"Welcome to the center of the world!" This is the message of the first chapter of Ephesians. The author of Ephesians has told the Gentile-based churches that they have been brought into the center of all that is — in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the rest of this letter, he will be seeking to tell them the meaning of this great news. He wants to stress that this relocation of themselves by God's motivating grace means that they are called to change the way they understand their lives and the way that they live their lives.

Later on, he will list specific guidelines for the living of their lives, but in chapter 2 he speaks about a change in their imaginations, a change in the way they see themselves, and a change in the way they see others. He begins chapter 2 by fo…