Whenever I’m involved in a teaching series, I find it helpful to get a sense of the whole shape of the book so I can be clear about its purpose, message to the church and where the bits I will preach fit in. Our church are just starting a preaching series on Ephesians. So, I thought it would be helpful to share the results of my attempt to sum up this book. I’ve done so by highlighting 5 key statements which I believe help to unpack Paul’s message.
- In love he[ predestined us for adoption to sonship (Eph 1:4-5)
- When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:12)
- And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6)
- His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, (Eph 3:10)
- Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:21)
It is first of all worth noting two things. First that Paul’s authorship has been disputed by modern scholarship. It is generally agreed that Paul wrote some of the letters attributed to him, notably Romans and Galatians. However, others have been questioned including Ephesians and the so called pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus. The reasoning tends to be based on two things.
- A difference of vocabulary with the presence of words, terms and syntax not found in his other letters
- A difference in themes and focus which has been taken to indicate a different theology
I don’t think that either point offers anything approaching a case to answer. One would expect someone like Paul to vary his style and cover a wide range of content over a lifetime of ministry based on the contexts he was writing to. Add in the presence of scribes writing for him and there is no need to assume additional, later authors writing under a pseudonym.
Secondly, whilst the letter has historically been labelled as “to the Ephesians”, the earliest manuscripts lack an address. It is therefore likely that the letter was written as a circular to a number of churches in the region rather than specifically and solely to Ephesus. This is important because some Biblical scholars have placed intense focus on the situation in Ephesus to understand the purpose of the letter. For example, some have argued that the letter should be read in the light of Diana/Artemis worship in Ephesus, notably the focus on Christ exalted over other powers.[1]
That the letter was written to a wider range of churches should caution us against placing too much emphasis on the historical context of one city. It should encourage us to look to the letter itself to see how it identifies purpose and priorities. However, some of the things Arnold identifies as significant to Ephesus were in any case wider issues at the time and indeed for a few centuries to come. Specifically, there was a tendency to think in terms of the matter as evil, spirit as good, the divine as distant and a whole host of intermediate spirits between “God and us” to be appeased or bought off as humans sought to escape the trap of material exisitence.
1 In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship (Eph 1:4-5)
In contrast to a worldview where the divine is distant, unknowable and impersonal, Paul introduces us to the true and living God who not only is knowable but chooses to know and love us. In fact, God is love and it is this fact that Paul prays his readers will particularly grasp.
Because of this, despite us being God’s enemies, dead in our sins, aligned with the forces of evil, God chooses us. This is an act of love and grace, so that we are saved by grace, If we have been brought into the light of God’s family through his love for us, then we should seek to walk in the light and live a life of love.
2 When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:12)
God’s choice to love us and to bring us into his family is enacted, signed and sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life is central to our assurance. If we have received the Spirit, then we should be filled with the Spirit, rather than allowing the Satanic powers that used to dominate our thinking, emotions and actions to control us.
3 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6)
Rather than having to strive to escape from this material world to reach a higher plain of spiritual existence, God redeems us as whole persons in Christ so that we are raised up. We are “in Christ”, united with him and this means that if he is exalted above the powers we once feared, then we are seated with him, we share in his reign as co-heirs and no longer have to fear, serve, or appease the powers of darkness.
4 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, (Eph 3:10)
We are not to think of predestination and election (God choosing us) as like a game of hip-dip-dip where he makes arbitrary choices for the sake of it. Nor should predestination be a cause of hubris. Rather, we are saved “for good works” and God’s purpose in saving us is to demonstrate his power and glory to the powers of darkness and prove that Satan is utterly defeated. This means that spiritual warfare today is not about having to win the war but rather about demonstrating that the victory is won.
5 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.(Eph 5:21)
We are filled with the Spirit which enables us to live a life in keeping with the love that God has poured into our lives. This love is poured out in praise, encouragement and loving service to one another, or mutual submission. This means that
- Husbands are to love their wives and wives are to let them.
- Children are to love their parents by showing them honour and respect and parents are not to place obstacles in the way which prevent their children from doing that.
- Slaves are to submit to their masters, willingly, not out of fear but whole heartedly and masters are to treat their slaves in exactly the same way, in other words as free equals, family members rather than property.
It is at the heart of the household, family life (in a day and age when church and workplace would have been less distinguished as separate spheres) that spiritual warfare takes place and so we are to be equipped to stand firm by putting on the armour God gives us. This armour could be summed up as “The Gospel” or as Christ himself who is our salvation.
[1] See generally, Clinton E Arnold, Ephesians: Power and Magic: The Concept of Power in Ephesians in Light of its Historical Setting (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989).
Faithroots 