Ephesians 1:1–2
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB) unless otherwise noted.
If you haven't watched this yet, take 9 minutes now, or before your group meets. It gives you a visual overview of Ephesians' structure and key themes that will make the context blocks below land much harder.
What you are holding is not trivia. Every fact on this page is a key that unlocks something in the letter you are about to read. Context is not background noise, it is the difference between hearing what Paul meant and hearing what we assume he meant. Take turns reading each section aloud with your group.
The letter to the Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul around A.D. 60–62, from a Roman prison. He was under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:16–31), awaiting trial before Emperor Nero. During the two years of waiting for his hearing before the emperor Nero (AD 37–68), Paul had the freedom to welcome guests, preach the kingdom of God, and carry on correspondence. He did not know whether he would survive to hear that this letter had arrived. Paul calls himself "a prisoner of Christ Jesus" (3:1), but he does not see his chains as a defeat. He tells the Ephesians directly that his suffering is "for you Gentiles" (3:1) and is their "glory" (3:13). His imprisonment was not a sign that the gospel had failed. It was proof that the gospel was worth everything. Paul had spent nearly three years in Ephesus, longer than anywhere else in his ministry. He knew these people. He knew their city. He knew what it cost them to follow Jesus. And he wanted them to know who they now were in Christ. This is one of four letters Paul wrote from prison (along with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). The fact that he wrote one of the richest theological documents in history from a jail cell tells us something important: the circumstances Paul was in did not limit what God could say through him.
16 When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him. 17 After three days, he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, I was taken prisoner in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because there was no basis for a death sentence against me. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, even though I have no charge to bring against my nation. 20 So for this reason I have called to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 21 The leaders replied, “We have not received any letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the brothers from there reported or even mentioned anything bad about you. 22 But we consider your views worth hearing, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.” 23 So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit was right when He spoke to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 ‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 29 (LSB) [When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.] 30 Paul stayed there two full years in his own rented house, welcoming all who came to visit him. 31 Boldly and freely he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
- What stood out to you about Paul's situation when he wrote this letter? What do you notice about where he is?
- Paul doesn't say 'prisoner of Rome', he says 'prisoner of Christ Jesus.' What does that reframing tell you about how Paul understood his own situation?
Ephesus was one of the most important cities in the ancient world, the capital of the Roman province of Asia (modern-day western Turkey). It sat on the Cayster River with access to the Aegean Sea, making it a major port and center of international trade connecting Asia to the wider Roman Empire. The city was massive. Its theater, the one where the famous riot against Paul broke out, seated 25,000 people (Acts 19:23–41). Ephesus had wide avenues, temples, a renowned library, and an economy largely tied to religious tourism. The city was dominated by the worship of the goddess Artemis (called Diana by the Romans). Her temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The city's economy revolved around it: silversmiths made silver idols, priests managed the temple, and thousands of pilgrims visited every year. When Paul's ministry took hold in Ephesus, new believers publicly burned their magic scrolls, worth 50,000 silver coins (Acts 19:19). This was not a symbolic gesture. It was a declaration of war against their old world. Ephesus was also a center of Roman imperial religion. Emperor Augustus had been hailed as "Savior" by the city, and his birth proclaimed as "good news to the world", the exact words Paul uses for Jesus. Every time Paul writes "the Lord Jesus Christ," every reader in Ephesus would have felt the collision with Caesar's claims. Paul's preaching eventually caused a citywide riot. The silversmiths, led by a man named Demetrius, stirred up the crowd in that 25,000-seat theater: "Our livelihood is in danger, and the great goddess Artemis is being dishonored!" (Acts 19:23–41). That is the world these believers were living in when they received this letter.
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen. 25 Demetrius assembled the craftsmen, along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you know that this business is our source of prosperity. 26 And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed—she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.” 28 When the men heard this, they were enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in disarray. They rushed together into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go before the assembly, but the disciples would not allow him. 31 Even some of Paul’s friends who were officials of the province of Asia sent word to him, begging him not to venture into the theatre. 32 Meanwhile the assembly was in turmoil. Some were shouting one thing and some another, and most of them did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people. 34 But when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd and declared, “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t everyone know that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Since these things are undeniable, you ought to be calm and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed our temple nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges against one another there. 39 But if you are seeking anything beyond this, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 For we are in jeopardy of being charged with rioting for today’s events, and we have no justification to account for this commotion.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
- What surprised you most about the city these believers were living in?
