Scripture Helps

Ephesians

Paul wrote to the Ephesian Saints about foreordination and the dispensation of the fulness of times. He taught that the blood of Jesus Christ saves both Jews and Gentiles alike. The Lord called apostles, prophets, and others to serve in the Church. They are to perfect the Saints, edify the Church, and bring the Saints to a unity of faith. Paul exhorted the Saints to put off the “old man” of sin and through Christ put on the “new man” of righteousness and holiness. Paul counseled husbands and wives to love and respect one another. He encouraged them to look to the Savior as their example. Paul also taught the Saints to put on the whole armor of God to be protected from evil.

Resources

• Background and Context

• Learn More

• Media

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Background and Context

To whom was the book of Ephesians written and why?

There is evidence that Paul wrote this letter for Saints living in and around Ephesus, which served as Paul’s headquarters during his third missionary journey. Paul had great affection for the Ephesians.

Ephesus was an important city in Asia Minor. It had a harbor and was a major center for commerce. Because of its location, it “became a natural center for the Christian Church in Asia Minor.” Paul visited Ephesus near the end of his second missionary journey and lived there for two years during his third missionary journey.

It is difficult to determine a precise date for Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul stated that he was a prisoner at the time he wrote it. Paul may have written the epistle during his first imprisonment in Rome, around AD 60 to 62, during the same time he wrote to Philemon and the Colossians.

In his letter, Paul addressed Gentile members of the Church who were likely recent converts. His main purpose in writing was to help them grow in their knowledge of God and the Church through revelation. Paul was concerned about a lack of unity among members, particularly between Gentile and Jewish Saints, and within families. He encouraged the Saints to withstand the powers of evil.

Ephesians 1:1

Why did Paul refer to members of the Church as Saints?

Paul frequently referred to Church members as Saints. The Greek word for saint means “holy, … devoted, consecrated, [or] dedicated.” The word saints refers to those who are dedicated to a sacred purpose. By referring to members of the Church as Saints, Paul taught that everyone who follows Jesus Christ is made holy through Him. Saints strive to live in holier ways.

Ephesians 1:4–5, 11

What does it mean to be predestinated for adoption?

Compare to Romans 8:29–30.

The Greek word for predestine (proorizō) “describes the act of determining something in advance.” In the New Testament, this act is attributed only to God.

This passage teaches that believers are predestinated, or foreordained, for adoption through Jesus Christ. Paul taught the meaning of adoption in Romans. There he wrote “that, in Christ, we are adopted and thereby become ‘the children of God’ (Rom. 8:15–16; see also Gal. 4:1–9) and therefore heirs of celestial glory.” Foreordained blessings are not unconditionally guaranteed but are dependent upon the righteous exercise of agency in this life.

Ephesians 1:10

What is the “dispensation of the fulness of times”?

“A gospel dispensation is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the keys of the holy priesthood. Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and others have each started a new gospel dispensation. When the Lord organizes a dispensation, the gospel is revealed anew so that the people of that dispensation do not have to depend on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation. The dispensation begun by Joseph Smith is known as the ‘dispensation of the fulness of times.’”

Joseph Smith taught that this dispensation “will bring to light the things that have been revealed in all former dispensations; also other things that have not been before revealed. He shall send Elijah, the Prophet, etc., and restore all things in Christ.” The dispensation of the fulness of times is the final dispensation, which will prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:12–14

How does the Holy Spirit of Promise assure future blessings?

“The Holy Spirit of Promise is the ratifying power of the Holy Ghost.” When we receive and keep ordinances and covenants in righteousness, the Holy Ghost confirms that they are acceptable to the Lord. Elder David A. Bednar taught that receiving the Holy Spirit of Promise is like “receiving [a] ‘stamp of approval’ from the Holy Ghost.” Paul taught that the Holy Spirit of Promise is also like a pledge or guarantee that we will receive eternal life, an inheritance in the celestial kingdom. In other words, the Holy Spirit of Promise provides an assurance that we will receive the fulness of a heavenly reward.

Ephesians 2:20–21

What is the importance of a cornerstone?

“A cornerstone is the first stone placed upon a building’s foundation, in a corner of the structure.

“… A cornerstone bears much of the weight of a building’s outer structure, and it connects and unites two of the walls. After it is placed, all other stones and their angles are measured out from it.

“… Anciently, a cornerstone would normally be one of the largest, most solid stones a builder had to work with. The builder would examine his stones carefully and select the best one as a cornerstone, rejecting any stones that didn’t appear suitable.”

Ephesians 3:4

What mystery did Paul know?

The Greek word for mystery is mystērion, which means a sacred truth that can be known only by revelation. The mystery Paul was referring to is that both Jews and Gentiles can become heirs of the Abrahamic covenant through Christ. This mystery was “revealed to Paul on that remarkable day when he traveled to Damascus (see Acts 9:3–5).”

Ephesians 4:11

What are evangelists and pastors?

Paul listed the offices of evangelist and pastor as part of the organizational structure of the Church. An evangelist is “one who bears or proclaims the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” In latter-day revelation, patriarchs are described as being “evangelical ministers.” The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “An evangelist is a Patriarch. … Wherever the Church of Christ is established in the earth, there should be a Patriarch for the benefit of the posterity of the Saints, as it was with Jacob in giving his patriarchal blessing unto his sons.”

A pastor is a shepherd, or one who leads a flock. Jesus Christ referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd because He knows and loves His sheep. In this context, the pastors of the New Testament are similar to bishops and branch presidents in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Ephesians 4:26–27, 31–32

What did Paul teach about anger?

The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies Ephesians 4:26 as follows: “Can ye be angry, and not sin?” This change brings the verse into harmony with Paul’s other teachings about anger.

Paul counseled the Saints that they should not retire for the evening until they had overcome their angry thoughts. The Savior taught similar truths about anger.

Ephesians 5:21–33

What is Paul’s message about submission in marriage?

Paul addressed submission throughout his writings. In this passage, Paul addressed submission in family relationships, with a special emphasis on marriage. Since the word submission can have both positive and negative connotations, it is important to be clear on how Paul used the word.

Before addressing marriage, Paul urged family members to submit to each other. This is to be a mutual submission that fosters a “conciliatory” spirit within families. Paul also invited family members to see “each other in view of each person’s relationship to [God].”

In this context, married couples are to “be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Paul invited wives to voluntarily submit to their husbands out of their love for Jesus Christ and not as a result of coercion or dominance.

Paul used Jesus Christ’s loving relationship with the Church as a model for marriage. Thus, a husband should love his wife in the same way Jesus Christ loves and sacrifices for His Church. With the Savior as the model, there simply is no justification for control, disrespect, or abuse within marriage.

By focusing on Jesus Christ, Paul provided clear direction on how to view submission. From the life of Jesus Christ, we see that submission can be a godly quality when it entails humility, meekness, gentleness, and obedience to God. In this context, “submission requires remarkable strength of character, devotion to covenant, unusual wisdom, and selfless love—reminiscent of the exemplary submissive One.”

In the culture of Paul’s day, women’s roles were often limited, and husbands and fathers were considered the final authority within a family. Paul’s message challenged those cultural norms. “Though Christian households continued to be quite patriarchal and hierarchical, these modifications urged them toward greater equality and respect for each individual.”

Ephesians 6:5–8

Did Paul approve of slavery?

In New Testament times, slavery was an entrenched institution throughout the Roman Empire. Many Church members were either slaves or had slaves as part of their households. People became slaves by being captured in war, being sold to pay debts, or being kidnapped. Paul’s counsel about how slaves should act does not imply that he approved of the institution of slavery. He was teaching members of the Church, who were living in a culture with slaves and masters, how the gospel of Jesus Christ should guide those relationships.

