This course is the second in a series based on the New Testament book of Ephesians. The first in the series is the advanced WBS course, The Family of God. 10 It sets the scene for understanding Ephesus and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. It reflects Paul’s message in Ephesians, namely God’s plan for the one body, or church, of Christ.
The New Testament provides a large pool of information about Ephesus and the church there. That pool serves as the main source for The Family of God course. The same pool also flows into this second course, Live a Life of Love. For the purposes of both courses, we call this pool “The Ephesian Collection.” Let’s review the biblical books that relate to Ephesus:
• Acts, the history of the early church, reports Christianity’s arrival in Ephesus, the main city of Asia11 (Acts 18:19-28). It tells how “the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (Acts 19:20). It also records Paul’s warning about the future of the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:17-35).
• Paul’s letter called Ephesians assures Gentile members, “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but… members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Ephesians forms the core of this course, Live a Life of Love.
• Colossians was written to a city in the same region as Ephesus, at about the same time. Colossians and Ephesians are so much alike that they are like inspired commentaries on each other. Both books exalt Christ as supreme.12 If that truth is like a flaming torch, Ephesians lifts it high to shine most widely, while Colossians directs its light at specific problems in Colosse.
• 1 Timothy instructed Timothy and the congregation in Ephesus “how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:15). 2 Timothy prepared Timothy and the church to carry on the Christian cause after Paul’s death.13
• Revelation also addressed the church at Ephesus. It commended their hard work and emphasis on truth.14 But it warned them, “You have abandoned the love you had at first…. Repent and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:4-5).
• 1 Corinthians relates to Ephesians in several ways. Paul’s church-planting travels took him from Corinth to Ephesus.15 From Ephesus he wrote back to Corinth.16 The letter we call 1 Corinthians introduced themes that Paul developed later in Ephesians and Colossians.17
• In 2 Corinthians Paul defended his work as an apostle to the Gentiles. He also reflected on his experiences in “Asia” (2 Corinthians 1:8).
• Later history names Ephesus as the home of the apostle John during his old age. While there, the historical reports say, John wrote the Gospel account called John and the letter 1 John. Both of these writings stated their purpose in terms of believing in Jesus and receiving eternal life (John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13). 1 John, like 2 and 3 John, showed the difference between true believers and false teachers.
We discuss these twelve books more fully in the first lesson of The Family of God. Now it is time to recognize two more books that contribute their wisdom to the pool called The Ephesians Collection.
• While thinking of Asia, we should note that Peter addressed five provinces in the region known today as Asia Minor. One of these provinces is “Asia” (1 Peter 1:1). Thus members in Ephesus – the leading city of Asia – should be counted among the earliest readers of 1 Peter, and probably also 2 Peter. Peter’s letters tell how spiritual newborns grow to maturity. These letters are valuable sources for any course on Christian living.
10. It would be helpful to study or review The Family of God before you study Live a Life of Love. Like all courses in the WBS Master Series, each course prepares you for the next. Each course, however, can also stand on its own and can be studied in any order.
11. “Asia,” as used in Acts, refers not to the Asian continent but to a Roman province in what is now Western Turkey.
12. Colossians 1:15-18; 2:2-3,9-10; Ephesians 1:20-23
13. 2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-3; 4:1-8
16. 1 Corinthians 15:32; 16:8,19
17. E.g. of common themes: Christ revealed as the wisdom and mystery of God, the church as the body of Christ, the importance of its unity, and love as the supreme virtue.
Pictures:
- The ruins of Ephesus include the Library of Celsus, which has lost all its books. Fortunately the greatest documents related to Ephesus are still known. We call them “The Ephesians Collection,” a part of God’s inspired library and the basis for this course.
- Map of Greece and Asia Minor, showing the locations for Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus.