Ephesians Introduction-The Purpose and Major Themes of Ephesians
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday February 4, 2023
Ephesians Series: Introduction-The Purpose and Major Themes of Ephesians
Lesson # 6
Though Paul never mentions any specific problem or problems taking place within the Christian community in this epistle, it can be inferred from the contents of the letter that he was concerned that the Christian community remained united experientially through practice of the command to love one another.
This is indicated by the fact that Paul opens the practical application of his teaching in the first three chapters by commanding the recipients of the letter to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in Ephesians 4:3.
This would be accomplished by living in a manner worthy of their calling and by practicing humility, gentleness, patience and tolerance of one another through the practice of the command to love one another, which Paul instructs them to do in Ephesians 4:1-2.
Therefore, unity is the first major overriding theme in the Ephesian epistle because this is the purpose of the letter.
Again, Paul was concerned that the Christian community remained united experientially through practice of the command to love one another.
They were unified in a positional sense through their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
Consequently, this set up the guarantee of being united in a perfective sense when they receive their resurrection bodies at the rapture or resurrection of the church.
This unity in a positional sense is taught in the first three chapters of the epistle.
This unity positionally sets up the potential to experience this unity when interacting with each other, which is accomplished through obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ’s command to love one another as He loved them.
In fact, Paul makes a point of mentioning this unity in a positional sense in relation to Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians interaction with each other.
They would experience that which was true of them positionally through the practice of the command to love one another.
Consequently, they would reflect the character and nature of the Trinity, who are united eternally since this love is a part of their character and nature.
Another major theme of Ephesians is Jesus Christ.
Paul begins the epistle by noting that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:1) and that grace and peace originated not only from the Father but also the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:2).
The apostle then states that the Father chose the Ephesian Christian community “in Christ” before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4) because of their union and identification with Christ which took place at the moment of their justification through the baptism of the Spirit.
Paul then teaches that the Father predestined them for adoption as His sons through their union and identification with Christ (Eph. 1:5).
He asserts that they received the Father’s grace through His Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6) and not only this, but they have received redemption through the blood or death of Jesus, namely the forgiveness of our trespasses (Eph. 1:7).
The Father did this when He revealed to the church the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that he set forth through the person of Christ (Eph. 1:9-10).
Paul teaches that all things will be summed up in Christ, namely the things in heaven and the things on earth.
The Christian has been claimed as the Father’s own possession because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ because they were predestined according to the Father’s purpose (Eph. 1:11).
They were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit because they trusted in Jesus Christ at their justification (Eph. 1:13).
The omnipotence of the Father was manifested when He raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:20).
The Father also put all of creation and every creature under the authority of His Son who He gave to the church as head over all creation and every creature (Eph. 1:21-23).
In chapter two, Paul asserts that the Father raised the church age believer up with Christ and seated them with Him at the moment of their justification through the baptism of the Spirit (Eph. 2:5-6).
The believer is the Father’s workmanship who have been created through their union and identification with Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we they would do them (Eph. 2:8-10).
Paul then asserts that the Father reconciled Jews and Gentiles through the person and work of His Son (Eph. 2:11-22).
Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of this spiritual temple.
Next, in chapter three, the apostle teaches that the Christian community regarding the mystery of Christ, which is that Gentile believers are fellow-heirs with Jewish believers, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:1-6).
Paul teaches that the Father’s eternal plan was accomplished through His Son (Eph. 3:7-11) and that the believer has confident access to the Father in prayer because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:12).
In Paul’s second prayer, he asserts that he prayed to the Father that Christ would dwell in the hearts of the Christian community in the Roman province of Asia and that they would know experientially Christ’s love for them (Eph. 3:14-21).
Paul teaches that each church age believer received a spiritual gift because of the Lord Jesus Christ and specifically because of their faith in Him.
The communication gifts were given so that they might grow to spiritual maturity and become more like Christ (Eph. 4:1-16) and he then goes to remind the recipients of the epistle that truth is in Jesus (Eph. 4:21).
Believers are to forgive one another just as the Father forgave them through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:32) and they were to love one another as God through His Son loved them (Eph. 5:1-2).
They should remain in fellowship with God through practice of the command of the Lord Jesus Christ to love one another in order that they might receive their inheritance in the kingdom of the Lord (Eph. 5:3-5) and were to live godly lives so that Christ might shine on them (Eph. 5:7-14).
They were to know what the will of the Lord by being filled with the Spirit, which would manifest itself in speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in their hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:15-21).
The members of the Christian community were to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:22) and this submission would manifest itself when wives, submit to their husbands as to the Lord because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church.
The Lord Himself being the savior of the body.
Just as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything (Eph. 5:24) and correspondingly, husbands were to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her (Eph. 5:25).
Like Christ, husbands were obligated to love their wives as their own bodies.
Christ cares for the church and so should husbands care for their wives (Eph. 5:29).
When wives and husbands obey these instructions they are manifesting the great mystery of Christ’s love for the church (Eph. 5:30-32).
Chapter six begins with Paul commanding the children in the Christian community to obey their parents in the Lord for this is right (Eph. 6:1).
Fathers were not to provoke their children to anger but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
The slaves of this community were to obey their human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of their heart as to Christ (Eph. 6:5).
The slaves were to do their work as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
They were to obey their masters with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people because they know that each person, whether slave or free, if they do something good, will be rewarded by the Lord (Eph. 6:8).
The slave masters of this community were to treat their slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats because they know that both they and their Christian slaves have the same master in heaven, namely, the Lord Jesus.
The final major section of the epistle addresses the Christian community’s relationship to Satan and his kingdom.
This community was to strengthen themselves in the Lord, which is by appropriating by faith their union and identification with Christ.
The different aspects of this union and identification are described with a military metaphor, namely the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-19).
In the closing of the letter, Paul asserts that he interceded in prayer for the recipients of this letter that they would experience peace in their souls and when interacting with each other by practicing the love of God with each other through faith in his apostolic teaching and which peace originates from not only the Father but also from Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 6:23).
The apostle also interceded in prayer for them to the Father that the grace of God, which was manifested through the Spirit inspired contents of this epistle would be experienced by the recipients of this epistle with those who love the Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love (Eph. 6:24).