- Paul's preaching shut down an entire industry and caused a riot. What does that tell you about how the gospel was received and what it might have cost these believers to stay faithful?
- Knowing these believers came from a culture saturated in magic—how does that context change what you think Paul meant when he wrote about 'spiritual forces of evil' later in the letter?
The recipients were a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers, former pagans who had come out of the very culture described above. Paul reminds them of who they used to be: "dead in your transgressions and sins" (2:1), "following the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (2:2). Interestingly, the phrase "in Ephesus" is absent from some of the oldest surviving manuscripts of the letter. Many scholars believe this was a circular letter, written to be passed from church to church across the region, not written for one congregation alone. That may explain why it reads differently from Paul's other letters: no personal greetings, no specific crisis, no named individuals. It reads more like a theological foundation meant for every church in every generation. Paul had spent nearly three years in Ephesus, longer than anywhere else in his ministry. He knew these people. He knew what they had come from. And he wanted them to know who they now were. One commentator captures the entire letter in a single sentence:
"Ephesians is addressed to a group of believers who are indescribably rich in Jesus Christ, but living a beggarly existence because they are ignorant of their wealth." — Wilkinson & Boa, Talk thru the Bible (p. 399)
- What do you learn about the readers, who were these people Paul was writing to?
- The letter doesn't address a specific local crisis. Why do you think Paul might write a letter that is less about solving a problem and more about establishing an identity?
Scholars have called Ephesians "the Grand Canyon of Scripture", because of its elevated, worshipful language and the sheer scale of what it claims God has done (Jensen, Survey of the New Testament, p. 316). Paul reaches for words that appear nowhere else in the New Testament, because ordinary language is not adequate to describe what he is trying to say. The letter has a clear two-part structure:
| Part | Chapters | Focus | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | 1–3 | Who you ARE in Christ | Declarative (indicative) |
| Practice | 4–6 | How you LIVE because of who you are | Commanding (imperative) |
The hinge between the two halves is Ephesians 4:1, "Therefore, I urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received." The word therefore is a logical connector: everything in chapters 4–6 flows as the conclusion of everything established in chapters 1–3. The commands only make sense after the declarations.
The phrase "in Christ" or "in Him" appears approximately 35 times in the letter. Look at just the first three verses: "blessed… in Christ" (1:3), "chosen… in Him" (1:4), "adopted… through Jesus Christ" (1:5). Before Paul has issued a single command, he has already told you who you are, three times. Chapters 4–6 have been described as "an orthopedic clinic, where the Christian learns a spiritual walk rooted in his spiritual wealth" (Wilkinson & Boa, p. 399).
God has accomplished in Christ everything necessary to rescue spiritually dead people, unite them as one new community, and call them to live from the fullness of their new identity; until every power in the cosmos acknowledges the wisdom and glory of God.
- In your own words, what is the difference between chapters 1–3 and chapters 4–6 based on what was just read?
- Why spend three whole chapters on who you ARE before spending three on what you should DO? What goes wrong if you flip that order?
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Who wrote this letter, and what does he call himself?
- Who is the letter written to? What two things does Paul call them in verse 1?
- What two things does Paul wish for his readers in verse 2?
The word translated "saints" is hagioi (ἅγιοι), which simply means "holy ones" or "set-apart ones." In the New Testament, this title is given to every believer, not just a spiritual elite. It is a status God declares over you, not a reward you earn through years of moral achievement. When Paul calls former idol-worshippers and magic practitioners "saints," he is not being optimistic. He is being theological: God has set these people apart in Christ, and that reality is already true regardless of how far they have come.
What does it tell you about how God defines your identity, that He calls you a saint before you have done anything in the letter?
What else do you notice about these two verses, now that you have read the whole context?
Before Session 3:
My question from Ephesians 1:3–14: