Ephesians Background

About Paul

The City of Ephesus

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters 1. Pre-roman Times

According to mythology the city of Ephesus was founded by the Amazons, a race of female warriors.

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters 2. The Roman City

2. The Roman City

Beginning in the reign of Caesar Augustus and lasting for 200 years, Ephesus experienced a more stable political history which enabled the city to prosper and thrive. Population estimates for the city during this time begin at around 250,000 people.

Major Figures with Paul

The people of Ephesus

About this Letter

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters Ephesians, Letter to The

The Letter to the Ephesians is unique among the letters attributed to Paul. Its language of worship and prayer, the depth and scope of its theology, and the many practical admonitions have led many Christians (including John Calvin) to cherish it as their favorite NT book. The letter’s emphasis on the nature of the church and the present dynamic relationship of the exalted Christ to the church makes it an important and practical book for the church today.

This book falls into 2 sections

Chapters 1-3

Both an extended Thanksgiving Prayer and a reminder to Gentiles readers of the the privileges, calling and status we enjoy as believers in Christ Jesus

Chapters 4-6

An Appeal to live in the Church and in the World in light of these realities, Not simply to become merged into the surrounding culture.

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Introduction

In this epistle Paul speaks of “the riches of His [God’s] grace” (1:7), “the unfathomable riches of Christ” (3:8), and “the riches of His glory” (3:16). He calls the believer to “attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ” (4:13), to “be filled with the Spirit” (5:18), and to “be filled up to all the fulness of God” (3:19).

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Introduction

In this book the word riches is used five times; grace twelve times; glory eight times; fulness, filled up, or fills six times; and the key phrase in Christ (or in Him) fifteen times. Christ is the source, the sphere, and the guarantee of every spiritual blessing and of all spiritual riches, and those who are in Him have access to all that He is and has.

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Introduction

In our union with Jesus Christ, God makes us “fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17) and to be of “one spirit with Him” (1 Cor. 6:17). When we are “in Christ,” He is not ashamed to call us brothers (Heb. 2:11) and will share with us all that He possesses, “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven” for us (1 Pet. 1:4).

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Introduction

Our riches are based on Christ’s grace (1:2, 6–7; 2:7), His peace (1:2), His will (1:5), His kind intention (1:9), His purpose (1:9, 11), His glory (1:12, 14), His calling (1:18), His inheritance (1:18), His power (1:19), His love (2:4), His workmanship (2:10), His Spirit (3:16), His gifts (4:11), His sacrifice (5:2), His strength (6:10), and His armor (6:11, 13).

The NIV Application Commentary: Ephesians Introduction

It is about us. It describes human beings, their predicament, sin, and delusion, but much more it describes God’s reaching out to people to recreate and transform them into a new society.

The NIV Application Commentary: Ephesians Introduction

Most of the letter is about two subjects: power and identity. It describes the power God’s Spirit gives for living. It shows who we really are without Christ and who we become both individually and corporately with Christ. It is about how we understand ourselves and how we can get along with each other and God. The focus on God’s new society also makes Ephesians one of the most important works for understanding the church.