Scripture: One Book at a Time
The whole of Sacred Scripture is a single narrative that promises and points to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the World. It is an epic story, the greatest ever told, and told "one book at a time." Each book makes it contribution to the narrative as God reveals God's self to us and his desire that all be saved.
Lesson 63 – Letters to the Ephesians
Ephesians is the great Pauline letter about the church. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is Christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making God’s plan of salvation known throughout the universe. Yet this ecclesiology is anchored in God’s saving love, shown in Jesus Christ, and the whole of redemption is rooted in the plan and accomplishment of the triune God.
Ephesians emphasize the unity in the church of Christ that has come about for both Jews and Gentiles within God’s household and indeed the key elements of church: one Lord, one faith, and one baptism – and the one God. Yet the concern is not with the church for its own sake but rather as the means for mission in the world. The gifts Christ gives its members are to lead to growth and renewal. Ethical admonition is not lacking either; all aspects of human life and relationships are illumined by the light of Christ.
This letter is considered one of the “Captivity Epistles” along with Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon, It has been dated to an imprisonment in Rome, likely in A.D. 61–63. Some of the key points of the letter are:
- God’s Eternal Plan and Spiritual Blessings (Eph 1:3-14)
- Unity in Christ (Eph 2:11-22)
- The Mystery of Christ and the Church (Eph 3:1-21)
- Christian Unity and Growth (Eph 4:1-16)
- Moral Living and the New Life in Christ (Eph 4:17-5:21)
- Marriage as a Reflection of Christ and the Church (Eph 5:22-33)
- Household and Social Relationships (Eph 6:1-9)
- The Armor of God (Eph 6:10-20)