Lesson 1: On Reading Ephesians (Ephesians 1:1-2)
Ephesians is Paul’s most comprehensive letter. It was intended for circulation among various congregations for public reading in their assemblies. The first three chapters unfold the mystery of God in Christ by the power of the Spirit as the plan of salvation, and the final three chapters invite believers to participate in that mystery by becoming like Christ by the power of the Spirit as part of the new creation.
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are [in Ephesus] and are faithful in Jesus Christ: grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:1-2).
The letter’s salutation and greeting are typical for Paul’s letters. They identify the sender/author (Paul), the recipients (faithful saints), and greet the readers (grace and peace). Each element is soaked in the reality of “Jesus Christ.” The author is an apostle of Jesus Christ, the recipients are “faithful in Christ Jesus,” and grace and peace come from both the Father and Jesus Christ. At the same time, “the will of God” and the activity of “God our Father” are prioritized. It is the Father, for example, who initiates the scheme of redemption in Ephesians 1:3-14.
While Paul identifies himself as an apostle (one sent with authority), he will also remind them he is a prisoner in chapter 3. His apostleship does not mean he is privileged or exalted but that he serves and suffers for Christ. Nevertheless, he is chosen by God–the will of God has sent him as an authoritative representative of the Messiah (Christ).
The recipients of the letter are identified as “saints” (holy ones) who are faithful in Jesus the Messiah. They believe, but the word is more wholistic. It is not simply an intellectual affirmation or belief but an obedient commitment that arises out an allegiance to Jesus the Messiah, the Davidic King of Israel. They are “faithful” rather than simply believers in a minimal sense.
Grace and peace are high values often used in Christian greetings. They flow from the reality of God and his Messiah, and the represent a mercy and wholeness that come as gifts from God and the Lord Jesus Christ. We will see these words again in Ephesians. So, they is not a flippant greeting but actually anticipate major themes in the letter itself.
The letter to the Ephesians is unique. Here are some elements that contribute to that distinctiveness.
- The occasion of the letter is uncertain as it does not address any particular situation within a specific congregation. At the same time, the relationships between Jews and gentiles, the cultural dynamic of rulers/authorities/powers in Ephesus (or Asia Minor), and need/call for moral transformation are prominent in the letter.
- The letter contains no personal greetings to anyone or details about the author’s history/relationship with the congregation addressed. It seems to function as a general letter addressed to congregations in a particular region.
- It is uncertain whether “in Ephesus” in 1:2 is original to the first readers, or whether it was left blank so that a reader or lector could insert the name of the congregation addressed, or if the original “in Ephesus” dropped out of some manuscripts because the letter was used in a circular fashion. Whatever the case, tradition associated it with Ephesus, and it probably functioned as a circular letter even if it was primarily address to the house churches in Ephesus. Generally, this letter is understood as a circular communication intended for multiple congregations in the regions of Ephesus or in Asia Minor as a whole.
- The letter has both liturgical (doxologies, prayers) and didactic (teaching comprehensive themes) emphases. Some have suggested it is designed for a baptismal liturgy, though that is not generally held today. The letter provides a positive presentation of the plan of salvation (the mystery of Christ) and its implications for living. In this sense, it is a rather comprehensive introduction to the theology and ethics of the Christian faith.
- The letter is easily understood as coming in two parts: descriptive of God’s work in Christ through the Spirit (chapters 1-3) and prescriptive in terms of moral exhortation as new creatures in Christ (chapters 4-6). The “therefore” in 4:1 links the two sections together. Chapters 1-3 are the exploration of the mystery of Christ that provides the ground for the moral imperatives (40 of them) in chapters 4-6. The description grounds and empowers the imperatives, and the imperatives are a means by which new creation is realized in the lives of believers.
- The letter is most like Colossians among Paul’s epistles, though Colossians—unlike Ephesians—has a specific situation the letter addresses. They both originate from Paul’s hand. Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians were probably sent by Paul from his imprisonment to the churches at about the same time.
- Paul is imprisoned. Traditionally, it was held that Paul wrote from Rome around 61-62 C.E. Others have suggested Ceasarea around 58-59 C.E., and others have suggested Ephesus itself. While Paul does not specifically identify his place of imprisonment, most tend to think the traditional position is correct.
Still, Ephesians does have a purpose; it is not a chaotic collection of thoughts. It has an argument and addresses the needs of believers.. I find Clinton Arnold’s “statement of purpose” to be one of the better and more comprehensive (Ephesians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary, p. 58).
Paul wrote this letter to a large network of local churches in Ephesus and the surrounding cities to affirm them in their new identity in Christ as a means of strengthening them in their ongoing struggle with the powers of darkness, to promote a greater unity between Jews and Gentiles within and among the churches of the area, and to stimulate an ever-increasing transformation of their lifestyles into a greater conformity to the purity and holiness that God has called them to display.
This summary highlights several key factors that emerge in reading Ephesians. These give shape to the meaning and significance of the letter as a whole.
- There is a strong contrast between the believer’s new identity in Christ and their former way of life. They were dead in sin, but now they are alive (2:1-7). Their former lifestyle among the Gentiles was filled with ignorance, licentiousness, and greed (4:17-19). They must renounce the way of the nations that pursued those passions (5:3-5) and embrace a new way of living that images God and Christ (5:1-2). They must put on their newly created selves and distance themselves from their old lives (4:22-24).
