About This Book
Ephesians celebrates the church as Christ's body and God's eternal purpose to unite all things in Christ, calling believers to live worthy of their calling. Paul opens with praise that God blessed believers in Christ with every spiritual blessing, choosing them before the world's foundation to be holy and blameless, predestining them for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. Believers have redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of trespasses according to the riches of His grace. God made known the mystery of His will—to unite all things in Christ.
Believers were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, the guarantee of their inheritance. Paul prays for enlightened eyes to know the hope of God's calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of His power toward believers, the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, making Him head over all things for the church which is His body. Believers were dead in trespasses and sins, following the world's course and the prince of the power of the air. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love, made believers alive together with Christ—by grace they have been saved through faith, not by works, lest anyone boast.
Believers are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Gentiles who once were far off, separated from Christ, alienated from Israel, strangers to the covenants, having no hope and without God, have been brought near by Christ's blood. Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility, creating one new man in place of two, reconciling both to God in one body through the cross. Paul received grace to preach to Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light the mystery hidden for ages—that through the gospel Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, partakers of the promise.
Paul prays that believers would be strengthened by the Spirit in their inner being, that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith, that they being rooted and grounded in love might comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that they might be filled with all God's fullness. Paul urges walking in a manner worthy of their calling, with humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love, maintaining unity. Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for ministry, building up Christ's body until all attain unity of faith and knowledge, growing up into Christ who is the head. Put off the old self corrupted by deceitful desires, be renewed in spirit, and put on the new self created after God's likeness.
Put away falsehood, anger, theft, corrupting talk. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Walk in love.
Sexual immorality and impurity must not even be named. Don't get drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives submit to husbands as to the Lord; husbands love wives as Christ loved the church, giving Himself up for her.
Children obey parents; fathers don't provoke children. Slaves obey earthly masters as you would Christ; masters treat slaves justly, knowing you have the same Master in heaven. Finally, be strong in the Lord, putting on the full armor of God—belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of gospel readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit which is God's word. Pray at all times in the Spirit.