The letter to the Ephesians is one of the letters that Paul wrote at the end of his life while he was imprisoned in Rome. In this letter, he describes himself as a “prisoner of the Lord” (Eph 4:1) and as a “messenger in chains” (Eph 6:20). As an apostle, he was a messenger with a mission and a message. As a prisoner, however, his opportunities to travel were limited. He was not in a prison, but lived under guard in a house he had rented himself.

“But he remained two whole years in his own rented house, receiving all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
Acts 28:30-31

In addition to talking to the people who came to him, he wrote several letters in which he communicated with the congregations. These letters are something like the apostle’s spiritual legacy.

The letters of imprisonment were written after the apostle had traveled and preached for many years. He is an experienced man and draws on the wealth of his experience here. What we read in his last letters is the realization of what he has come to. He writes to the Colossians, for example, that he has “completed the word of God” (Col 1:25). Completed or “perfected”, as it is also translated, means something like “the last thing added”. What was missing has been added here. Paul therefore not only draws on the wealth of his experience, as if he were simply reporting something else that was already known, but in his last letters he adds decisive thoughts.

In First Corinthians, for example, the apostle writes “but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in pieces shall be done away.” (1 Cor 13:10). This is often projected onto an unknown future. In the letters of imprisonment, he appears to refer specifically to adulthood and growth towards fullness (Eph 4:13; Phil 3:15; Col 1:28), as if this were possible today. It is still growth, but no longer projected into the future. Together with the completion of the Word of God (Col 1:25), concrete reference was made to a fullness that all may reach out for. It seems to be the task of the letter to the Ephesians to point this out.

Such a fullness for us and before us is not a special teaching. It is not meant to imply that anyone who believes this can become “perfect”. This is not about what we should achieve, but about recognizing what God has given us, which is given to us in grace for free. This should transform our lives. The basis for this has been expanded. This can be reflected in our lives through more confidence and thanksgiving.

The first three chapters of Ephesians report on the riches and fullness that we have received “in Christ” (Eph 1:3). The last three chapters of Ephesians talk about what our “walk” may look like (Eph 4:1). Paul brings theory into practice with foresight. But not only that. In this letter we also hear about a new position of believers from all nations. Here, for the first time, they are accepted into the family of God on an equal footing with the Jewish believers (Eph 2:4-18). This is a stunning new feature that had never been mentioned before.