- This new identity in Christ is, in fact, the work of God recreating humanity in God’s likeness. Believers in Christ are a new creation—God’s workmanship (2:10). They are renewed in the image of God (4:23-24). They are members of the body of Christ, the new human (2:14-16). Jew and gentile are united in one body through participation in Christ (1:22-23; 3:15; 4:4, 14-16).
- This one body includes both Jews and gentiles without the sort of boundary markers that have divided Jew and Gentile (2:14-15). This highlights the most acute circumstance in which the letter is situated. Gentile antisemitism was deep in Greco-Roman culture, and Jewish separatism was well-known. Jewish and Gentile believers need to embrace each other as reconciled members of one body (2:16-19; 3:5-6). At the same time, gentile believers must recognize the priority of God’s work in Israel (2:12-15). They are God’s covenant people whom God chose as the means of cosmic redemption. Gentile believers are now included (1:13-14). This is the primary point of Ephesians 1:3-14.
- This work of God—to unite Jew and Gentile in one new human led by the Jewish Messiah—is the mystery (or gospel) of Christ that has now been revealed though it was previously hidden (1:10; 3:3-6, 9-10). The mystery is the plan of salvation itself: the Father redeeming the world through Christ in the power of the Spirit. This gospel is a Triune work: the Father initiates and rescues, the Son is the means by which the Father rescues, and the Spirit is the one who enlivens and transforms believers (1:4-5, 7-8, 13-14; 2:4-6; 2:18, 21-22; 4:4-6).
- God’s plan—the mystery of Christ—is to reorder the cosmos which had been subverted by the evil powers in the heavenly realms (1:10, 21-22; 3:10; 6:10-12). The world is ruled by those powers who enslave humanity in their sin (2:1-2). The gospel of Christ liberates humanity from those powers through forgiveness, redemption, and the enthronement of a new king as the new human who rules over God’s kingdom (1:21-22; 5:5). Through the power of the Spirit, the newly recreated humanity in Christ is strengthened to struggle against the powers and equipped to defeat the enemy (6:10-12).
Those are the basic themes of Ephesians, though there is much to unpack and explore. This brief letter is filled with praise, prayer, and encouragement along with an explanation of what God has done for us in Christ through the Spirit.
A Theological Outline of Ephesians
(A PDF of the outline is available here.)
Opening to the Letter: Salutation (1:1-2)
- Theological Opening (1:3-14)
Revelation: the mystery of new creation realized in the Messiah (1:3-3:21)
Doxology: God acted through the Messiah in the Spirit to create anew (1:3-14)
Prayer (1:15-23)
The Mystery of the Messiah: A New Creation by Grace (2:1-3:13)
From Dead to Alive (2:1-10)
From Hostility to Peace (2:11-22)
The Mystery of Christ in the Church (3:1-13)
Prayer (3:14-19)
Doxology: Glory to God in the church (3:20-21)
- Theological Hinge (4:1-16)
Exhortation: Therefore, God calls us into service as newly created humans (4:1-6:9)
Growing up into the New Human (4:1-16)
The mystery establishes unity amidst mutual forbearance (4:1-6)
The mystery gifts the body for maturation (4:7-16)
Living as the Body of Christ (4:17-6:9)
Living as New Creation (4:17-5:2)
Living as Light in the Darkness (5:3-14)
Living Wisely in Evil Times (5:15-6:9)
- Theological Closing (6:10-20)
Participation: God empowers us to participate in new creation and resist the powers.
Empowered against the enemy (6:10-12)
Equipped to stand with the armor of God (6:13-17)
Pray in the Spirit (6:18-20)
Closing of the Letter: Commendation and Benediction (6:21-24)
Resources
Commentary Resources:
Arnold, Clinton E., Ephesians, ZECNT. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.
Cohick, Lynn. Ephesians, NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020.
deSilva, David A. Ephesians. NCBC. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
Gombis, Timothy G. The Drama of Ephesians: Participating in the Triumph of God. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010.
Fowl, Stephen E. Ephesians, NTL Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2012.
Witherington III, Ben. The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Captivity Epistles. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.
Video Resources:
Bible Project, “Book of Ephesians Summary: A Complete Animated Overview” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y71r-T98E2Q&t=9s&pp=ygUYRXBoZXNpYW5zIGJpYmxlIHByb2plY3Qg
Chan, Francis. “The Ephesians Series,” 25 videos. Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl9SvtOz5Wk&list=PLmX6ZA3jxoBbpHH9m_cQKuuTKqjal3QaG
DeFazio, Michael. “Ephesians,” Next Level Series from Ozark Christian College, 11 videos, at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAhFi-fpiIJ0bTF78aj5eW4V6Wr5HPkz_
Hicks, John Mark, “God Chose Us in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3-14), Northwest Christian Convention (June 23, 2023), at https://johnmarkhicks.com/2023/07/17/god-chose-us-in-christ/
Hicks, John Mark, “Living Out Unity in Christ” (Ephesians 4:1-6), Northwest Christian Convention (June 25, 2023), at https://johnmarkhicks.com/2023/07/22/living-out-unity-in-christ/
Mackie, Tim. “Ephesians,” 35 videos, Bible Project Classroom at https://bibleproject.com/classroom/ephesians.
Mackie, Tim. “Ephesians Study,” 6 one-hour podcasts at https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/ephesians-study/