Ephesians - Introduction(1)

Ephesians is one of Paul’s most majestic letters, giving a theology of the church. The most important aspect of this theology of the church is that it is founded in God and is utterly Christ centred. One of the problems, perhaps the main problem, we have in the church today (and have no doubt had at many points throughout church history) is that we look at the church in a man-centred way. Either focusing on the church itself, with Christ as an afterthought, or viewing in terms of those whom we serve, be it serving them through acts of charity or through evangelism. These latter two foci (charity and evangelism) might seem to be worthy of being a focus for understanding the church, for surely we are meant to help the poor and to preach the gospel? Yes we are, but if anything, even good things, come first, or come detached from God, then they quickly become an idol. The from beginning to end in Ephesians, God is the foundation and the focus.

One of the distinguishing features of Ephesians is the almost total lack of dealing with particular church issues often involving Paul’s relationship with the church, though that was never the primary issue, that we find in many other letters. Galatians and the Corinthian letters are perhaps the ones where local issues dominate most, though they are apparent in Paul’s other letters. Even in the majestic letter to the Romans the final chapter is full of personal greetings. Not so in Ephesians, save for 6:21, and one or two other brief personal remarks. A possible, even likely, reason is that Ephesians was a circular letter, intended for several churches, of which Ephesians was just one. The reason that the Ephesian name stuck is probably that Ephesus was the largest church in the region. However, this suggestion is not without its problems. What we do know is that the letter was always referred to as Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, that it was used from the earliest days by the early church, and its place in the New Testament was never in doubt.