A Work in Progress Bible Commentary
By: Chip Crush
PAUL'S EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS
The epistle to the Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul between 60-62 AD.
He wrote this, along with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, while under
house arrest in Roman prison (Acts 28). As likely the fourth and final of
Paul’s prison letter, Ephesians is more general and less specific – focusing
more on prayer and doxology and less on instruction and doctrine. Paul doesn’t
persuade or argue with reason in Ephesians, as he does in other, previous letters;
rather he rejoices and prays (in perfectly sound doctrine) with awe at God’s majesty
and working out of His eternal plan. Paul previously rejoiced in the exaltation of
Jesus Christ; now he finds amazement in God’s bringing forth of Christ’s universal
Church.
Ephesians was likely a circular letter, as the word “Ephesus” is not found in some
of the earliest manuscripts. Also, early church fathers seem unaware of the specific
audience of this letter, treating it as circular to the churches of western Asia Minor.
Finally, it lacks the personal greetings found in Paul’s letter addressed to specific
congregations. Some think it may be the Laodicean epistle mentioned in Colossians, but
more likely, it came after Colossians and was not written and sent at the same time.
Ephesus was one of the top five cities in the Roman Empire at the time, and Paul
actually stayed there, building up the church with sound doctrine, for two-three
years during a stretch of his third mission trip (Acts 19:10, 20:31). Ephesus served
as a headquarters for the young church extending throughout western Asia Minor,
including the church at Colosse, which was founded by Epaphras, who heard Paul in
Ephesus while he was there. Ephesus was famous for the Temple to Diana, one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world. Diana was supposedly a “nurturing” goddess who
supposedly made the city “radiant” and glorious. Paul commonly used the language of
his culture to battle the culture and this is no exception. For example, in Ephesians
5:27,29, Paul says that Jesus (not the goddess Diana) came to make the church (not
the city of Ephesus) holy and “to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without
stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless… After all, no one ever
hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for [nurtures] it, just as Christ does the
church.” Acts 19 describes Paul’s ministry there, which impacted local commerce (an
idol manufacturer protested Paul’s teaching against idolatry) and turned people away
from occult practices.
Though written many years after Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is considered to be
the king of the epistles, Ephesians, which is Calvin’s favorite Bible book and
considered to be the queen of the epistles, is similar to Romans in the sense
that Paul was not writing to address problems. Romans serves as Paul’s doctrinal
teaching; Ephesians serves as his opus on the church and prayer inspired by the
awe of Christ. Specifically, Paul speaks of the mystery of the church – it is God’s
new humanity, a foretaste of eternal unity; it is a community of reconciled sinners,
being transformed by grace into a living organism, the body of Christ; it is a new
Temple for worshipping God made of living stones founded on Christ and the ministry
of the apostles; it is a light in the darkness of the fallen world, a beacon of hope
and of stewardship to the glory of God; it is finally a beautiful picture of a bride
preparing for and awaiting her husband to come.
Ephesians is a book of prayer. Paul is either praying or talking about prayer in
over half of the letter; to paraphrase one commentator in this regard, Paul’s heart
is singing the truth, and his prayer is the doctrine of God set to music in this letter.
Paul prays prayers of praise and intercession, thanking God for His attributes and
asking God to grant wisdom and knowledge and understanding of His attributes to His
people – all for His glory. Ephesians is a book about God. Throughout the letter,
Paul reveals the glory of the Triune Deity and finds God to be praiseworthy on account
of who He is, what He has done, and in light of who we are – sinners without hope apart
from Him. Ephesians is also a book about evangelism. Chapters 1 and 2 speak of the
missionary God doing His redeeming work: setting forth a plan from before the foundation
of the world, accomplishing it in the person of Jesus Christ, and applying it through
the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He reaches out with this saving work of Jesus
Christ to a multitude from every tribe and tongue and people and nation that no man
can number. Then chapters 3 and 4 show God’s purpose in evangelism, to unite His people
as the Church, the Body of Christ, and to make them like Himself, like Jesus. And in
chapters 5 and 6, Paul reveals the bold and joyful ambassadorship that we have as
witnesses to the world of God’s saving work in us and for us through the only way of
salvation, which is Jesus Christ.
Vincent Cheung breaks down Ephesians into the following sections:
Introduction (1:1-2), Predestination (1:3-14), Regeneration (1:15-23, 2:1-10),
Reconciliation (2:11-22, 3:1-13,14-21), Sanctification (4:1-16,17-24,25-5:2,5:3-20,21-6:9,6:10-20),
and Conclusion (6:21-24). Similarly, our study of Ephesians breaks down into ten segments:
1:1-14 – We have the salutation and Paul’s single-sentence praise to God for
blessings in Christ, including election by the Father, redemption by the Son, and
preservation by the Spirit.
1:15-23 – We have the first of Paul’s great prayers
for the church.
2:1-10 – We see the first part of our position in Christ,
including being reconciled with God and seated with Christ.
2:11-22 – We see
the second part of our position in Christ, including being reconciled with God’s
people and growing into the Temple of God.
3:1-21 – We see the third part
of our position in Christ, including being recipients and revealers of God’s
mystery. We also have the second of Paul’s prayers for the church, including
a doxology.
4:1-16 – We come to understand our walk in Christ as
being one of unity and diversity.
4:17-32 – 5:1-4 – We come to understand
our walk in Christ as including a new mind of purity, love, wisdom, and light,
all for the sake of unity to the glory of God.
5:5-21 – We see the
motivations for living the selfless Christian life for God’s glory and Church unity.
9) 5:21-33 – 6:1-9 – We learn about the filling of the Holy Spirit, seen especially
in worship and relational role fulfillment between husbands and wives, parents and
children, and masters and slaves.
6:10-24 – In conclusion, we are taught and
encouraged to stand firm against the spiritual forces of darkness. Paul gives us
a call to arms against the real enemy (not flesh and blood) and details the armor,
weaponry, and strategy for battling this enemy successfully.