Learn More

Foreordination

• Steven R. Bangerter, “Foreordained to Serve,” Liahona, May 2024, 56–59

• John C. Pingree Jr., “I Have a Work for Thee,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 32–35

• Topics and Questions, “Foreordination,” Gospel Library

Foundation of Apostles and Prophets

• Topics and Questions, “Prophets,” Gospel Library

Marriage Relationship

• Ulisses Soares, “In Partnership with the Lord,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 42–45

Media

Videos

“Dispensations: The Pattern of Apostasy and Restoration” (6:52)

“The armor of God” (2:06)

Images

Notes

1. “Unlike his other letters, Paul did not send any personal greetings to specific individuals in this correspondence and hoped that the audience had heard of his service toward them (Ephesians 3:2). In addition, the phrase ‘at Ephesus’ (1:1) is absent from some of the earliest manuscripts of this letter. These facts have caused some scholars to question the authenticity of this letter as well as its destination. But it is evident that Paul had great concern for the Christian communities to the east of Ephesus, such as Colossae and Laodicea, even though they had ‘not seen [his] face in the flesh’ (Colossians 2:1). It is therefore reasonable to conclude that this letter was originally a circular letter Paul intended for the Christian congregations in and around Ephesus, similar to the nature of his letter to ‘the churches of Galatia’ (Galatians 1:2)” (Frank F. Judd Jr., “The Epistles of the Apostle Paul: An Overview,” in New Testament History, Culture, and Society: A Background to the Texts of the New Testament, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell [2019], 435–36).

2. See Acts 19:1, 9–10.

3. See Acts 20:17, 34–38.

4. Bible Dictionary, “Ephesus.”

5. See Acts 18:19.

6. See Acts 19:10.

7. See Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20.

8. See Guide to the Scriptures, “Pauline Epistles,” Gospel Library.

9. See Ephesians 2:11.

10. See Ephesians 1:15–16.

11. See Ephesians 1:15–19; 3:14–19.

12. See Ephesians 2:11–22; 4:1–6.

13. See Ephesians 5:22–33; 6:1–4.

14. See Ephesians 4:17–32; 5:1–18; 6:10–18.

15. Tremper Longman III and Mark L. Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words (2023), 1038, entry 40.

16. See Bible Dictionary, “Saint.”

17. President M. Russell Ballard taught, “Saint simply refers to those who seek to make their lives holy by covenanting to follow Christ” (“The Importance of a Name,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 80).

18. Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary, 621.

19. See Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary, 621.

20. S. Kent Brown, The Epistle to the Ephesians: Brigham Young University New Testament Commentary (2023), 47.

21. Through modern revelation, we learn that foreordination is not a guarantee of certain blessings. Rather, the realization of foreordained blessings is “a result of the righteous exercise of agency” (Topics and Questions, “Foreordination,” Gospel Library).

22. Guide to the Scriptures, “Dispensation,” Gospel Library.

23. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 510–11; see also Doctrine and Covenants 128:18.

24. See Doctrine and Covenants 112:30–32; 138:48; see also “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World,” Gospel Library.

25. David A. Bednar, “Ye Must Be Born Again,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 22.

26. Guide to the Scriptures, “Holy Spirit of Promise,” Gospel Library.

27. David A. Bednar, “Ye Must Be Born Again,” 22. Elder Bednar also taught, “This sealing can be forfeited through unrighteousness and transgression” (“Ye Must Be Born Again,” 22).

28. The King James Version of the Bible uses the phrase “earnest of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14) to describe this pledge or guarantee. In worldly matters, when a buyer gives a seller earnest money, the buyer is offering the seller an assurance that they want to buy some property. Paul used this language to explain that God provides an assurance of blessings to those who have lived in accordance with God’s will.

