In this last chapter of Ephesians, Paul addressed how various relationships reflect Christ in believers lives. The end of chapter 5, Paul said to be filled with the Spirit by giving thanks, encouraging the body of Christ, and submitting to one another in Christ. The first relationship addressed was marriage with a husband and wife, and now Paul addressed children with parents and slaves and masters. The way of the Spirit is not one where all people are respected and all people are accountable to God, who is no respecter of persons. In other words, God does not have favorites. Paul then ends with the armor of God. Throughout chapters 4-5, as believers we are to walk, but here we are not to stand. The armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet covered with the gospel of peace, the shieled of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, and then we are to pray, pray, pray, in all occasions, with all kinds of prayers, and all kinds of requests, and especially for all the saints. Paul asked for prayer because he was "an ambassador in chains." He had a few closing words, and then gave a blessing of peace, grace, and love.

This section starts with Paul reminding us we are dearly loved children, which then should encourage us to imitate our Father and live a life of love. God the Son, Jesus Christ, also loved us so much that He was willing to give Himself up by dying on the cross for us as a sacrifice and offering unto God. That love compels us to move out of darkness into the light of the Lord. Christians are to "live as children of light" (vs. 8). Since we live in days that are evil, believers need to watch how they live, and be thankful. Music is a big part of our worship to God as well as our way of encouraging each other to walk in faith. We are to "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." This leads to the example of marriage which reflects to the world what our relationship with Christ looks like. He is the head, we are the body. The husband is the head in the marriage, and the wife is to place herself under the authority of her husband. He is to love her. She is to respect him. Paul quoted Genesis 2:24, which Jesus quoted in Matthew 19:4-5, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh." This is the mystery which Paul spoke of earlier in this letter. The husband and wife become one, like Christ and His church become one. This is the mystery of how old humanity, with faith in Jesus Christ and who He is, and what He did on the cross, has now made a new humanity that is now one with Christ. As Paul said in verse 32, "This is a profound mystery!"

In this chapter, Paul the apostle reminded the Gentile believers in Jesus that they make up the one body of Christ, with the Jewish believers, and since we are one body, we ought to work on keeping the unity through the Spirit of God. Yet God did not make each of us the same, we are different with different gifts given to us by Christ, and so in our unity, we also display our diversity. It is similar to a musical piece in harmony. The notes are different, and sometimes even the rhythms are different, but they go well together to make one beautiful song. We need each other with our different gifts. Then verses 17-32, Paul stressed that our actions should reflect who we are in Christ. Not only does he tell us what not to do like lie and steal, but he also tells us what we should do like be kind, compassionate and forgiving, "just as in Christ, God forgave you!"

Since believers in Christ are the church, the family of God, the body of Christ, one in Christ, therefore, Paul prays for them. He prays they will understand they are a part of the whole family of God. We are not alone. He prays they may be strengthened through the Spirit of God, and through Christ which are both in the hearts of believers. He prays their knowledge of God's love will be rooted and grounded in them, and with that comes power from God with all of the saints. He prays for the width, length, height and depth of God's love, this love that is beyond our knowledge. This love that fills us with the fullness of God. He ended his prayer with a doxology, a praise to God who is able. HE IS ABLE! He is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. Do we ask or image? The work that He displays in our individual lives and the life or our church, brings glory to God, forever and ever! Amen!

The mystery God revealed, especially to Paul the apostle, was that Gentiles did not have to become Jews in order to become Christian, and that all believers in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile make up the body of Christ, and are a part of the family of God. It is this truth that placed Paul as a prisoner of the Romans, but Paul understood that really he was a prisoner of the Lord. Paul also stated that as believers in Christ, we also have access to God the Father, and it is all because of what Christ did when He died on the cross, and who we are IN Christ. As believers in Christ, we are God's people, His church, and as such we display to the world and to the heavens the manifold, multi-colored, multi-faceted, and richly diversified, wisdom of God. We show God's glory.

In this section of Ephesians, Paul calls the Gentile believers to remember their past that they were separated from Christ, and excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the promises of God, without hope, and without God. BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS, things are different. Now they are brought near. Now they have peace, now God has made "one new man," or "one new humanity" out of the two groups. Now it is just people who have faith in Jesus Christ, people who now have the Spirit of God indwelling in them. That new humanity has access to God and are included into the family of God. Then Paul used the illustration of a building where the foundation is the apostles of the NT and the prophets of the OT, and Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, the one that holds it all together. As believers IN Christ, that new humanity, is "being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit!"

In this section of Ephesians, Paul compares their old way of life to their new life in Christ. The old walk of life was dead in sin, disobedience, full of gratifying ones cravings, and it was the ways of the world, with the destination being God's wrath. Yet God loved us, and because He was rich in mercy, those who believe in Jesus Christ, who are found in Him, are made alive, are raised up and are seated with God in the heavenly realms IN CHRIST. Thankfully God in His grace, offered the gift of salvation IN CHRIST, and once it is accepted, we then walk the path which the Lord has set before us, and we do the good works He gave us to do.

Paul gives thanks for the saints of Christ because of their faith in the Lord and their love for each other. Than Paul prays a prayer that they may grow in the Spirit with wisdom, revelation and enlightenment, so they can know the hope of their calling in Christ. He also shared that the same power of God which raised Jesus from the dead, is also the same power that is in believers in Christ. Lastly he shared that since Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in the heavenly realms, He is now over all other rule, authority, power and dominion. God placed everything under Christ's feet, which made Him head over everything, for the church. For believers. Then Paul explained that as believers, as the church, we are Christ's body, "the fullness of Him."

Usually the apostle Paul would give a thanksgiving after the opening of his letters, but this time, he explained a blessing. God is blessed and so are those who believe in Jesus Christ. All of these verses make up only one sentence, and Abraham Kuruvilla said it is "the longest sentence in the NT, composed of 202 words." Verses 3-6 focus on God the Father who blessed us, chose us, and predestined us, all in love. All of this is possible because of Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. He became our atoning sacrifice. Then we find a phrase Paul uses a lot in this letter, believers in Jesus, are "IN Him." It is in Him, in Jesus (verse 7-10) that we are redeemed, forgiven, and enlightened with the mystery of God. All of this is God's lavished work for His good pleasure. Then in verses 11-14, we find the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who is our seal and our deposit guaranteeing the work God has done in our lives, and He will be with us until "the redemption of those who are God's possessions is complete." To the glory of God!

Paul finished his third missionary journey and brought an offering to the church in Jerusalem and while there he was arrested. He ended up appealing to Caesar, which brought him to Rome where he wrote this letter while in house arrest, which is why it is called a prison epistle. Paul starts his letter declaring his apostleship of Christ Jesus, and that it was God's will that he was an apostle. Some of the oldest manuscripts do not have the words, "In Ephesus," which may mean it was a circular letter to go to other churches as well.  The word saint is used for all Christians, and it means those who have been called and set apart for the Lord's service. As for Paul's greeting, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ," in Dr. Abraham Kuruvilla's commentary, he suggests the grace and peace comes from the priestly blessing Aaron was to give to the Israelites in Numbers 6:24-26. Grace also must come first, before we can ever experience God's peace. The Lord of the Israelites, is the Lord Jesus Christ