This lesson is the first in our series through the Epistle to the Ephesians
FREE PREVIEW: Introduction to Ephesians – Our Identity in Christ
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Introduction
Having just journeyed through Philippians, we turn now to another letter Paul wrote from a prison cell — but one with a very different feel. Where Philippians is warm and personal, Ephesians is majestic and soaring, a sweeping vision of God’s eternal plan and of who we have become in Christ. It has been called the crown of Paul’s writings, and its central theme is one every believer needs to grasp deeply: our identity is no longer defined by our past, our failures, or our circumstances, but by our union with Christ. This introductory study orients us to the letter before we begin working through its riches.
I. The CONTEXT of the Letter — Paul, Ephesus, and a Prison Cell (Ephesians 3:1)
“For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” (Ephesians 3:1).
Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul during an imprisonment, most likely in Rome, to believers in Ephesus — a great and spiritually dark city where Paul had ministered longer than anywhere else. Understanding the setting helps us feel the weight of the letter: these towering truths about our riches in Christ were penned by a man in chains.
II. Our CALLING in Christ — The New Identity Ephesians Unveils (Ephesians 1:3)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
The first half of Ephesians unfolds the staggering truth of who we are in Christ — chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, sealed with the Spirit, made alive, and seated with Him. The phrase “in Christ” saturates the letter, because everything the believer is and has is found in union with Him.
III. Our CONDUCT in Christ — Walking Worthy of the Calling (Ephesians 4:1)
“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).
The second half of Ephesians turns from who we are to how we live. Because we have been given such an identity, we are called to walk worthy of it — in unity, in holiness, in love, and in the strength of God against every spiritual foe. Identity comes first; conduct flows from it.
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.
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