As a prisoner in the city of Rome, Paul wrote Ephesians to the church at Ephesus. The theme of this epistle was unity—the unity that comes from a common commitment of faith in Jesus Christ. Just ten verses into the letter, Paul writes that it is God’s plan “to gather together in one all things in Christ.”

In the first part of Ephesians, Paul gives the theologi­cal reasons for this unity. God the Father has chosen His people; they are now forgiven and set free from their sins by Jesus Christ.

Paul uses several figures of speech to show how this common commitment of faith will result in unity. He says the church is like a body, with Christ as the head; it is like a building, with Christ as the cornerstone; and it is like a wife, with Christ as the husband.

The theme of unity in Christ is still needed in our time as a remedy for the conflicts that so often face the church.