At one time or another almost everyone asks the questions, “Why did God create the world? What is his purpose for mankind? Can we know God’s plan?” Since these questions are about God, who is infinite and eternal, the answer can only be given through a revelation from God. God has revealed his purpose and plan to mankind in the Bible. In order to understand God’s plan in full it is very important to study the entire Bible. The most concise overview of the plan, however, is found in the portion of the Bible which is an inspired letter written to the Christians in the city of Ephesus.
The letter begins with these words: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God,
to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:1-2)
Who is this Paul? His birth name was Saul. At first, he was a very zealous and devout Jew. He describes himself as, “…circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.” (Philippians 3:5-6 NIV) Saul was fanatical in his opposition to the followers of Christ. He said, “I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them. Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.” (Acts 26:9-11 NIV)
But then, the resurrected Jesus revealed himself to Saul. This encounter convinced Saul that his view of Jesus was wrong and under the new name of Paul he devoted the rest of his life, in spite of tremendous hardships and opposition, to spreading the faith he had once tried to destroy.
But if Paul wrote this letter then how can we say that it is inspired? The answer is that Paul is not writing on his own authority but as an apostle of Christ Jesus. The basic meaning of the word “apostle” is “one who is sent.” In other words, when Paul writes that he is an apostle of Christ Jesus, he is saying that it is Christ who has sent him. In another place Paul writes, “We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us…” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV) When we read this letter, we are not merely reading the words of Paul, but the words of Christ revealed through Paul. It is also worth noting that Paul did not assume the role of apostle on his own. He makes it clear that he is Christ’s apostle “through the will of God.” (Verse 1) This letter is in reality a divine message.
If Christ appointed Paul to be his apostle, then to whom was he sent? In chapter 3, verses 1 and 8 of this letter and in many other places in scripture Paul makes it clear that Christ sent him primarily to the Gentiles, that is those who do not come from a Jewish background. There are some portions of scripture which are written primarily to Jewish followers of Christ. But the letter to the Ephesians is written with a vocabulary and expressions which are particularly suitable for those who have a non-Jewish background.
Paul addresses this letter to the “saints.” Paul is not referring to some heavenly beings or to people who have done special acts of merit. This is clear from what Jesus said to Paul. “…I send you, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:17-18 NIV) From this it is obvious that by the word “saints” Paul means Christians. But Paul is not writing to those who are Christians in name only. He also calls them “the faithful in Christ Jesus.” (Verse 1) This letter is not written to those who have the name but do not live the life. This letter discloses God’s plan. But you cannot participate in God’s plan unless you are fully committed to Jesus Christ. Notice also, that Paul concludes his greeting by wishing grace and peace to those who know God as their Father and Jesus as their Lord. So – the question is: Are you living your life for Christ so that you may know that grace and peace?
Paul is writing to the saints in Ephesus. Ephesus was the principle city in the Roman province of Asia which is located on the west coast of the present country of Turkey. But this raises a question. The book of Acts relates how Paul spent over two years preaching and teaching with great success in Ephesus (see Acts 19). Yet in this letter, Paul does not seem to personally know any of the people to whom he is writing. The most likely answer is that Paul intended this letter to circulate among many churches. In Colossians 4:16 the Christians in the city of Colosse are instructed to also read the letter from the city of Laodicea. Though our Bible does not contain a book called “Laodiceans” one very ancient writer says that this letter which we call “Ephesians” was written to those living in Laodicea. So, it is reasonable to assume that while this letter bears the name of the most important city in the province of Asia, Paul actually wrote it to the Christians in the entire province, most of whom he had never met in person.
This letter was written while Paul was in prison. It is possible that it was written during the two years Paul spent in prison at Caesarea (see Acts 24:27) but it is more likely that it was written while Paul was captive in Rome. Church tradition also supports the view that Paul was in Rome when this letter was written. Though it is impossible to determine exactly when the letter was written, it was most probably before the first letter to Timothy.