When was Ephesians written compared to 1 Corinthians?
Ephesians was written several years later than 1 Corinthians. It is one of the prison epistles, written after the revelation referenced in 1 Corinthians 13. By Ephesians, the enigma has been removed and the complete revelation is given, teaching the believer's position in the Body of Christ.
Les teaches that Ephesians is one of the prison epistles and was written several years later than 1 Corinthians. He explains that in 1 Corinthians 13 the enigma and mirror analogy applied, but by Ephesians the enigma has been removed and the steam wiped off the mirror, so the complete revelation is now given. Les says Ephesians teaches the position of the believer in the Body of Christ, and he compares it to moving from third and fourth grade arithmetic to high mathematics, or to having a Ph.D. in mathematics or physics. He points to Ephesians 4:4, 'There is one Body, one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope,' and connects that hope to faith, hope, and love from 1 Corinthians 13.