Ephesians
Hallie, Hannah, Elizabeth, Maddy
Background Information
- Author - Paul
- Date Written - sometime between 70 and 80 AD
- Written From - in prison in Rome
- Written To - the Christians in Ephesus and "the universal church"
Themes
Unity and God's Purpose
Living a Life of Love
Relationships (husband-wife, parent-children, slave-master)
Family in Christ
Community
Transformation After Salvation
Major Issues
- Ephesians was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of Christ and serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution.
- Anyone can be a Christian, because everyone is equal
- Love each other
- Wives should respect their husbands
- Children should obey to their parents
- Slaves should obey their masters
Leading of Discussion
- Written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of Christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution
- What it means to be a Christian
- Paul spent the first three chapters of the letter discussing God’s creation of a holy community by His gift of grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
- While Paul was not responding to a particular theological or moral problem, he wanted to protect against future problems by encouraging the Ephesians to mature in their faith
- Paul continues on to clear up one of the most misconceived and/or often ignored subjects even to this day, “Salvation by Grace”. He wrote that salvation is by the “Grace” of God and that it is through “Faith”, and that no one can contribute to salvation, in any way, even with good deeds: "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 may boast'' (2:8-9).
We attest to reading the book of Ephesians