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TOM · The Owner's Manual · New Testament

Ephesians 1

Before you read Ephesians: who, when, why

BOOK 49 OF 66 · NEW TESTAMENT · LETTER

Who You Are in Christ

AUTHOR
Paul, 1:1 and 3:1. The early church never doubted it. Some modern scholars think a follower wrote it in Paul's name because the style is different and much of it is like Colossians.
WRITTEN FROM
Prison, 3:1, 4:1 and 6:20, most likely Rome, where Paul lived under guard for two years, Acts 28:30.
DATE WRITTEN
About AD 60 to 62.
WRITTEN TO
The believers in Ephesus, and maybe a group of churches around it. See the 1:1 note.
DELIVERED BY
Tychicus, 6:21, on the same trip that carried Colossians and Philemon, Colossians 4:7 to 9.
WHY HE WROTE
No crisis this time. Paul wanted believers to know who they are in Christ and how to live as one body.
KEY VERSE
Ephesians 2:8. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.
THE OLDEST COPY OF EPHESIANS

The Oldest Copy of Ephesians

This is a page of Papyrus 46, a book of Paul's letters copied in Egypt about AD 200, now at the University of Michigan. It holds Ephesians 6:8 to 18, the armor of God. In the middle you can read our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 6:12. The Greek letters at the top are the page number, 157. THE NEXT PAGE. The page right after this one finishes Ephesians and starts Galatians. See the Galatians title page. WHY IT MATTERS. Papyrus 46 is also one of the oldest copies without the words in Ephesus in 1:1. Copied only about 140 years after Paul wrote, it says what our Bibles say today.

The Setting

Ephesus was the biggest city in the Roman province of Asia, in western Turkey, with a busy harbor and maybe 200,000 people. It was home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and it was famous for magic. Paul lived there almost three years, Acts 20:31. For two years he taught every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, so all of Asia heard the word, Acts 19:9 to 10. Then the silversmiths started a riot, Acts 19. Later Paul said goodbye to the Ephesian elders with tears and warned them about wolves, Acts 20:17 to 38. Now he writes to them from chains.

What Ephesus Was Up Against

  • Magic. Ephesus was known for charms and spells. New believers burned magic scrolls worth 50,000 silver coins, Acts 19:19.
  • Artemis. The city's money and pride were tied to her temple, Acts 19:27.
  • Fear of Spirits. People lived afraid of spiritual powers. Paul says Christ sits far above them all, 1:21, and we stand in His strength, 6:10 to 12.
  • A Wall Between People. Jews and Gentiles did not mix. Jesus tore down that wall, 2:14.
  • Wolves Coming. Paul warned false teachers would rise up, Acts 20:29 to 30, so believers must grow up and not get tossed around, 4:14.

Where to Find Jesus

  • Ephesians 1:7. In Him we have redemption through His blood. Foreshadowed by Boaz the redeemer, Ruth 4:9 to 10.
  • Ephesians 1:20. God raised Him and seated Him at His right hand, far above every ruler. Fulfills Isaiah 52:13 and Daniel 7:13 to 14.
  • Ephesians 2:14. He Himself is our peace. Fulfills Micah 5:5.
  • Ephesians 2:20. Christ Jesus Himself is the cornerstone. Fulfills Zechariah 10:4.
  • Ephesians 4:8. When He ascended on high, He gave gifts to men. Fulfills Psalm 68:18.

Cool Stuff Most People Miss

  • Sit, Walk, Stand. The Chinese church leader Watchman Nee summed up Ephesians in three words in his book Sit, Walk, Stand: seated with Christ, 2:6, walk worthy, 4:1, and stand firm, 6:11.
  • One Long Sentence. In Greek, 1:3 to 14 is one sentence, over 200 words long. Paul got so excited about grace he forgot to stop.
  • You Are A Poem. The word workmanship in 2:10 is poiema in Greek, where we get the word poem. You are God's work of art.
  • The Spirit Has Feelings. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, 4:30. You cannot hurt the feelings of a force. The Spirit is a Person.
  • An Early Song. Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you, 5:14. Many think this was a song the first Christians sang.
  • Missing Address. The oldest copies leave out the words in Ephesus in 1:1. See the note there.

Did Anybody Listen?

Yes and no. About 30 years later, Jesus praised the church in Ephesus for hard work and for testing people who called themselves apostles and finding them false, Revelation 2:2. But He also said, You have abandoned your first love, Revelation 2:4. They kept the doctrine and lost the love Paul prayed for in 3:19. About AD 110, the church leader Ignatius wrote to them and praised them again. Today Ephesus is ruins, but the letter still tells millions of people who they are.

Chapter 1 in 30 seconds

Paul starts with a praise party. In Christ you are chosen, adopted, forgiven and sealed with the Holy Spirit, and it all happened before you did anything. Paul prays you would see how rich you really are, and how much power God used when He raised Jesus and seated Him above every power there is.

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In this chapterField Notes · ArchaeologyThe Library of Celsus · after verse 10

Paul’s Greeting to the Ephesians// Acts 19:8–12; Revelation 2:1–7

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

  • EPH 1:1[TEXT]IN EPHESUS. The oldest copies, Papyrus 46, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, do not have the words in Ephesus. Many think Paul wrote one letter to be passed around the churches of Asia, with Ephesus as the main stop. Some think it is the letter to Laodicea that Paul mentions in Colossians 4:16. Most later copies have in Ephesus, and the early church always called it Ephesians.
  • EPH 1:1[FIELD NOTES]See The Library of Celsus Field Notes page, and the theater and Temple of Artemis page in Acts.

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings// Romans 8:28–34

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 4For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.

  • EPH 1:4[NOTE]CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED, TWO VIEWS. Reformed or Calvinist: before the world was made, God chose certain people to be saved, not because of anything He saw in them, but by His own will, 1:5 and 1:11. Even faith is His gift, 2:8. Augustine, Calvin and Spurgeon taught this. Arminian or free will: God chose a people in Him, 1:4. Christ is the Chosen One, and whoever joins Him by faith is chosen in Him, like getting on a bus whose destination is already set. God knows ahead who will believe, Romans 8:29, and He wants everyone to be saved, 1 Timothy 2:4. John Wesley taught this. Both sides agree salvation is God's idea, it is all grace, and the goal is to be holy, 1:4, to the praise of His glory, 1:6. See the Romans 9:13 note.

7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.

  • EPH 1:7[FULFILLS]Boaz the kinsman redeemer buys back the land and takes Ruth as his wife ← RUTH 4:9-10

11In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.

13And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.

Spiritual Wisdom// 1 Corinthians 2:6–16

15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.

18I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, 20which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

  • EPH 1:20[FULFILLS]The Servant exalted after suffering ← IS 52:13
  • EPH 1:20[FULFILLS]Highly exalted ← DAN 7:13-14b
  • EPH 1:20[ALLUDES TO]Refers to ← PS 110:1

22And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

  • EPH 1:22[ALLUDES TO]Refers to ← PS 8:6

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