Prison Epistles: Ephesians Overview

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.

(CSB)

The themes of the Book of Ephesians are the Gospel of grace through Jesus Christ and living that Gospel in an ungodly world.  Ephesians 2:8 provides the thesis for the first three chapters, reminding us that our salvation is not based upon our own efforts but instead the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  Ephesians 4:1 is the thesis for the last three chapters reminding us to live worthy of the high calling of the Gospel of grace.  However, it is also important to remember the context and situation of the author’s writing the book.  The author, likely the Apostle Paul, is imprisoned for his faith but instead of complaining about his situation, has lavish praise for the blessing of salvation in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).  This post gives an overview of the historical context of the book and its contribution to scripture. 

The beginning of Paul’s ministry to the people of Ephesus is recorded in Acts 19.  His first encounter after entering the city was with twelve disciples of John the Baptist.  Paul discovers these men have limited knowledge of the Gospel, only believing in the baptism of repentance offered by John the Baptist.  Paul explains the purpose of John’s teaching was pointing people to Jesus the Messiah, leading to their baptism in the Lord Jesus as a profession of faith in His death, burial, and resurrection.  They then receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7).  This context coincides with Ephesians 1-3 where Paul presents the message of the Gospel. 

As was His custom when entering a new city, the Apostle Paul then enters the synagogue, arguing and attempting to persuade his fellow Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah (Acts 19:8).  While some become believers, others harden their hearts and slander the Gospel, leading Paul to withdraw from the synagogue and begin teaching in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9).  During the two years of lecturing in Tyrannus, God works miracles through Paul as a demonstration of the power of God causing many in Ephesus to accept Christ (Acts 19:11-20).  This coincides with Ephesians 4-6 where Paul urges believers to live in unity to Christ, so they can carry out the Great Commission (Mark 16:14-18). 

However, this unity in Christ and mission will bring on opposition as it did in Ephesus (Acts 19:21-40).  This explains the reminder in Ephesians of the importance of engaging in spiritual warfare, defending the Gospel using spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:10-20).  Just like the people in Ephesus, we too will encounter opposition after accepting Christ and sharing or new faith with others.   Paul knew all to well the opposition to the message of the Gospel as he pens this letter from a Roman prison. 

As we begin our verse-by-verse study of Ephesians, let us keep in mind these things,

1)      Our new identity (Ephesians 1-3) – We were once dead in our sins living according to the sinful desires of our flesh (Ephesians 2:1-3).  However, because of the grace of God and the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we are now made alive in Christ with a new identity (Ephesians 2:4-10).  Our identity is no longer a sinner destined to die in his or her sins but an identity of having our sins covered by the shed blood of Christ providing eternal life and forgiveness of condemnation (John 3:16-18). 

2)      The need to unify around Christ and the message of the Gospel (Ephesians 4-6:9) – While believers in Christ experience an identity shift, their location does not change.  This stresses the importance of believers unifying in Christ with the unified purpose of spreading the Gospel.  The world needs to see the miracle of a diverse group of people coming together with a unity of purpose to bring needed transformation to the world. 

3)      The need to prepare for opposition (Ephesians 6:10-20) – Satan will not be pleased with believers in Christ engaging in spreading the Gospel and will always present opposition.  For some this opposition comes with real threats to their lives.  For others, the opposition is soft opposition with believers suffering rejection from family and friends.  Whatever form the opposition takes in our lives, it is important for us to put on the full armor of God to confront this opposition in a Godly manner. 

However, before beginning this Saturday verse-by-verse study of Ephesians, I must invite those that have not experienced a new identity in Christ to discover this new identity by praying with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

I invite you to join us the next few Saturdays as we begin the verse-by-verse study of Ephesians and invite your friends by sharing this post through email and social media.