Salvation and the Purpose of the Church in Ephesians
The letter to the Ephesians is one of the great treatises of Christian literature. Its theological richness places it alongside letters such as Romans, and it offers enduring instruction to the whole community that is in Christ, laying solid foundations for the life of the church.
Two major themes stand out in the letter to the believers at Ephesus: soteriology and, above all, ecclesiology. Paul takes up the question of salvation by grace alone, through faith, and shows how that act placed the Ephesians on equal footing with Jewish Christians. This act of grace, however, has a larger purpose than simply numbering them among the children of God; it propels them toward a mission — to be a people who make a difference among those from whom they were taken.
The letter also sets out a comprehensive doctrinal account of the church (ekklēsiología). They had been saved, after all, to walk in newness of life, by a far higher standard than the one they had followed before. The apostle to the Gentiles shows them how to shape their manner of life within the church, in their individual lives, in their relationships with one another, and finally in society.
One part of the letter bears a notable resemblance to Colossians, particularly in its instruction on relationships and especially on family life: how husbands are to treat their wives; what the wife’s calling is in her husband’s life; how children are to conduct themselves toward their parents and parents toward their children; how servants are to work for their masters, and how masters are to treat them justly.
The teaching contained in Ephesians is of the utmost relevance to the contemporary church, for it shows how Christ, who is the head, relates to the body, which is the church — and that everything depends on Him. To live a fruitful and healthy spiritual life, the believer in Jesus must put on the full armor of God and, above all, give themselves to prayer. Only so is victory won against principalities, powers, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
From the magnificent theology of Ephesians, then, we learn a great deal about what it means to be the church. To fulfill its calling as salt of the earth and light of the world, the believer must be clothed with all the authority that comes from above, from the Father of Lights. Since Christ has freed them from the dominion of darkness and transferred them into the kingdom of the Son of His love — through the act of grace, by faith — every dividing wall has been broken down. United in one purpose, the church advances, carrying the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus.
