Ephesians

Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. Each review contains quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover Ephesians, a book written almost 2,000 years ago and one that is part of a larger collection of books called The Bible.

Ephesians

Author

The apostle Paul

Introduction

Paul's letter to the Ephesians is an anthem to the sovereign grace of God displayed toward sinner in Christ. It contains some of the worst news ("you were dead in your trespasses and sins") and best news ("but God...made us alive with the Messiah") in all of Scripture. In view of this grace, Paul calls believers to "walk worthy of the calling" we have received.

Message and Purpose

Ephesians hints at several purposes. The apostle Paul taught that Jewish and Gentile believers are one in Christ. This oneness was to be demonstrated by their love for one another. Paul used the noun or verb form of love (agape) 19 times (about one-sixth of the total uses in all the Pauline letters). Ephesians begins with love (1:4-6) and ends with love (6:23-24).

Paul implicitly addressed matters raised by the mystery religions in the Lycus Valley. The letter has much to say about redemption (1:7) and the divine intention for the human race (1:3-14). Additional themes include grace (1:2), predestination (1:4-5), reconciliation, and union with Christ (2:1-21).

Central to the message of Ephesians is the re-creation of the human family according to God's original intention for it. The new creation destroys the misguided view that God accepts the Jew and rejects the Gentile. Paul says the distinction was abolished at Christ's sacrificial death. In sum, we can say that the overall emphasis of Ephesians is on the unity of the church in Christ, through the power of the Spirit.

Remarkable Chapter

Chapter 2 contains perhaps the best news any Christian could hope to hear. Paul starts the chapter by talking about the Christian's old life (before salvation): we were dead, we were enslaved, we were objects of wrath, we walked among the disobedient, and we were under Satan's dominion. He contrasts this with the Christian's new life (after salvation): now we are alive, now we are enthroned, now we are objects of grace, now we fellowship with Christ, and now we are in union with Christ.

This news is brought to summation in verse 13:

"But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah."

Paul used the strong transitional phrase "But now in Christ Jesus" to point to the Gentiles' new relationship in Christ. The Gentile believers no longer were in their alienated state. They knew Christ, took part in God's covenant blessings, and had hope and fellowship with God. This remarkable turnaround took place "in Christ Jesus." Those who trust in Him have a present salvation and a future hope. This is great news!

Conclusion

Paul was an apostle—a person whom the resurrected Christ had commissioned and sent on special service, and who was gifted by the Holy Spirit for that service—who was carrying out his apostolic commission according to God's will. Because Ephesus was the most important city in western Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), the letter of Ephesians had significant influence and monumental impact in the spreading of the one, true gospel of Jesus Christ and is a Biblical book that every Christian should turn to for the many questions that arise in a Christian's life.