by Literary Context
Ephesians 2:1-10 is the first half of the pericope “Made Alive in Christ” according to the New American Standard Bible 2020 edition. These passages relate to the larger book of Ephesians in each of the six chapters. The major topics within the passage connect in different ways to the other chapters which assists with understanding them more clearly.
In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul reminds the saints that they were previously “dead” because they were unsaved and living in a sinful world ruled by the devil. He reminds them that they were controlled by the devil and yielded to all the devil’s influences. To assist with understanding these verses, Paul writes about this in some of the other chapters. In chapter one, there is mention of the forgiveness of their sins (Eph. 1:7, NASB 2020). In chapter four, Paul describes what life was like when they were “dead” and living a life away from God (Eph. 4:17-19). Paul reminds them that God has forgiven them of their sins (Eph. 4:32). In chapter five, Paul explains how God’s wrath is upon the sons of disobedience and how the saints were previously “dead” being the darkness (Eph. 5:6, 8). Chapter six goes into detail on spiritual warfare and about the schemes of the devil, wickedness in heavenly places, and that there are many methods used by the devil (Eph. 6:11-18).
In Ephesians 2:4-10, Paul informs them that God, in His mercy and love for them, saved them by His grace and not from any “good works” that they think they may have done to earn it. Paul explains that they have been saved and are now “together” with Christ and considered “alive” because they have been raised up with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenly places in Christ. In chapter one, Paul explains that they have redemption in Jesus and by the richness of His grace (Eph. 1:7-8). The end of chapter one explains how Christ was raised and seated at His right hand to rule over all things to the church (Eph. 1:20-22). The latter half of chapter two describes how the saints are “together” in one body of Christ and are of God’s household (Eph. 2:14-16, 19). Chapter four goes into more detail on how the saints are “together” in one body, one Spirit, with grace given from gifts, and how each saint is to grow into Him, Christ (Eph. 4:4, 7-8, 15-16, 25). Paul also reminds the saints to continue to repent as they have been saved and are now “alive” and should walk in “good works” (Eph. 4:22-23, 28).
Ephesians 4:10 explains that the saints are God’s workmanship in Christ which God “prepared beforehand” so that they would walk in doing good works. Chapter one alludes to this as He chose the saints in Him before the foundation of the world, and they have been predestined according to the purpose of Him and His will (Eph. 1:5, 11).
Historical Context
The letter, also known as an epistle, was written by the Apostle Paul. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” (Eph. 1:1, New American Standard Bible). It was written sometime between AD 60-62 as this is when Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Two specific passages include, “the prisoner of Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:1), and “for which I am an ambassador in chains” (Eph. 6:20). These should be added to the other “Prison Epistles” from Paul. The book of Acts describes Paul’s journey to Rome and his imprisonment. This gives insight into where he was when writing Ephesians. “for which I am an ambassador in chains” (Eph. 6:20). Another clue is that Ephesians has a metaphor of a roman soldier’s armor compared to God’s armor for spiritual warfare.
The letter states to whom it was addressed and sent to, “To the saints who are at Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:” (Eph. 1:1). This letter is not a forgery and is not fake as the greeting of the letter, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” (Eph. 1:1) is consistent with Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 1:1, and 2 Corinthians 1:1. There are also theological similarities that include salvation by grace in Romans 3:22-24, unity in spirit with 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, roles of man and woman in marriage in Colossians 3:18-19, and the Armor of God with 1 Thessalonians 5:8.
The major purposes for the letter were multi-faceted. They included the importance of unity between the Jewish and Gentile believers (Eph. 2), the church and the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 3), Christian living and discernment (Eph. 4), cultural influences (Eph. 5), and Spiritual Warfare wearing the Armor of God (Eph. 6). This letter was written during the time of the Greco-Roman period. The social-religious context of that time included a significant division between Jews and Gentiles. Ephesians 2:1-10 explains that they are together in Christ. A social-scientific analysis shows that Ephesus had many pagan religions and customs where people believed that good works and sacrifices made gods happy. Ephesians specifically counters this cultural norm in teaching that salvation is by grace and through faith in the gospel. Another analysis shows that social class and economic disparities were present, and the passage challenges that societal norm as it includes the rich and the poor. The new identity in Christ that is detailed within Ephesians 2:1-10 is another historical-cultural issue that contested the norm.
Further historical-cultural research of the text will include primary Jewish sources by Josephus, Philo, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. A review of the Apocrypha will be completed to identify any further insights. Greco-Roman sources will also be researched by historians including Suetonius and Tacitus. The specific areas of focus will be on social structures, philosophical influence, Temple of Artemis, other religious practices, and household roles and responsibilities.