Epistle to the Ephesians

The Epistle to the Ephesians, also called the Letter to the Ephesians and often shortened to Ephesians, is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been credited to Paul the Apostle but, starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, written in Paul's name by a later author strongly influenced by Paul's thought.

Themes

The main theme of Ephesians is “the Church, the Body of Christ.”

The Church is to maintain the unity in practice which Christ has brought about positionally. According to New Testament scholar Daniel Wallace, the theme may be stated pragmatically as “Christians, get along with each other! Maintain the unity practically which Christ has effected positionally by his death.”

Another major theme in Ephesians is the keeping of Christ's body (that is, the Church) pure and holy.

From Ephesians 4:17–6:20 the author of the Epistle to the Ephesians gives practical advice in how to live a holy, pure, and Christ-inspired lifestyle. Many devotional thoughts and sermons that are addressed to the practically minded individual have been drawn from this section of the New Testament, due to its nature as being good for application studies.

Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5 is the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul of Tarsus.

Text

Structure

This chapter can be grouped (with cross references to other parts of the Bible):

Ephesians 3

Ephesians 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul of Tarsus.

Text

Structure

This chapter can be grouped (with cross references to other parts of the Bible):