letter to several churches in Asia Minor, it opens with a breathtaking doxology: before the foundation of the world God chose a people in Christ, destined them for adoption as sons, and set forth in him a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. The first half unfolds what God has done — the riches of his grace, the mystery once hidden but now revealed, the creation in Christ of "one new man" out of Jew and Gentile, and the church as the heavenly temple God inhabits by his Spirit. The second half turns to the life that fits such a calling: a walk worthy of the calling, the putting off of the old self and the putting on of the new, relationships transformed by mutual submission in Christ, and the whole armor of God for standing firm against the cosmic powers. Ephesians gathers the whole story of redemption into a single vision of a unified, Spirit-filled, victory-equipped people.
Author
Paul the apostle
Time Period
Written c. 60-62 AD during Paul's first Roman imprisonment
Key Themes
- Unity in Christ
- The church and God's eternal purpose
- Grace
- The mystery revealed
- The new self
- Spiritual warfare
Outline
Our position in Christ (ch. 1–3): every spiritual blessing, the mystery of God's will, salvation by grace through faith, the one new man, and Paul's prayer for the saints to know the love of Christ. Our practice in Christ (ch. 4–6): the unity of the Spirit and the maturity of the body; putting off the old self and putting on the new; household relationships of wives and husbands, children and parents, slaves and masters; and the whole armor of God for the believer's stand.