Ephesians - Introduction

Introduction

Ephesians is a fairly general letter, not being anything like so clearly focused on particular situations in the church, unlike Galatians and the Corinthian letters. Indeed, it is generally thought that it was a circular letter, intended to be read to other churches in the area. It was probably written about AD 60, possibly at the same time as Paul wrote Colossians.

Paul’s visits to Ephesus feature heavily in Acts (Acts 19; 20:13-38). So the absence of much in the way of the personal greetings or circumstances supports the idea of it being a circular letter. Ephesus itself was a very important city. It was an important commercial centre, and had a temple dedicated to the goddess Diana (Artemis).  The church at Ephesus is, of course, the recipient of the first of the seven letters in Revelation.

The first half of the letter is geared towards expanding the general vision of the recipients. We need to have a fuller vision of who Christ is, and how God’s plans are fulfilled in Christ. It also expands our vision of what the church is. The second half is made up of teaching on practical Christian living, all inspired and founded on the truths expounded in the first half. 

There are also several mentions of the “heavenly realms”, and the related spiritual conflict. Perhaps the best well-known aspect of this, is the section on the heavenly armour. The whole book is geared towards us being ready and equipped for the spiritual battle here on earth.