29. See Doctrine and Covenants 88:3–4; 131:5.

30. This is sometimes called “making our calling and election sure” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Calling and Election,” Gospel Library). See also Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary [1971], 2:493–95; Joseph Smith, in History, 1838–1856 [Manuscript History of the Church], volume C-1, 8, josephsmithpapers.org; Brian M. Hauglid, “Joseph Smith’s Inspired Commentary on the Doctrine of Calling and Election,” in Shedding Light on the New Testament: Acts–Revelation, ed. Ray L. Huntington and others (2009), 209–10.

31. “The Cornerstone,” Ensign, Jan. 2016, 74.

32. See Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary, 536. See also Alma 12:9–11.

33. See Ephesians 3:6; Mosiah 5:7; 15:11; 27:25–26.

34. Brown, The Epistle to the Ephesians, 202.

35. Guide to the Scriptures, “Evangelist,” Gospel Library.

36. Doctrine and Covenants 107:39.

37. Teachings: Joseph Smith, 140.

38. See Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary, 736.

39. See John 10:11.

40. Brown, The Epistle to the Ephesians, 305.

41. Joseph Smith Translation, Ephesians 4:26 (in Ephesians 4:26, footnote a); italics indicate changed text.

42. See Ephesians 4:31.

43. See Ephesians 4:26.

44. See Matthew 5:22; 3 Nephi 11:29–30; 12:22.

45. See 2 Corinthians 9:13; Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 2:20–22; 3:20; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17.

46. See Camille Fronk Olson, “Submit Yourselves … as unto the Lord,” in Huntington and others, Go Ye into All the World, 100–105. “Throughout Paul’s writings, the virtue of submissiveness was encouraged in a number of different contexts, each bearing the connotation of supportiveness, cooperation, or subjection to the organizational leadership of another” (Kent R. Brooks, “Paul’s Inspired Teachings on Marriage,” in Go Ye into All the World: Messages of the New Testament Apostles, ed. Ray L. Huntington and others [2002], 92).

47. See Ephesians 5:21.

48. “The verb hypotassō, ‘to submit, to subject,’ does not appear at all in verse 22 but is ‘borrowed’ from verse 21; the sense of the two verses is “Submit yourselves to each other, wives to your husbands … ,” and so on through the household, with instructions specifying ways for each member to manifest that mutual submission” (Mark D. Ellison, “Family, Marriage, and Celibacy in the New Testament,” in Blumell, New Testament History, Culture, and Society, 546).

49. Kenneth L. Barker and others, eds., NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition (2020), 2076, note for Ephesians 5:21.

50. Ellison, “Family, Marriage, and Celibacy in the New Testament,” 545.

51. Michael D. Coogan and others, eds., The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 5th ed. (2018), 2058, note for Ephesians 5:21.

52. See Earl D. Radmacher and others, eds., NKJV Study Bible, 3rd ed. (2018), 1773, note for Ephesians 5:22–24, 25.

53. See Brown, The Epistle to the Ephesians, 477.

54. Elder Ulisses Soares further taught: “The patriarchal pattern entails that wives and husbands are accountable directly to God for the fulfillment of their sacred responsibilities in the family. It calls for a full partnership—a willing compliance with every principle of righteousness and accountability—and provides opportunities for development within an environment of love and mutual helpfulness. These special responsibilities do not imply hierarchy and absolutely exclude any kind of abuse or improper use of authority” (“In Partnership with the Lord,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 44).

55. Olson, “Submit Yourselves … as unto the Lord,” 102.

56. Ellison, “Family, Marriage, and Celibacy in the New Testament,” 546.

57. Many Bible translations use the milder term of servant, but the Greek word means slave (see Longman and Strauss, The Baker Expository Dictionary, 753).

58. For more information about slavery in the New Testament, see Andy Mickelson, “Recognizing and Understanding Slavery in the New Testament,” in The Household of God: Families and Belonging in the Social World of the New Testament, ed. Lincoln H. Blumell and others (2022), 201–24.