Ephesians 5:21-33 p
Principles of Biblical Interpretation RELI 3305 02
Instructor: W.B. Tolar
December 8, 2011
Jordan R. Laessig

Setting The book of Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul (Ephesians 1:1) while in jail (Acts 28:16-31) between A.D. 60 and A.D. 62. While most agree that this letter was written to address the church of Ephesus, some scholars believe that because the name Ephesus was not mentioned in the book, Paul was writing to all churches in Asia Minor, and Ephesus was just the first to have the letter delivered.
“Paul is born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia (Acts xxii. 3, &c.): an Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew, i.e., one who spoke Hebrew (Phil. iii. 4, &c.); educated in Jerusalem under
There are three types of love used commonly throughout the New Testament. This one is identified as ἀγαπᾶτε. This is the same love that God uses for us. It is a love that is unconditional and self sacrificing. This love is vividly shown by Jesus’ example through Scripture. These small words are absolutely key to understanding the meaning of Paul’s writings.
Summation
Paul’s plea for unity in the body of Christ starts in chapter five as the reader is challenged to treat one another with ultimate respect. One must not be drunk with wine but be filled with the spirit (Ephesians 5:18-19). This is important because in the previous letter of 1 Corinthians Paul talks about spiritual gifts and the importance of them for the kingdom of God. He describes in chapter 12 that there are different gifts for different believers and it is profitable to be practicing the gifts of the spirit.
In verse 21 Paul states that every Christian is commanded to submit to each other in honor of Christ. This is an important and crucial verse because of the ones to shortly follow. Submitting to one another as Christians means “No believer is inherently superior to any other believe. In their standing before God they are equal in every way (Gal 3:28). in the fear of God. The believer’s continual reverence for God is the basis for his submission to other believers.” This prefaces Paul’s rules of submission and sets ground rules