Introduction:

The book of Ephesians is full of soaring language about God.  “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (3:17-19).  It has advice on how Christians should relate socially to others.  It also promotes Christian unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians.  However, the idea that is most associated with the letter to the Ephesians is the armor of God.  From the breastplate of righteousness to the shield of faith, Christians are advised how to be victorious in their struggle against evil.  This theme has been the topic of sermon after sermon and a source of strength for Christians throughout the centuries.

Author:

The author of Ephesians was Paul.  It was written during his first imprisonment in Rome (Ephesians 3:1 & 6:20), where he had a great deal of freedom to communicate with others. The book of Acts says that Paul “lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30-31).  In other words, for two years Paul was a prisoner chained to a Roman guard, but he still had freedom to receive visitors and send messages.  During this time, Paul had time to reflect on the churches that he had interacted with and the kinds of guidance that they needed.  Paul had spent two to three years in Ephesus preaching the gospel and establishing companies of believers.  It was here where some of his greater miracles were recorded including healing through articles of cloth that he had touched (Acts 19:11-13).  His ministry in Ephesus ignited a riot that lasted for hours (Acts 19:21-41).  When Paul was leaving the area to go to Jerusalem, he called the Ephesian church leaders to meet with him in the town of Miletus.  He gave his parting advice and there was much sorrow and crying because they knew that they would never see their beloved Paul again (Acts 20:17-30). With all of this close interaction, it is strange that Paul does not address the Ephesians with the same personal touch that he reveals in his other letters.  No personal greetings or advice is sent to his former colleagues.   He does not speak of his great love for them like he does to the Corinthians in their letters.  One explanation for this emotional distance is that while the letter was being delivered to Ephesus directly by Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21-22), it was also meant to be copied by Paul’s former colleagues and passed around to churches in the surrounding cities in Asia.  In other words, Paul was attempting to give counsel to both familiar churches and those that he had never visited.

Background:

Ephesus was an important port city in what is now modern day Turkey.  Because of its position on the Mediterranean Sea, there was a lot of wealth from commerce, but its greatest claim to fame and source of revenue was the temple of Artemis of the Ephesians.  Pilgrims came from all over the Roman world to worship the goddess in her stunning temple.  Artemis was a contradiction in many ways.  She was renowned as a virgin goddess, but she was also the patron goddess of childbirth.  Pregnant women prayed that she would either give life to them and their babies or a swift death.  In addition, Artemis was the goddess of magic, which was why Acts 19:19 records the large quantities of magic books that the converted Christians of Ephesus eliminated from their lives.  Tourism from the worship of Artemis was an integral part of the Ephesian economy.  As a result, when Paul’s evangelistic efforts cut into the silversmith’s profits from selling Artemis’ artifacts, they started a huge riot, which eventually moved to the giant theater of Ephesus where the people remained shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” for two hours.  The theater could seat 24,500 people making it one of the largest theaters in the region of Asia Minor.  This theater is still in use today, hosting concerts, operas, and ballets because of its amazing acoustics.  This once populous city lies in ruins nowadays.  The temple of Artemis was destroyed long ago, but it is still a popular destination for tourists from around the world.

Theme:

The theme of the letter to the Ephesians is unity in Christ.  There is unity between Gentile and Jew “in Christ”.  Families are to live peacefully with each other “in Christ”.  The Ephesian church members have forgiveness “in Christ”.  Thus, the focus of the message is that Christ is living in the believer.  As a result, he/she has become one with other believers in the church.  The believer has strength because he/she has God’s might.  It is the armor of God that defends us, not our own effort.  In short, Christ is the center of all things, whether it is forgiveness, election, predestination, or family relationships.

Organization:

1:1-2    Greetings

1:3-3:21  Theological Content

            1:3-14  The blessings that believers have in Christ.

            1:15-23  Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for the Ephesians’ faith and his praise of God

            2:1-22  God has made Gentile and Jew into one body through Christ

            3:1-21  Paul’s privilege of carrying out God’s plan to bring the Gentiles

into faith and his prayer praising God for them

4:1-6:20  Practical Advice

            4:1-16 Unity and the gifts of the Spirit

            4:17-5:21 Exhortation to live pure lives

            5:22-6:9  Christian Relationships—husband/wife, parents/children, and master/servant

6:10-20  The armor of God

6:21-24  Concluding Remarks

Conclusion:

Ephesians begins with compelling words of praise for God’s spiritual blessings and ends with the defensive measures that God has provided for His children.  In the middle, we have the assurance that we are seated in heaven with Jesus right now.  We are God’s workmanship and through Jesus, we have direct access to the Father.  This letter provides some of the greatest assurances of our value to God in the whole Bible.  Knowing how much God loves us and provides for our needs should inspire the same kind of overflowing gratitude that Paul kept breaking out in throughout the letter.  “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).