New Testament
Ephesians
Ephesians lifts your eyes to the sheer scale of what God has done in Christ, then brings it down to earth in marriage, work and daily struggle. Grace first, then a new way to live, all held together in one short, soaring letter.
Ephesians 1
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
Use this list to find the article where each passage is explained or placed in context.
- Ephesians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Discussed in:
Ephesians 2
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
Use this list to find the article where each passage is explained or placed in context.
- Ephesians 2:1-5
You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience. We also all once lived amongst them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 2:8
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Read the passage article - Ephesians 2:8-9
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.
Read the passage article - Ephesians 2:9
not of works, that no one would boast.
Read the passage article - Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
Discussed in:
Ephesians 3
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
Use this list to find the article where each passage is explained or placed in context.
- Ephesians 3:1
For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
Discussed in:
Ephesians 4
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
Use this list to find the article where each passage is explained or placed in context.
- Ephesians 4:2
with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 4:14-15
that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Discussed in:
Ephesians 5
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
Use this list to find the article where each passage is explained or placed in context.
- Ephesians 5:19
speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Discussed in: - Ephesians 5:22
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 5:31-32
“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.” This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly.
Discussed in:
Ephesians 6
Armor of God
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:12Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh And Blood
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:13Armor Of God
“Therefore put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Passages discussed across 316Quotes
Use this list to find the article where each passage is explained or placed in context.
- Ephesians 6:4
You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:7
with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:9
You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:11
Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Read the passage article - Ephesians 6:12
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Read the passage article - Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Read the passage article - Ephesians 6:14
Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:14-17
Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:18
with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:18-20
with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints. Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Discussed in: - Ephesians 6:20
for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Discussed in:
More about Ephesians
Ephesians begins with your head in the clouds, and that is no accident. Before Paul says a single word about how to live, he spends the opening chapters lifting our eyes to the sheer scale of what God has done in Christ. He piles up phrases about being chosen, adopted, redeemed and sealed, as though one sentence cannot hold it all, and he prays that we would grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ really is. It is worship more than instruction, and it is meant to be. Paul wants us to be staggered by grace first, because everything else in the letter grows out of that wonder.
Right at the hinge of the letter comes the verse many of us learned early and have leaned on ever since. We are saved by grace through faith, Paul says, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast (2:8-9). That order matters enormously. Paul is not telling us to behave well so that God will accept us. He is telling us that God has already accepted us, freely, as a gift, and that our changed living flows out of that gift rather than earning it. It is a small verse with the whole gospel inside it.
Only after all this does Paul turn to the practical, and when he does, he is wonderfully down to earth. The second half of Ephesians is about ordinary life: how husbands and wives treat one another, how parents and children live together, how we work and speak and forgive. The grand truths of the early chapters are meant to land here, in marriages and households and workplaces. Paul does not leave us gazing at the heavens. He brings the glory down to the breakfast table and the workbench, and shows us that a life remade by grace looks like patience, honesty and kindness in the most everyday settings.
He closes by being honest that this new life is a struggle, and he reaches for the image of a soldier dressing for battle. We are to put on the whole armour of God so that we can stand firm against the spiritual forces ranged against us (6:11, 6:13): truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, the word of God, all of it. It is a striking way to end a letter so full of peace, but it is realistic. Living out grace is not always easy, and Paul does not pretend it is. If you are weary in the fight, start back at the beginning, with how loved you already are. The armour makes far more sense once you remember whose you are.
Questions about Ephesians
- What is the book of Ephesians about?
- Ephesians falls neatly into two halves. The first lifts our eyes to the immense scope of what God has done in Christ: choosing us, forgiving us, uniting Jew and Gentile into one new people, and raising us up with him. The second half brings all of that down to earth, showing what it looks like in marriage, family, work and daily relationships. The order is deliberate. Paul wants us to be amazed by grace first and then to live differently as a result. So the letter moves from heavenly wonder to the breakfast table, and insists the two belong together.
- What does 'saved by grace through faith' mean in Ephesians 2:8-9?
- Ephesians 2:8-9 says we are saved by grace through faith, and that this is not our own doing but the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast. The meaning is that our acceptance by God is entirely a gift. We do not earn it by being good enough or religious enough; we receive it by trusting Christ. Grace is the undeserved kindness of God, and faith is simply the open hand that takes it. This verse has reassured countless people who feared they had to qualify for God's love. The whole point is that you cannot, and you do not have to.
- What is the armour of God in Ephesians 6?
- In Ephesians 6 Paul pictures the Christian as a soldier putting on armour for battle. He lists the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. He calls us to put on the whole armour so that we can stand firm against spiritual forces, not against people. It is a vivid way of saying that living out our faith involves a real struggle, and that God has given us everything we need to stand. The emphasis throughout is on standing firm rather than striking out.
Topics in Ephesians
The themes these verses speak to. Follow one to find related verses from right across the Bible.