The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians.

The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle

to the Ephesians

The Epistle to the Ephesians

The City of Ephesus:

+ The word ‘Ephesus’ is Greek and means ‘Desired.’

+ Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia (Asia Minor), or modern Turkey.

+ It was the main port and the center of trade in Asia.

+ It had its religious fame for its magnificent temple of Artemis, whose Roman equivalent is the goddess Diana, which was among the famous Greek and Roman Gods. The temple is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It took 220 years to build it, and the most talented Greek artists had decorated its inside.


Evangelism of St. Paul in Ephesus:

+ The Apostle Paul visited Ephesus for the first time during his return from his 2nd missionary trip (A.D. 51-54). - He was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, whom he had left behind in Asia (Ephesus) to carry the responsibility of witnessing to Christ.

- As for St. Paul, after he had called with the Gospel of Christ in the Jewish Synagogue, he left Ephesus in a hurry to attend the Pentecost feast (A.D. 54) in Jerusalem:

“And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, but took leave of them, saying: I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing. And he sailed from Ephesus”

(Acts 18:19-21)


+ During his 3rd missionary trip (A.D. 54-58), St. Paul re-visited Ephesus and remained for more than 2 years:

“And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks”

(Acts 19:10)

+ Paul’s ministry in Ephesus had great success in spite of the fierce resistance by some. Though the Ephesians were controlled and plagued by idolatry, magic, and false fables, many believed and burned their sorcery books:

“Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all… So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed”

(Acts 19:19-20)


+ During his 3rd missionary journey, Paul was resisted in Ephesus by Demetrius, a silversmith, and many similar craftsmen who made silver shrines for the temple of Artemis, and whose occupation was threatened because of the preaching of Paul:

“Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands”

(Acts 19:26)

+ The Apostle Paul wrote his 1st Epistle to the Corinthians during his second visit to Ephesus, in the spring of 57 A.D.

+ During the return of the Apostle Paul from his 3rd missionary trip, and when he arrived in the City of Miletus, opposing Ephesus from the sea, he sent to Ephesus and called the elders (priests) of the Church and…


exhorted them to take care of the flock:

“You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:18-21)

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood”

(Acts 20:28)

“Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to…


warn everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31)

“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you inheritance among all those who are sanctified”

(Acts 20:32)

+ St. Paul assigned Timothy to pastor the progress of work in the church of Ephesus and he was ordained as the Bishop of the city.

History of the Church in Ephesus

+ The Apostle John spent the last years of his life and ministering in Ephesus. He wrote the Book of Revelation in the island of Patmos, facing Ephesus. The first one of the letters from Christ our Lord to the seven…


churches of Asia, written in the Book of Revelation, was directed to the church of Ephesus:

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,” (Revelation 2:1)

+ The city afterward became an important Christian center, and the Third Ecumenical Council was held in it, in A.D. 431.

+ The Turks overtook the city in A.D. 1308.

+ Presently, only ruins are left of the city that the Turks call Ephesus, thus meeting the fate warned off in the book of Revelation:

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first...


works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent”

(Revelation 2:4-5)

Date and Location of Writing:

+ The Apostle Paul wrote this Epistle while in prison in Rome, during his 1st imprisonment there (A.D. 61-63):

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles” (Ephesians 3:1)

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”

(Ephesians 4:1)


“That I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”

(Ephesians 6:20)

+ The epistle was written by the hand of Tychicus, who also carried it to the Ephesians.

+ It is worth noting that St. Paul also wrote his epistles to the Philippians, the Colossians, and to Philemon in the same period, and from the same place. These four epistles are called ‘The Epistles of Captivity.’

Recipients:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus”

(Ephesians 1:1)


+ Studies shows that the phrase ‘in Ephesus’ appears only in some, but not in all, manuscripts. Thus an argument arose as to whom it was addressed:

- Old Church tradition says that the epistle was sent to the Ephesians. This is according to St. Irenaeus, St. Clement of Alexandria and to the scholar Oregon.

- There is another later opinion, and it has some weight, stating that this epistle was a ‘circular letter’, intended for all the Churches of Asia. And since Ephesus had the dominant Church in the province, tradition attributed the epistle to the Ephesians. These scholars explain that a space after ‘who are’ was left to write in it the name of the City.


Characteristic Points about the Epistle:

1. The Apostle included in it his full teachings for God’s plan for human history that one might say that the epistle has reached the epic of St. Paul’s divine teachings. It is considered one of the richest epistles in spiritual depth, in which you can sense the heavenly tune of St. Paul, being highly rejoicing in the glorified Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. St. Paul recites the name of the Lord Jesus Christ frequently in his writings and especially in this epistle. This shows his great love towards Him and the deep relationship and connection with the Lord.

