Book 49 The Book Of Ephesians
Who wrote the book of Ephesians: Paul
When was it written: 60 A.D.—most likely during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome.
The book of Ephesians is different than most of Paul’s other letters, as it does not address specific issues or problems. Instead, the book of Ephesians focuses on the unity of Christians. It is a book that looks at the different ‘elements’ of the family.
Paul explains the responsibilities of each, how they relate to the Church, and the joys that come from being in a Christ-centered marriage, parent/child relationship, and a member of a church family.
Ephesians on unity in the body of Christ explained
What We Learn From The Book Of Ephesians
We were created in the image of God and chosen even before the creation of the earth to be his children (1:4)
Predestination is explained: Predestination is NOT that only certain people have been pre-selected to be saved, but rather the human race was preselected from the very beginning to be God’s children and five with him…(l:5 and 1:11)
Sin messed up God’s plan, requiring him to put into place a plan for salvation (1:7)
Our hope for eternity is found only in Jesus (1:15-23)
- We are saved by the grace of God because of the blood of Jesus through our obedience that comes from faith (2:8-9)
- We were created for specific purposes (2:10)
- We can approach God through Jesus with confidence (3:12)
- We are to be humble, gentle, patient, and treat each other with love so that the body of Christ (the church) can be unified (4:2)
- There is one LORD, one faith, one baptism, one God, and one Father who is over all, through all, and in all (4:5-6)
- Becoming a Christian is not something we do, but rather someone we become (4:22-23)
- It is not necessarily a sin to be angry, but we cannot allow our anger to lead us into sin (4:26)
- We are to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving (4:32)
- We are to be imitators of God (5:1)
We are to live in such a way that honors and respects the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross (5:2)
The character traits and moral virtues of a Christian do not include sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscene, foolish, or crude language, greed, idolatry, or any other form of sin (5:3-5) We must be careful to not be misled by empty words; testing what we hear and are taught by comparing it to the Word of God, which is the Bible (5:6-7)
We are to live wisely and seek God’s will for our life (5:15-17)
Give thanks in any and all situations and circumstances (5:20)
Ephesians explanation for new believers
God’s Instructions And Intentions For The Family
Beginning in verse twenty-two of chapter five, Paul begins writing about the core relationships in our lives—the relationship between a husband and wife, between parents and children, and slaves and their masters, which today translates into employers and employees.
Because he has so much to say on the subject that is pertinent to the actual relationships themselves AND to our relationship with Christ, we need to examine these passages closely.
Husbands And Wives
Paul begins by issuing the command that wives are to be submissive to their husbands IN THE SAME WAY they are submissive to the LORD.
First of all you need to understand that these are not Paul’s commands, but God’s. Remember, nothing is written in the Bible that God did not determine to be there. The writers’ words are inspired by God.
Secondly, you need to understand what it means to submit to a husband in the same way one submits to the LORD. A wife who submits to her husband in the same way she submits to the LORD is to willingly commit to her husband as a faithful wife and a wife who trusts her husband to know and do what is best for their marriage and their family.
And yes, the husband is to be the ultimate ‘buck stops here’ authority in the home. Someone has to be and God has declared that someone to be the husband. But this is not a bad thing.
For a wife it means not having to shoulder the burden of responsibility of negative consequences, of financial worries, and for standing against those who try to tear down your home, cheat you, lie to you, or disarm you in any other way.
Submission is not meant to make a woman feel inferior. It is actually a form of protection and nurturing. And whether you like it or not, men and women are different. They have different strengths and weaknesses. And because God, as our creator, knows what these things are, he knows how we need to live in order to function at optimal levels.
Besides, the responsibility that falls on the husband so that he can be worthy of his wife’s submission is tremendous. A husband’s love for his wife is to be the same as that of Christ’s for the Church!
That’s not something a husband can or should take lightly. In loving their wife as Christ loves the Church, a husband must:
Love her as he loves himself.
Present himself as spotless and pure like Jesus is. No, husbands won’t be perfect, but they are to be perfectly committed to the marriage and sexually pure (virgins when married and faithful throughout).
- Respect his wife’s body, her intellect, her emotions, and her talents/abilities.
- Be willing to lead the marriage and the family according to God’s commands.
