Ephesians
Why is being part of a team, a group, or a family so important? Read this letter to the Ephesians to find out how everyone who has faith in Christ Jesus is part of the “same body” and belongs to God's family.
Start readingWhat makes Ephesians special?
This letter summarizes many of the important teachings found in the letters of the apostle Paul. It begins by describing how God raised Christ, who now rules beside God in heaven. Then the letter tells how Christ has brought both Gentiles and Jews together by “breaking down the wall of hatred” that separated them (2.14). Those who have faith in Jesus have been chosen by God's Spirit to be part of one body, which is the church. This body has “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism” (4.5). Christ has chosen different people in the church to have different gifts as apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers (4.11). The last two and a half chapters of the letter offer practical instructions for living as God's people. This includes a description of the spiritual “armor” that God gives so the people of God can withstand the devil and the rulers of darkness (6.10-17).
Why was Ephesians written?
Many of Paul's letters give clues about why Paul wrote them. Ephesians, however, does not mention any particular questions or issues present among the members of the church in Ephesus. Without such a clue, it is hard to say exactly why the letter was written. However, Acts 19,20 may offer a clue. Those chapters tell about how Paul was effective at first when he told people in Ephesus about Jesus Christ. Later, he argued with those who worshiped Artemis, the favorite goddess in Ephesus. The local leader refused to punish Paul when a riot nearly broke out, but it seemed best for Paul to leave the city. Later, he met the leaders of the Ephesian church and gave them courage to face the problems they would meet. The biggest difficulty among the Ephesian followers was that some members were trying to split up the followers into different groups instead of following the message Paul had taught them. So, Paul addresses the problem of unity within the church as one of the main concerns in Ephesians.
What's the story behind the scene?
Many ancient manuscripts say that this letter was addressed to “the saints who were in Ephesus.” But a small number of manuscripts, including the oldest, do not name the Ephesians as the people who were to receive the letter. It may be that the letter was meant to be passed among a number of churches in Asia Minor. The Greek writing style and vocabulary used in Ephesians is somewhat different from those used in Paul's other letters. Also, Paul spent about three years in Ephesus trying to start a congregation (Acts 18.19-21; 19.1-20; 20.17-38), but the author and receivers of this letter don't seem to have met each other (1.15). Such things have led scholars to form different opinions about who wrote this letter and when it was written. But because of its similarities to Paul's writings, especially his letter to the Colossians, it has been linked with the apostle.
How is Ephesians constructed?
This letter has a brief greeting (1.1,2) and ending (6.21-24). In between are general teachings about the Christian faith and instructions for how the followers of Christ should live as God's people. The letter can be outlined in this way:
Chapters
6 chapters