Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

The people in Ephesus had converted to Christ from the worship of Diana and the apostle Paul was concerned with how the new Christians were going to live in a decadent pagan society. The temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and it was in this setting that the Paul spent three years organizing a church and carefully outlined the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. He explained how God is eternal, Jesus is the Son of God and how predestination fits into our lives. Paul also explained how we are born into the kingdom of Satan and why we are transferred by salvation into the kingdom of God.

Salvation is the cornerstone of Christianity and Paul was emphatic in stating that it only comes by faith and cannot be earned. He called for the believers to live a life worthy of their calling and introduced many concepts that were foreign in idol worship. Paul explained what took place at the resurrection of Jesus and how new believers will be resurrected as well. He instructed them on how to set up church leadership in what has been termed the five-fold ministry and also shared God’s desire for us when it comes to interaction between family members and co-workers.

Finally, Paul taught on spiritual warfare and how it should be conducted. He was not interested in being “seeker friendly” but built the church in Ephesus upon the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every believer in Christ should intimately understand this letter in order to survive and be victorious in the world.