It wasn’t until the end of his Second Journey that the Apostle Paul visited Ephesus. He had spent over a year in Corinth (Macedonia), planting and strengthening the church there, and then on his return trip to Antioch (home base for his missionary journeys), he decided to stop in Ephesus. After gaining a few converts after speaking in the synagogue, a church was planted, and then Paul commissioned two of his traveling companions, Aquilla and Priscilla, to stay and strengthen the church while he travel to Antioch. And then on his Third Missionary Journey, Paul returned to Ephesus and remained for a period of three years.

Ephesus was a major commercial city in Asia Minor, as well as being a major pagan religious center. Here, the magnificent Temple of Diana stood (Artemis was the Greek name, Diana the Roman name), a structure that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. And, of course, plenty of magicians and makers of idols were made wealthy from thousands of tourists who came to the city. On one occasion, an uproar ensued because Paul was preaching Christ and casting out demons, which began to affect the income of those peddling artifacts of the goddess Diana. Paul was then led into the arena which seated tens of thousands of angry, shouting townspeople, and finally, Paul and his companions were let go. You can read about it in the Book of Acts.

On the final leg of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey, he made a brief stop in a seaport town just south of Ephesus where he met with the elders of the Ephesian Church. It was there that Paul bid them “farewell,” sensing that he would not see them again. After traveling to Jerusalem, Paul ended up in prison in the Roman garrison in Caesarea, awaiting passage to Rome to stand trial before Nero. Once in Rome, Paul wrote several of his letters, called the “Prison Epistles,” one of them being his letter to the Church in Ephesus.

Paul wrote this letter because the Christians in Ephesus were not aware of their riches in Christ. Even though they were rich beyond measure, they lived like spiritual beggars because they were ignorant of the riches they possessed. Paul reminded them of their true riches, namely, they were accepted unconditionally and adopted as His children; redeemed; forgiven; and possessed an inheritance beyond measure. Paul wants them to remember their past, which is also good for us to remember,

“And you were once dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked, according to the course of this world,….Among them we, too, all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph. 2:1-3).

Notice that Paul not only reminds them of their former life apart from Christ, but he also includes himself in the way he used to live. Paul is saying that even he had once “…indulged himself in the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” While imploring them to remember their past, Paul is including himself as having lived as they once lived.

Then Paul transitions from this section to another with a very important and instructive phrase, “But God…” Don’t you love that? A life of sin does not have the final word – God does.

“But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ…and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,…” (Eph. 2:4-6).

Wow! When we were once “dead” in sin, he made us “alive” in Christ, and then seated us with Him in heavenly places in Christ. It’s the place of honor and authority, a place befitting one of His children. But then Paul goes on,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God; not as a result of works so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

Here is the essence of the Christian faith, that is, salvation is a gift of God, and it’s given to us as a result of God’s grace. In other words, the salvation given to us that is undeserved. Paul affirms the fact that our salvation is not gained by works or religious ritual, but is a free gift of God’s grace given to us in response to our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.  

But that doesn’t do away with our need for good works. Although they cannot “save” us, they are a result of our salvation. Let’s see what Paul says,

“For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God ordained beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

Paul is clear in that God “recreated” us in Christ for the purpose of doing “good works.”

I love Paul’s admonitions that come later in his letter. If you are made alive in Christ, then we should,

“Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only a word that is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear…And let all bitterness, and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another just as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:29-32).

We must refrain from words that tear down, and instead, seek to build up. We are to do away with all forms of irreverent attitudes, emotions, and words, and be kind, compassionate, and forgiving toward one another. These are some of my favorite exhortations in the New Testament.

Finally, here is another one of my favorite passages in this letter,

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love just as Christ has loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph. 5:1-2).

Paul has so much more to share in this letter. He talks about the unity of Jew and Gentile in the Church; about being filled with the Spirit of God; about our struggles in the spiritual realm; and about putting on the whole armor of God. Paul begins with some incredible spiritual awareness of our wealth in Christ, and then moves to Christian living as a result of the riches we have in Christ.   

May we all take hold of Paul’s affirmations of our riches in Christ, and then live out our lives in response to who we are and what we have. Peggy and I pray that you have a blessed week.