The Book of Ephesians

The Book of Ephesians is a New Testament collection of letters that the apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul, wrote to the newly converted pagans in a Greek city called Ephesus. Located in Asia Minor, it is now what we, who live in these more "modern" days, call Turkey. Paul was probably in prison when he wrote the book of Ephesians to the church he left behind in Ephesus reminding them of who they are in Christ, what the church is to be like and what salvation means.

Ephesus was a city of great trade and commerce, and the people there were religious. Jews lived there as well as pagans. Politically speaking however, Ephesian religion was "officially" paga and centered at the Temple of Artemis, a place known in ancient times as one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” If you were alive in that day, you would probably see travel brochures about the greatness of the Artemisium and be able to make travel arrangements with a travel agent who would help you make a pilgrimage there yourself. Before it was destroyed in 480 BC, it was “the first and greatest metropolis” of all of Asia.

Poeple traveled to Ephesus from all parts of the world and they did do to pay homage to the goddess and marvel at the magnificently man-made temple, which according to sources like archaeological finds and historian Gaius Plinius Secundus, (Pliny the Elder,) was made entirely of marble and it was 115 meters by 55 meters in area, standing 17 1/2 meters high. Antipater of Sidon, said the temple of Artimis, "mounted to the clouds," and was such that the sun itself never looked upon "anything so grand."

The goddess Artemis was considered ever-virgin and also the goddess of both chastity and fertility. Much of the "worship" and ritual that took place inside of the temple was related to sexuality and reproduction. It involved the occult and magic arts done to obtain secret wisdom from the gods and goddesses of the day and their favor. People everywhere, even kings, were known to pay homage to the goddess, mother of all, by way of money, gifts, rituals and the offering of various sacrifices, even human, to win her favor.

It was in this prosperous pagan city that Paul's message of Jesus Christ incited a riot among the people because Paul told them the truth that they did not want to hear and God did miracles before the people through Paul.

Paul told them, “Gods that are made with human hands, are not really gods at all.” (He was of course talking directly to their trades and referring to their false religion.) The reaction to this by those steeped in it was quite severe, so severe that Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's fellow-workers, were dragged into the theater in a riot. The people were in a state of confusion and even chanted for two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." But even in their paganism, Ephesus was a lawful city, ruled by ruled by justice and order, not mobs and the scene was dispersed. Christianity prevailed, and over time people did hear Paul's message, and they believed on Jesus. (See the story in Acts 19)

Historically we see how it was the people of Ephesus changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church at Ephesus was established, comprised of people who had forsaken the pagan ways. Scripture tells us, “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.” after a couple hundred years, the temple was destroyed in war and remained in rubble until December 31, 1869 when it was uncovered under 20 feet of sand by John Turtle Wood of the Brittish Museum. Christians today are a lot like those who first became Christians at Ephesus. They believe on Jesus for their salvation, they repent are are baptized in his name and receive the Holy Spirit and are freed from bondage.

Jesus addresses the church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation. He tells them he knows they are a true church, that they did good works, hated evil, discerned false apostles from the true, had patience, labored against incredible odds to do the right thing, even hated the Nicolaitans but these, Jesus said, were in danger of leaving their first love: Him.

Like the church at Ephesus, we who put our hope and trust in the work of God must not forget from whence we have fallen... we are sinners saved by God's grace, (not of works least any should be boastful.) We must not forget and what God has done for us and through whom. We are to be people who do the right thing, people who do good works and serve others, but we cannot simply shut the door on the issue of Jesus, lest we also shut him out and subsequently forsake our first love... because, after all, he first loved me. (1 John 4:19 ; Gal 2:20)

First and foremost, above all things, we are to have an active loving relationship with the true and living God which is who Jesus revealed himself to be.