The Church in Ephesians

The Being of the Church - Ephesians 1-3

This verse is the hermeneutical key for Ephesians. God's plan is unite and place under the Lordship of Christ all things: The verb ἀνακεφαλαιόω contains this dual sense. All things has cosmic scope as both the heavens and the earth are in view. Both these spheres are presented as being both divided and hostile to God in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1-3 show us how this plan is worked and fulfilled as God creates a new humanity (Gk: ὁ αινὸς ἄνθρωπος) who is in Christ through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. This new humanity is the church.

1:15-23 - Christ is raised from the dead and ascended to a position of pre-eminence with all things under his feet. This is 'for' the Church.

2:1-10 - By faith we are raised with him in his resurrection and ascension and share in his exalted state, seated with him in the heavenly realm.

2:11-22 - By Christ's death Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God and each other.

The metaphors for the church, of the body and the temple, provide a picture of ἀνακεφαλαιόω. Unity (as body and building) under the Lordship of Christ (as head and cornerstone). The fulfilment of 1:9-10.

In chapter 3 Paul returns to the mystery (cf 1:9) and shows how his Gentile focused ministry results in the Gentiles hearing 'the unsearchable riches of Christ' and the heavenly realm beholding God's wisdom as He creates his new humanity.

There is debate over Eph 2:11-22 concerning the extent to which the church is continuous with Israel. Markus Barth argues that the church is Israel with included Gentiles. Paul is seen as having progressed from (harsh) Galatians through Romans to this position in Ephesians. Andrew Lincoln considers the church as being entirely new, the Jews having forfeited their former privileged state. Paul has moved from Galatians to Romans to a middle ground in Ephesians. I take it that Ephesians stresses both the new-ness and the continuity in a way that is consistent with both Galatians and Romans. Analogy in the new-covenant.

The Life of the Church - Ephesians 4-6

Paul urges the church to live as God's new humanity in light of the purpose for which God has brought it into existence. The imperatives in the 2nd half of the letter reflect the indicatives of the 1st half.