Many ancient manuscripts say that this letter was addressed to "the saints who were in Ephesus." But a small number of manuscripts, including the oldest ones, do not name the Ephesians as the people who were to receive the letter. So, it follows, that Paul addresses the problem of unity within the church as one of the main concerns in Ephesians. The biggest difficulty among the Ephesian followers was that some members were trying to split up the followers into different groups instead of following the message Paul had originally taught them. Later, he met the leaders of the Ephesian church and gave them courage to face the problems they would meet. The local leader refused to punish Paul when a riot nearly broke out, but it seemed best for Paul to leave the city. Later, he argued with those who worshiped Artemis, the favorite goddess in Ephesus. Acts 19 and 20 tell how Paul was effective at first when he told people in Ephesus about Jesus Christ. Other places in the New Testament offer some help. Without such a clue, it is hard to say exactly why the letter was written. Ephesians, however, does not mention any particular questions or issues that were present among the members of the church in Ephesus. Many of Paul's letters give clues about why Paul wrote them. This includes a description of the spiritual "armor" that God gives so the people of God can withstand the devil and the rulers of darkness (6:10-17). The last two chapters of Ephesians offer practical instructions for living as God's people. Christ has chosen different people in the church to have different gifts as apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers (4:11).
This body has "one Lord, one faith, and one baptism" (4:5).
Those who have faith in Jesus have been chosen by God's Spirit to be part of one body, which is the Church. Then it tells how Christ has brought both Gentiles and Jews together by "breaking down the wall of hatred" that has separated them (2:14). The letter begins by describing how God raised Christ from death, who now rules beside God in heaven. The letter of Ephesians summarizes many of the important teachings found in the letters of the apostle Paul.
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