3. ‘In Christ’ is a phrase that is urgently repeated in this epistle and is common throughout the epistles of St. Paul. Hence, one of the scholars said that all the theological thoughts of the Apostle Paul could be summarized in such phrase. ‘In Christ’ refers to our abiding in the Lord…


Jesus, who is the ‘Way’ and the source of all spiritual blessings. This process starts in baptism and continues through the life of repentance and Communion:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”

(Ephesians 2:10)

4. The word ‘Mystery’ is mentioned 6 times in the epistle, where the knowledge of the Lord Christ requires revelation, for He is God and Man at the same time. Also the ‘Mystery of Christ’ is His salvation that is presented to all and His will to accept the Gentiles, together with the Jews, as partakers in His body, through believing in His name:

“By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons…


of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel”

(Ephesians 3:4-6)

5. The epistle is full of liturgical prayers and praises, that the church used to pray at that time.

The Purpose of Writing the Epistle:

+ Nothing in the epistle indicates that it was written in response to some specific situations in the churches of Asia Minor. It is rather a general teaching epistle in the form of a sermon.

+ St. Paul intended to let the Asian churches know of his situation:


“But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts”

(Ephesians 6:21-22)

Theme of the Epistle:

+ The theme of the epistle is the establishment of the Church, who is the Body of Christ. It is the epistle that explains the most the theological concept about the ‘Church as the Body of Christ,’ of whom we, the believers, are the members:

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all”

(Ephesians 1:22-23)


Contents:

I. Introduction: (Ch. 1)

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:2)

II. Educational Section: (Chs. 1-3)

This section deals with the unity of the believers who constitute the Church, the Body of Christ, though they are persons of many races. Christ the Lord is the head of this Body, or the Church.

1. Getting to Know The Mystery of God:

In the opening statement of the Epistle, the Apostle blesses God for all…


His heavenly blessings bestowed upon the saints. This long doxology (Ephesians 1:3-14) has no equivalent in all the Books of the New Testament. The Doxology is composed of three Sections:

a) God who Blessed us with every Spiritual Blessing in Heaven is Glorified:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved”

(Ephesians 1:3-6)

b) The Son who Bestowed upon us Salvation is Glorified:


“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace... In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory”

(Ephesians 1:7,11-12)

c) The Holy Spirit is Glorified:

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

+ “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your...


love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers”

(Ephesians 1:15-16)

2. The Mystery of Resurrection in Christ:

a) Salvation Through Grace:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”

(Ephesians 2:4-6)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”

(Ephesians 2:8-9)


b) The Gentiles Share the Blessings of Salvation:

“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13)

c) Christ is our Peace:

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation”

(Ephesians 2:14)


“And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:17-18)

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19)

3. The Mystery of The Dwelling of Christ in Us:

a) The Mystery of Christ Revealed:

“If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already)” (Ephesians 3:2-3)


“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ”

(Ephesians 3:8-9)

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him”

(Ephesians 3:12)

b) The Dwelling of Christ in our Hearts:

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with…


might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”

(Ephesians 3:14-19)

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

III. Practical Section: (Chs. 4-6)

1. Walk in Unity, Worthy of the Calling:


“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love”

(Ephesians 4:1-2)

“Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all”

(Ephesians 4:3-6)

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”

(Ephesians 4:11-13)


“But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love”

(Ephesians 4:15-16)

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart”

(Ephesians 4:17-18)

“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the…


spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”

(Ephesians 4:22-24)

2. Do Not Grieve the Spirit:

“Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another”

(Ephesians 4:25)

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers”

(Ephesians 4:29)

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”

(Ephesians 4:30)


“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you”

(Ephesians 4:32)

3. Walk in Love:

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma”

(Ephesians 5:1-2)

4. Walk as Children of Light:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord”

(Ephesians 5:8-10)


“Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14)

5. Walk as Wise:

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is”

(Ephesians 5:15-17)

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”

(Ephesians 5:18-19)

6) Marriage in Christianity:


“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything”

(Ephesians 5:22-24)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her”

(Ephesians 5:25)

“So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones”

(Ephesians 5:28-30)


7) Children and Parents:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth”

(Ephesians 6:1-3)

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord”

(Ephesians 6:4)

8) Bondservants and Masters:

“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing...


the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men”

(Ephesians 6:5-7)

“Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free” (Ephesians 6:8)

“And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him” (Ephesians 6:9)

9) The Whole Armor of God:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10)


“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”

(Ephesians 6:11)

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”

(Ephesians 6:12)

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”

(Ephesians 6:13)

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith...


with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

(Ephesians 6:14-17)

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel”

(Ephesians 6:18-19)

IV. Conclusion: (Ch. 6)

“Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen” (Ephesians 6:24)

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The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians.

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