BEMA Episode Link: 158: Ephesians — Family Membership
Episode Length: 28:48
Published Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0800
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings travel to the second largest city in the Roman Empire and hear the words Paul wrote to the Ephesians.

Discussion Video for BEMA 158

Transcript for BEMA 158

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 158: Ephesians - Family Membership

Title & Source Summary

This episode provides a comprehensive examination of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, focusing on the central theme of family membership and inclusion. Marty Solomon and Brent Billings explore how Paul addresses the radical inclusion of Gentiles into God’s family alongside the Jewish people. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding Paul’s intentional use of pronouns to distinguish between Jewish believers (“we/us”) and Gentile believers (“you”), revealing that Ephesians is fundamentally about the scandalous welcome of outsiders into God’s covenant family. The episode also examines the cultural context of Ephesus, particularly the worship of Artemis, and how Paul’s instructions about marriage and family relationships directly counter the prevailing cultural practices of this major Roman city.

Key Takeaways

  • Paul’s intentional use of pronouns in Ephesians 1-3 reveals a careful distinction between Jewish believers (“we/us”) and Gentile believers (“you”)
  • The central theme of Ephesians is family membership - the radical inclusion of Gentiles as full members of God’s household, not merely guests or second-class citizens
  • Paul’s Gospel message, received by direct revelation from Jesus, consistently focuses on the inclusion of Gentiles throughout his letters (Romans, Galatians, Ephesians)
  • The famous passages about predestination and salvation by grace in Ephesians must be understood in their context of Jewish-Gentile relations, not abstract theological systems
  • Ephesus was the neokoros (capital city) of Artemis worship, a goddess of sexual fertility, which directly influenced Paul’s instructions about marriage and family relationships
  • Paul’s marriage instructions are contextual responses to the Artemisian festival culture, where sexual debauchery was ritualized religion
  • The “new humanity” created in Christ represents God’s reconciliation project, tearing down dividing walls between formerly separate peoples
  • Understanding cultural context transforms how we read familiar passages, moving from abstract principles to specific responses to local challenges

Main Concepts & Theories

The Pronoun Strategy in Ephesians 1-2

Paul employs a sophisticated literary technique using pronouns to distinguish between the Jewish origins of God’s story and the Gentile inclusion in that story. In Ephesians 1:3-12, Paul consistently uses “we/us” language to describe those who “were the first to put our hope in Christ” - clearly referring to the Jewish people. Then in verse 13, he deliberately shifts: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth.” This isn’t accidental but intentional theological instruction about the historical progression of God’s redemptive plan from Jews to include Gentiles.

The Scandal of Gentile Inclusion

Throughout the New Testament, the primary theological issue isn’t abstract salvation but the practical question of how outsiders (Gentiles) can be included in the Jewish story of God. Paul describes Gentiles as formerly “separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). The Gospel announcement is that these barriers have been demolished, creating “one new humanity out of the two” (Ephesians 2:15).

The Cultural Context of Artemis Worship

Ephesus served as the neokoros (capital/chief city) for Artemis, the Roman goddess of sexual fertility. The annual Artemisian festival involved parading the statue of Artemis (housed in one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) from the temple to the harbor, where it was ritually washed to “restore her virginity.” The return procession was characterized by rampant sexual debauchery as participants symbolically ensured the goddess “lost her virginity again” by the time she returned to the temple.

Contextual Marriage Instructions

Paul’s famous instructions about marriage in Ephesians 5 directly counter the Artemisian culture. When he tells wives to “submit to your own husbands,” this isn’t a universal gender hierarchy but a specific counter-cultural statement in a city where women’s participation in Artemis worship involved asserting sexual independence from their husbands. Paul’s response to husbands is equally radical: “love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26). The imagery of cleansing with water directly parallels and reinterprets the Artemisian ritual.

The Mystery Revealed by Special Revelation

Paul consistently claims that his understanding of Gentile inclusion came through direct revelation from Jesus Christ, not from human teaching (similar to Galatians 1:11-12). In Ephesians 3:2-6, he describes this as “the mystery made known to me by revelation… which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.”

From Outsiders to Insiders: The New Humanity

Paul’s most profound theological contribution is the concept of “new humanity” - not simply individual salvation but corporate reconciliation. Gentiles are not merely added to Judaism but become “fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:19). This creates something entirely new: a family that transcends ethnic, cultural, and religious boundaries while honoring the Jewish foundation of God’s covenant story.

