Ephesus was a leading city in the region that today is Western Turkey. It was a center for idol worship and famous or its magnificent temple to the goddess Artemis or Diana. Yet Paul and others made many converts to Christ there (Acts 19). Later Paul wrote to the Christians there. His writing, Ephesians, could be called the Spirit’s formal letter of welcome to the Gentiles. It put to rest any doubts about their rightful place alongside Jewish believers, with full privileges, in Christ’s one church.
Paul begins with his authorization, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus …” (Ephesians 1:1). He shows that God always planned to include Gentile believers, along with Jewish believers, as His sons and heirs (Ephesians 1). He reminds Gentiles of their previous condition, separated from God.
You were dead in the trespasses and sins. … Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:1, 12).
Spiritually dead and estranged, they could do nothing to save themselves. Jews, too, had sinned and were in the same helpless condition. So, God made salvation free for all, a gift of His grace, given through His Son. No one deserved such kindness. Instead of working to earn favor with God, the sinner would receive God’s free gift by faith.
Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. … For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:5, 8-9 cf. Acts 15:11).
The beginning of the Lord’s church in Ephesus is recorded in Acts 18 and 19. Ephesians 1 gives Paul’s summary of how they received salvation.
In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. … For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you (Ephesians 1:13, 15-16 cf. Colossians 1:3-5).
These Gentiles were saved in the same way as Jewish believers. Previously, Israelites had relied on God’s covenants with Abraham and Moses, covenants that excluded the Gentiles. Virtually all non-Jews had been “strangers to the covenants of promise” (Ephesians 2:12). But now, all come to God in the same way, namely through “faith in the Lord Jesus” as declared in “the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation.”
Gentiles were saved like Jewish believers.