Book of Ephesians

By: Randy Kea

The book of Ephesians is an essay on the New Testament church. As you study this remarkable epistle of Paul, three fundamental facts emerge concerning the church.

First, the church is singular in number. In Ephesians 4:4, Paul says in no uncertain terms, “There is one body.” In Chapter One, he has already established the fact that the “church” and the “body” are the same: “. . . the church, which is His body . . .” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Secondly, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians clearly teaches that Jesus is the “head” of the church. There is “one” body, the “one body” is the “church”, and the one church has only “one” head. When God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, he “put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body . . .” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Finally, Paul teaches that the church is essential to one’s salvation:

“And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Ephesians 2:16; note that the word “both” has reference to Jews and Gentiles in this context).
“Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23).
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

In the first century, when one obeyed the commands of the Gospel (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:1-4, 6:16-18), the Lord “added” him or her to the church (Acts 2:47). The same process which made one a Christian brought one into the church for which Jesus died (Acts 2:38, 47, 20:28; Ephesians 5:25). The ideas of “voting on membership” or “joining” the church were unknown in the New Testament days.