Books of the Bible

The Book of Ephesians

New Testament · Pauline Epistles · Genre: Epistle · Author: The apostle Paul · Chapters: 6

Ephesians unfolds the breathtaking scope of God's plan to unite all things in Christ, and the riches that belong to those who are in him. It moves from the heights of God's grace to the practical shape of a life and a church worthy of that calling.

Start reading: Ephesians chapter 1

A key verse

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)

The setting and background of Ephesians

Ephesians is one of the letters Paul wrote from prison, and unlike most of his letters it addresses no particular crisis, reading instead like a serene and soaring meditation on the gospel and the church. It may have been intended as a circular letter for several churches in the region around Ephesus, which would explain its broad and unhurried character.

The letter divides cleanly in two. The first three chapters celebrate what God has done in Christ, choosing, redeeming, and raising his people, and uniting Jew and Gentile into one new humanity, a household and a temple where God dwells. The last three chapters call believers to live worthy of that calling, in unity and love, in the home and in daily life, and to stand firm in the armor of God.

Ephesians was written to lift believers' eyes to the vastness of God's eternal purpose in Christ and to shape a life and a church worthy of it. In the sweep of Scripture it is treasured as one of the richest and most exalted letters in the New Testament, and its picture of the church as one new humanity, a body, and a temple has shaped how believers understand their life together.

The story and structure of Ephesians

Ephesians was written by Paul from prison, and unlike his other letters it addresses no particular crisis, reading instead like a serene and soaring meditation on the gospel and the church. It divides neatly in two: the first three chapters celebrate what God has done in Christ, and the last three call believers to live out that reality.

Paul opens with one long, exuberant sentence of praise, blessing God for every spiritual blessing in Christ. Before the foundation of the world God chose his people, adopted them as his children, redeemed them through the blood of Christ, and sealed them with the Spirit, all to the praise of the glory of his grace. The whole passage sweeps the reader up into the vastness of God's purpose.

Paul then marvels that this grace has raised believers from spiritual death and saved them by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast. And it has broken down the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile, making the two into one new humanity, a single household and a holy temple in which God dwells by his Spirit. The church itself is God's masterpiece of reconciliation.

Turning to daily life, Paul calls believers to walk worthy of their calling, in humility, unity, and truth, growing up into maturity as the body of Christ. He calls them to put off the old self and put on the new, to speak truth, to forgive as they have been forgiven, and to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us.

He applies this new life to marriage, family, and work, and closes by urging believers to be strong in the Lord and to put on the whole armor of God, standing firm against the spiritual forces of evil through truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer. The grand vision of the opening chapters becomes armor for the battles of ordinary life.

The great themes of Ephesians

Key passages in Ephesians

Ephesians in the sweep of Scripture

Ephesians has been treasured as one of the richest and most exalted letters in the New Testament, a sweeping vision of God's eternal purpose in Christ and of the church as the community that displays his reconciling grace. Its balance of soaring truth and practical instruction has made it a favorite guide to the Christian life, and its picture of the church as one new humanity, a household, a temple, and a body, has shaped how believers understand their life together in every age.

Where Christ is in Ephesians

Ephesians centers on Christ as the one in whom God gathers up all things, in whom we are chosen, redeemed, and made alive, and through whom peace is made between all peoples. He is the head of the church, his body, and the cornerstone of the temple God is building, so that in him hostility is ended, the far-off are brought near, and God's eternal purpose reaches its fulfillment.

How to read Ephesians well

Read Ephesians to grasp the riches you have in Christ, letting the first three chapters fill you with wonder at God's grace before the last three shape how you live. Do not move too quickly from truth to duty, for the awe of what God has done is the engine of the life he calls you to. Let its vision of the church as one new humanity soften every division, and take up the whole armor of God to stand firm in the battles of ordinary life.

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