- Be a spiritual leader by setting an example at home, at work, in the community, and in the local church.
- Be a spiritual leader by treating their marriage as a holy union—just like the holy union between himself and the LORD.
- Be a spiritual leader by raising any children they have to know and love the LORD.
- Be willing to die for his wife if necessary, just as Christ died for us; making the Church possible.
So you see, the act of submission is nothing a wife should fear or find off-putting. It is a blessing that only serves to enhance a marriage and the individuals in the relationship. It brings out the best of each other’s God-given character traits.
But, you are asking, what about marriages between people who aren’t Christians—or marriages in which the wife is a Christian but the husband is not? Does she need to submit in these situations?
First of all, these instructions are for Christian marriages and families. You cannot expect non-Christians to have Christ-like behavior or to pattern their lives after Christ’s life. But as for a marriage in which the wife is a Christian and the husband is not? Or vice versa; a Christian husband married to a non-Christian wife?
As you saw in looking at the book of 2nd Corinthians, we are warned against being unequally yoked; meaning marrying someone who is not a Christian. And this (meaning these verses in Ephesians) is the reason why.
When a Christian is married to a non-Christian, it is like trying to start a car that has no gas. You’ve got everything you need to travel in safety and comfort, except the thing you need the most.
You should not, however, end the marriage because of this. Simply love your spouse as you are called to love them in Ephesians 5 and pray for God’s blessing on your marriage and for the unbelieving spouse to come to know Christ as their Savior, too.
Lessons from Ephesians on Christian living
Children And Parents
Simply stated, children are to obey their parents. It is one of the Ten Commandments—the only one that comes with a promise.
The promise is this: children who obey their parents will enjoy a good and long life.
Before we delve into the actual meaning of this promise, let’s take a minute to understand the importance of obedience and the impact it has on the home, on the individual, and on society in general.
Obedience is essential in order for children to grow and mature properly. Children are not born knowing the finer points of right from wrong. Children have to be taught how to respond rather than react.
They have to be taught to make choices and decisions based on facts and by weighing the outcome of their choices and decisions versus making them based on feelings and emotions. And the only way parents can teach these things to their children is to expect and insist on obedience.
Obedience in the home allows the home to run smoothly and for relationships between the people in the home to grow in a positive direction. Obedience in the home trains children to be obedient outside the home, as well.
And we all know the value of obedience outside the home—school, rules of the road, societal law, in the workplace, etc. Without obedience in the home, we have schools in which teachers can’t actually teach because they are too busy trying to maintain order and respect in a classroom filled with disrespectful, disobedient, selfish students.
Without obedience in the home, we have people in the workplace who believe that respect, salary, and benefits are owed to them just because they bother to show up.
Without obedience in the home, we have people who think nothing of taking things that don’t belong to them, driving recklessly because they have to get someone and shouldn’t be bothered by others on the road, bullying others who are smaller, weaker, or just different than they are, and who think nothing of taking another person’s life.
Without obedience, society fails. And that’s what God’s promise is all about. God’s promise says that when we are obedient, we can expect good things because good things result from obedience. We are respected. We are lawful.
We are healthy in the fact that we don’t purposefully abuse our bodies. We are people of integrity and sound morals. What God’s promise doesn’t mean is that when a little child dies his/her death is because they weren’t obedient. Disease, the careless acts of others, and tragic accidents happen that result in death because we live in a fallen and sinful world.
But the parent/child relationship isn’t solely dependent upon the child’s obedience or even the parent’s attention to teaching and insisting on it. The parent/child relationship as intended by God is also dependent upon how the parent teaches and insists upon the obedience God commands.
The best way to explain what God means when he tells Paul to write, “Fathers, do not exasperate you children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the LORD.” (Ephesians 6:4) is to say this:
Parents are to love their children with the same unconditional love God showers upon us. It’s the unconditional love that says “I love you just because you are mine—not because of what you look like, how smart you are, how athletic you are, how musically talented you are, or because you want to follow in my footsteps, but just because you are mine.”
Parents are to let their children know up-front what is expected of them. God laid it all out there for us. He didn’t change the rules in the middle of the game, so to speak. We should do the same.
Parents are to be firm and unyielding in their expectations, yet slow to anger and willing to extend mercy. God is direct and unyielding in his commands. Follow his commands and receive the reward of eternal life in heaven with him. Don’t follow his commands and spend eternity in hell.
