Bible Expositions: Ephesians

The Chains of Paul's Imprisonment (Ephesians 3:1-13)

In Ephesians 3:1-13, Paul explains why his current imprisonment should encourage rather than discourage the Christians in Ephesus. Simply put, the Jews persecute Paul from place to place because of the message that Paul preaches. This message, which Paul received through a revelation and which Paul calls a mystery that was kept hidden, is that both Jews and Gentiles have been joined to Jesus Christ (the Jewish Messiah) through faith for salvation. Under the headship of Jesus, Jews and Gentiles are now equal before God in Christ and consequently belong to the same family or household. The chains of Paul’s imprisonment, which are the result of Paul’s preaching and subsequent persecution, therefore represent the glory that the Gentiles now share with Israel as equal recipients of the same hopes and promises.

Unity & Purity (Ephesians 4:1-32 & 5:1-20)

In Ephesians 4:1-32 and 5:1-20, Paul continues his theme of the unification of Jews and Gentiles under the headship of Jesus Christ (the Jewish Messiah). Paul affirms that one Lord, one faith and one baptism now unite the two groups and that both are equal recipients of the same hopes and promises. Within this context, Paul calls for the Christians in Ephesus to live worthy of the calling they have received in Christ by being unified and purified in Christ. According to Paul, the Body of Christ must be unified and purified in Christ and animated by the Spirit of God. Paul therefore encourages the Ephesian Christians to embrace their new identity by striving for unity (4:1-16) and purity (4:17-32 & 5:1-20) in their collective and individual lives.

The Body & Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:21-33 & 6:1-9)

In Ephesians 5:21-33 and 6:1-9, Paul outlines how Christians should conduct themselves as members of Christian and non-Christian households. Paul references wives and husbands (5:22-33), children and parents (6:1-4), slaves and masters (6:5-9), and in each case reverence for Christ and the honouring of the other is the main theme (5:21).

Paul proposes that the union of man and woman as husband and wife expresses a great mystery about Christ and the Church. In particular, Paul is referencing the creation of man and woman and the marital union God established between them. Genesis 2 states that God put Adam to sleep and extracted a rib from Adam's side. Eve was then created from the rib and given to Adam as his bride after Adam awoke. In like manner, the New Creation begins with a similar story.

The Gospel of John states that Jesus (the Second Adam) was put to death (sleep) on the cross according to the will of God and that the side of Jesus was pierced (John 19:28-37). The blood and water that flowed from Jesus' side were used to create a Bride for Christ (The Church) to be joined with him after his resurrection from the dead (blood represents the forgiveness of sins and water the spiritual regeneration of the Holy Spirit). Like Eve to Adam, the Church is the Body and Bride of Christ. Like Adam, Christ can therefore say to his people: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23). The Old Creation (Adam & Eve) thus prefigures the New Creation (Christ & The Church) as one is created from the other and both are joined together in marital union. This is why Paul presents the Christian Church (all those who have been joined to Christ through faith for salvation) as the Body and Bride of Christ and Christ as the Second Adam who takes humanity into a New Creation.

The following is a summary.

Adam was put to sleep in the garden.
Christ (the Second Adam) was put to death on the cross.

Adam’s side was pierced and his rib removed.
Christ's side was pierced and blood and water flowed.

Adam's bride (Eve) was created from Adam's side (rib).
Christ's bride (The Church) was created from Christ's side (blood and water).

Adam was joined to his bride (Eve) after being awoken from sleep.
Christ was joined to his Bride (The Church) after being raised from the dead.

Eve is the body and bride of Adam.
The Church is the Body and Bride of Christ.

The First Adam initiated the Old Creation.
The Second Adam initiates the New Creation.

See John 11:1-14, Acts 7:54-60 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 for where sleep represents death, Leviticus 17:11, Matthew 26:26-29 and John 6:53-59 for where blood represents the forgiveness of sins, John 3:1-8, John 4:4-14, John 7:37-39 for where water represents the spiritual regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 for where Jesus represents the Second Adam.