Examples & Applications

Modern Church and Inclusion

Just as Paul challenged the Ephesian church to demonstrate radical inclusion in their cultural context, modern churches must ask what walls exist in their communities that need to be torn down. The principle isn’t necessarily about Jewish-Gentile relations today, but about any divisions that prevent God’s family from displaying the reconciling power of the Gospel.

Marriage as Counter-Cultural Witness

Paul’s marriage instructions weren’t abstract role definitions but specific ways the Ephesian church could tell a different story than their surrounding culture. Modern applications should similarly ask: “How do Christian marriages bear witness to the Gospel in our specific cultural context?” rather than simply imposing first-century instructions universally.

Understanding Scripture Culturally vs. Universally

The episode demonstrates the importance of understanding which biblical instructions are cultural responses to specific situations versus universal principles. Paul’s specific advice to Ephesian wives makes sense in the context of Artemis worship but might not be the primary emphasis needed in every cultural context.

The Armor of God in Spiritual Warfare Context

Paul’s closing imagery of spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) connects to the broader theme of conflict between God’s new humanity and the powers that seek to maintain division and hostility. This isn’t merely individual spiritual warfare but corporate resistance to forces that would destroy the unity and peace Christ has established.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Archaeological Study of Ancient Ephesus

Investigation of the Temple of Artemis ruins, the harbor area where ritual washings occurred, and inscriptions related to the neokoros status of Ephesus would provide deeper understanding of the cultural context Paul was addressing.

Comparative Study of Paul’s Use of Pronouns

Analysis of pronoun patterns in Romans, Galatians, and other Pauline letters to see if this literary technique appears elsewhere and what it reveals about Paul’s theological method.

The Development of Jewish-Gentile Relations

Historical study of how the early church worked out the practical implications of Gentile inclusion, including the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and ongoing tensions reflected in Paul’s letters.

Artemis Worship and Ancient Fertility Religions

Broader study of how Paul’s instructions relate to other fertility cult practices throughout the Roman Empire and how early Christianity positioned itself against these religious systems.

The Theology of the “New Humanity”

Exploration of how Paul’s concept of new humanity relates to other New Testament images of the church (body, bride, building, etc.) and its implications for modern ecclesiology.

Paul’s Missionary Strategy and Cultural Adaptation

Investigation of how Paul adapted his message and instructions to different cultural contexts while maintaining theological consistency across his letters.

Comprehension Questions

  1. How does Paul’s intentional use of pronouns in Ephesians 1-2 reveal the progression from Jewish foundation to Gentile inclusion in God’s redemptive plan, and why is this distinction theologically significant?

  2. What specific aspects of Artemis worship and the Artemisian festival in Ephesus influenced Paul’s instructions about marriage relationships, and how does understanding this context change our interpretation of these passages?

  3. According to Paul in Ephesians 2:11-22, what barriers existed between Jews and Gentiles, and how does Christ’s work create “one new humanity” rather than simply adding Gentiles to Judaism?

  4. How does Paul’s claim to have received the “mystery of Gentile inclusion” through direct revelation from Christ connect to his broader argument about apostolic authority and Gospel authenticity?

  5. What does Paul mean by describing Gentiles as moving from “foreigners and strangers” to “fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,” and what are the practical implications of this family membership?

Brief Personalized Summary

This episode transforms familiar passages from Ephesians by revealing their proper context and original meaning. Paul’s careful use of pronouns shows that Ephesians isn’t primarily about individual predestination or abstract salvation principles, but about the radical inclusion of outsiders into God’s covenant family. The letter addresses a real community in Ephesus, where Artemis worship created a culture of sexual license and religious practices that directly conflicted with Christian values. Paul’s instructions about marriage aren’t universal gender roles but specific counter-cultural responses designed to help the Ephesian church bear witness to the Gospel in their unique context. The central theme of “family membership” challenges us to ask how our churches demonstrate the same radical inclusion and reconciliation that Paul championed. Rather than being outsiders looking in, believers from all backgrounds become full members of God’s household, participating in the “new humanity” that displays God’s reconciling power to a divided world. This reading of Ephesians calls us to move beyond individual spirituality to corporate witness, asking how our communities can tear down walls and welcome outsiders just as dramatically as the first-century church welcomed Gentiles into the Jewish story of God.

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