It’s that simple. But, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He created us so he knows that isn’t possible. So as long as we are trying he is patient and merciful. He guides and directs, administers discipline instead of punishment, and loves us along the path to getting it right. We should do the same.
Workplace Relationships
The best way to sum up God’s intentions for us in these types of relationships is to quote Ephesians 6:7-8, which says, “Serve whole-heartedly, as if you were serving the LORD, not men because you know that the LORD will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
In other words, approach every job, volunteer task, ministry within the church… everything as if you are doing it for the LORD. When you do, you will be able to rest assured that no matter what anyone says or does, you will be okay. God will make sure you are blessed.
Historical context of Ephesians in the New Testament
The Armor Of God
The book of Ephesians concludes by talking about the armor of God—the spiritual tools and weapons we have available to us that enables us to be the people we’ve just been called to be in the preceding verses (and elsewhere throughout the Bible, for that matter).
The armor of God is something we cannot live without if we truly want to grow and mature into the person God created us to be. It is what makes our Christian faith who we are instead of just something we do.
Paul introduces us to the armor of God by reminding us that we are at war against Satan and that the trophy or spoils of the war we are fighting is our soul.
So if you think the obstacles standing between you and God are your boss, your financial disasters, the unfaithful spouse who trampled your heart, the cancer that took your twelve-year-old, or the abusive father you couldn’t get away from, think again. These people and situations are nothing more than Satan’s puppets.
Satan is the real enemy and it is only when you understand this truth (Ephesians 6:10-12) and put on the armor necessary to fight him off and defend yourself against him, that you can truly be free in Christ.
The Armor Of God Consists Of:
Belt Of Truth: you cannot have a relationship with God or experience his love and the blessings he has to offer without first acknowledging the truth that he is the one true God and that Jesus is his Son and the source of our salvation.
You also need to live with the truth of the scriptures firmly around you to uphold the decisions and choices you make in your life—just like a physical belt holds your clothing in place.
Breastplate Of Righteousness: A breastplate’s purpose was to protect a soldier from being hit in the heart, lungs, and other vital organs by the arrows and spears of the enemy. The breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts from being attacked by the lies Satan tells—lies that have become the world’s accepted philosophies and ways of life.
In wearing the breastplate of righteousness we are able to refute these lies and not let them invade our hearts and minds and become our way of thinking and living.
Shoes of the gospel of peace: The shoes we wear on our feet help us stand steady, straight, and tall. They keep us upright. Likewise, the gospel keeps us upright. Its truth provides peace and assurance that God is in control and that he truly will work all things for our good.
Shield Of Faith: A soldier’s shield deflects the arrows and spears thrown by the enemy; hopefully knocking them out of the way so that the breastplate doesn’t have to stop them.
(But isn’t it great to know that that breastplate is there just in case and to stop the ones that come from behind?)
Satan is relentless in throwing arrows at us—doubt, sickness, grief, fear, job loss, broken trusts, and all sorts of other things. But when we keep our shield of faith in front of us and hold to the faith that God is real, that he loves us unfailingly, that he will never leave us, and that he will always bless and reward us for our faithfulness, Satan doesn’t stand a chance.
Bible study guide for the Book of Ephesians
Helmet Of Salvation: God gave us a heart with which to love, extend compassion and mercy, and experience the emotions he created within our being. But God also gave us a mind. And it is from that mind that our conviction of who Jesus is and what his sacrifice on the cross means for us needs to come.
Living a life for Christ isn’t an emotion. It is a purposeful decision made in our minds. The helmet of salvation, then, should be worn to protect that decision of truth from being attacked and slaughtered. Our hope for eternity in heaven depends on it.
Sword Of The Spirit: The Bible is the sword of the Spirit. It is the weapon we use to defend our beliefs, our actions, our moral integrity, our choices, and our message. But without first-hand knowledge of what it says, we cannot truly defend ourselves. So read. Study. Know. Defend.
While I would never insinuate that one book of the Bible is more valuable than another, you can see that the book of Ephesians is an extremely important book for the Christian who is seeking to gain insight and wisdom into God’s expectations for our conduct, attitude, and spiritual maturity.