Historical Background of Ephesians

Paul
Paul wrote 13 letters in the NT.

Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand of Tychicus, accompanied by Onesimus.

Paul was born in Tarsus, which was a free city. Paul was both a Roman citizen and a Jew.

Ephesus
Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus.

Ancient Ephesus was one of the Roman Empire's largest and most important cities.

Because of the business and trade, it brought people from different cultures, worldviews, and religious beliefs.

This resulted in over 50 different gods and goddesses being worshiped. The people of Ephesus didn't worship any of these gods exclusively. There was one god they worshiped above the most. Artemis was a goddess of fertility and protection. Her temple was huge and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Thousands made a pilgrimage each year to see her. Ephesus became a hub of religious and demonic activity.

In the midst of all this was a sizeable Jewish community, and they separated themselves from the rest of the people. Because of this, the people despised the Jewish community and viewed them as intolerant and judgmental.

Now enter Paul on the scene, full of the power of the Holy Spirit and power. For 3 years, God used Paul to break through the darkness and demonic activity, and many came to the saving knowledge of Jesus. When Paul writes his letter to them, around 6 years have passed.

To understand our identity, we must understand who God is and what He created us for.

As followers of Christ, it is extremely vital that we know and understand our identity in Christ.

We may know all about God and be keenly aware of how we are expected to walk by faith and live holy lives as Christians.

But if we are shaky and tossed by the waves with regard to our identity, it will be an uphill task.

Knowing who we are in Christ gives us the boldness to face life’s issues, stand our ground against the wiles of the devil, and live holy lives worthy of our calling. This happens through renewing our minds with Scriptures regarding our identity and what God has done for us in Christ.

We don’t work for an identity; we work from an identity.

The faithful (pistoi), a term often used for Christians in the New Testament, may mean those who have faith, or those who show loyalty. Here, both ideas are included; they are believers, and their calling is to faithfulness. They are those who believe in the Lord, but the phrase in Christ Jesus means much more than alluding to the object of their faith. The phrase, so frequently used by Paul, especially in this letter, sums up very much of his understanding of the gospel. It, or an equivalent, is used eleven times in verses 1–14 alone.

Believers not only have faith in Him, their life is in Him.

How would you write the opening of a letter defining you?

Better yet, how would the people who know you the best describe you?