Ephesians

Author : Keith Sharp

Author

The Author of Ephesians is the apostle Paul (Ephesians 1:1; 3:1). Thus, the book of Ephesians is inspired of God and properly a part of the Scriptures (Ephesians 3:1-7; 2 Peter 3:14-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

From Where Written

The apostle wrote Ephesians while in Rome (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7-9; Philemon 1:9-10).

When Written

Paul penned the letter while he was a prisoner in Rome (ca. A.D. 60 – 64; See above; cf. also Acts 28:16,20,30-31).

To Whom Written

The letter is addressed to the “the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus”(Ephesians 1:1).

The City of Ephesus

Ephesus was a very ancient city whose history went back to times when only legend survives of its story. It was located near the mouth of the Cayster River, three miles from the west coast of Asia Minor, opposite the isle of Samos. All travel by road from the ancient Middle East to Europe was through Ephesus. It had a very large artificial harbor and was the most important city of the Roman province of Asia, being its commercial and religious center. Even before the time of Alexander the Great, it came under Greek influence. The inhabitants had a mixture of Greek and Oriental culture and spoke Greek. Ephesus came under Roman rule in 190 BC. It was the capital of the province of Asia as well as the center from which Rome governed all the peninsula of Asia Minor. The two great buildings of Ephesus were the Great Theater, which seated 50,000, and the Temple of Diana. The Temple of Diana was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. By Paul’s day it had been built and rebuilt seven times. This structure took 220 years to build, was 342 feet long, 164 feet wide, had columns 56 feet in height, and was constructed of the finest marble. It was the center of pagan worship in that part of the Roman world. The wealth of the world was brought to this great Temple, and it became the bank of the Roman world and its priest the bankers. It was the center of all Ephesian religion and commerce. Even the artisans depended on it.

The Church in Ephesus

1. Paul visited Ephesus briefly on his second journey to the Gentiles, but refused to stay long. He left Priscilla and Aquila there (Acts 18:18-21,26).
2. Apollos preached the baptism of John in Ephesus, but Aquila and Priscilla taught him the way of truth (Acts 18:24-28).
3. Paul came to Ephesus on his third journey to the Gentiles, found twelve disciples of John, baptized them in the name of the Lord, and imparted the Holy Spirit to them (Acts 19:1-7).
4. Paul preached three months in the synagogue in Ephesus ( (Acts 19:8).
5. When the Jews rejected Paul, he began preaching in the school of Tyrannus, where he continued two years (Acts 19:9-10).
6. At this time the word of the Lord was spread over all Asia (Acts 19:10).
7. Paul worked notable miracles in Ephesus (Acts 19:11-12).
8. Jewish exorcists tried to emulate Paul and failed dramatically (Acts 19:13-16).
9. As the result, the word of the Lord was magnified (Acts 19:17-20).
10. Paul made plans for future trips and stayed in Ephesus “for a time” (Acts 19:21-22).
11. As the result of the riot caused by Demetrius and the silversmiths, Paul decided to leave Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41).
12. Paul stayed there a total of three years (Acts 20:31).
13. While in Ephesus, Paul wrote First Corinthians (1 Cor. 16:8-9).
14. While there, he had many opportunities and many adversaries (Ibid).
15. Onesiphorus ministered to Paul while he was in Ephesus (2 Timothy 1:16-18).
16. The church at Ephesus had elders, whom Paul warned of the danger of apostasy (Acts 20:17-38).
17. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus to preach to them (1 Timothy 1:13).
18. Later, he sent Tychicus to Ephesus (Ephesians 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:12).
19. The church at Ephesus did not tolerate false teachers (Revelation 2:1-2).
20. They were a working, patient congregation (Revelation 2:2-3).
21. But they later left their first love (Revelation 2:4-5).
22. They did hate the Nocolaitans (Revelation 2:6-7).
23. Second and third century Christians say the apostle John preached in Ephesus in his later years.

Purpose of Book

In the parallel books of Ephesians and Colossians, the apostle unveils the eternal plan of human redemption, hidden in the mind of God from all eternity, fulfilled in Christ, revealed by the Holy Spirit, and manifested in the church. Colossians presents Christ as the fulness of God (Colossians 1:19). Ephesians presents the church as the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). In Christ are to be found all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). But to be in Christ is to be part of His church (Ephesians 1:22-23). The preposition “in” connected in some way to Christ is found at least sixteen times in Ephesians (Ephesians 1:3,4,7,10,12, 20; 2:6,10,13, 21,22; 3:6,11,12; 4:21,32). The word “walk,” denoting “manner of life,” is found seven times (Ephesians 2:2,10; 4:1,17; 5:21,8,15). Of the 155 verses in Ephesians, 78 have a parallel in Colossians.

Ephesians is the greatest treatise ever written on the church of Christ.

Theme

The theme of Ephesians is the church, the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Outline
(adapted from an outline by Homer Hailey)

I. Salutation – 1:1-2

II. God’s Eternal Purpose in the Church – 1:3 – 4:16
…A. the eternal purpose in Christ – 1:3-14
……1. God: the source of all spiritual blessings – 1:3-6
……2. Christ: the channel of all spiritual blessings – 1:7-12
……3. the Holy Spirit: the guarantee of the inheritance – 1:13-14
…B. the eternal purpose in the church – 1:15 – 3:21
……1. the church, the fulness of Christ – 1:15-23
……2. the church, the alive with Christ – 2:1-10
………a. past condition: dead in sin – 2:1-3
………b. present condition: alive with Christ – 2:4-7
………c. how: by grace through faith – 2:8-10
……3. the church, the body of the reconciled – 2:11-18
………a. past condition: without God – 2:11-12
………b. present condition- reconciled to God – 2:13-18
……4. the church, the family and temple of God – 2:19-22
………a. past condition: strangers and foreigners – 2:19
………b. present condition:
…………(1) household of God – 2:19
…………(2) temple of God – 2:20-22
……5. the church, the revelation of God’s eternal purpose – 3:1-21
………a. God’s eternal purpose revealed through Paul – 3:1-7
………b. the church, the manifestation of this purpose – 3:8-13
………c. prayer they might realize this purpose – 3:14-19
………d. the church, the glory of God – 3:20-21
…C. the unity of the church – 4:1-16
……1. the spirit of peace and unity – 4:1-3
……2. the basis of unity – 4:4-6
……3. how unity is achieved – 4:7-16
………a. gifts to perfect – 4:7-12
………b. growth to perfection – 4:13-16

III. The Christian’s Character and Behavior in Christ – 4:17 – 6:20
…A. in the world – 4:17 – 5:21
……1. renewed in the spirit of the mind – 4:17-32
………a. the old man put off – 4:17-22
………b. renewed – 4:23
………c. the new man put on – 4:24-32
……2. following God as dear children – 5:1-7
……3. walking as children of light – 5:8-14
……4. understanding the will of the Lord – 5:15-21
…B. in the family- 5:22 – 6:4
……1. husband and wife – 5:22-33
………a. submission of wives to husbands – 5:22-24
………b. love of husbands for wives- 5:25-31
………c. lesson primarily of Christ and the church- 5:32-33
……2. children and parents – 6:1-4
………a. children to parents – 6:1-3
………b. fathers to children – 6:4
…C. servants and masters – 6:5-9
……1. servants to masters- 6:5-8
……2. masters to servants- 6:9
…D. the armor of God- 6:10-20
……1. the spiritual nature of the conflict – 6:10-12
……2. the armor – 6:13-17
……3. prayer- 6:18-20

IV. Conclusion – 6:21-24