Tychicus and the Closing Blessing

Paul sends Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, to tell the readers how he is doing and to encourage their hearts. The closing blessing gathers the letter’s major themes into a few words: peace, love joined with faith, and grace upon all who love the Lord Jesus Christ with an incorruptible love.

Where this fits in the story: the nearly parallel description and mission of Tychicus in Colossians provides strong evidence that Ephesians and Colossians belong to a closely connected ministry setting, whatever position one takes on the larger authorship debate.