Ephesians — Chapter 1
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1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
15Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ:
4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:
5having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:
7in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, [I say,]
11in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;
12to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:
13in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of [God`s] own possession, unto the praise of his glory.
15For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which [ye show] toward all the saints,
16cease not to give thanks for you, making mention [of you] in my prayers;
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
18having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
20which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly [places],
21far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church,
23which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
1From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
3Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.
4For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.
5He did this by predestining us to adoption as his legal heirs through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will—
6to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.
7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace
8that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.
9He did this when he revealed to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,
10toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.
11In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will
12so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.
13And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,
14who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
15For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you in my prayers.
17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,
18—since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened—so that you can know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.
20This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms
21far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him to the church as head over all things.
23Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;
5having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
6to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
7in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
10to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;
11in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will;
12to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ.
13In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
15For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints,
16don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
20which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.
22He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,
23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Summary
Paul praises God for every spiritual blessing in Christ — election, predestination, redemption, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance — then prays that believers would know the surpassing greatness of God's power toward them.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Ephesus (v.1): Major city in Asia Minor (modern Turkey); location of a key early church.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik provides thorough analysis of the Trinitarian doxology (vv.3-14), the blessings "in Christ," election, redemption, sealing, and Paul's prayer.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "All Spiritual Blessings" on v.3 (MTP Vol. 28, No. 1679) "ALL spiritual blessings. Not some — all. Not will bless — hath blessed. Past tense. Done. Finished. Every blessing you will ever need is already yours in Christ. You are not working toward blessing — you are working FROM blessing. The storehouse is full and the key is in your hand." Sermon: "Accepted in the Beloved" on v.6 (MTP Vol. 5, No. 286) "Accepted — not tolerated, not endured, not barely admitted — accepted. And not in yourself — in the Beloved. God sees you in Christ. When He looks at you, He sees His Son. You are as accepted as Christ is accepted. Let that sink into your soul and drive out every fear."
Videos
The Bible Project — Ephesians Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Teaching on holiness and election from Ephesians 1:1-4.
Teaching on adoption and redemption in the Beloved from Ephesians 1:5-7.
Reflection
- 1. "All spiritual blessings" (v.3). You already have EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ. You're not working toward God's favor — you already have it. How does this change the way you approach today?
- 2. "Chosen before the foundation of the world" (v.4). God chose you before you existed. Your salvation doesn't depend on your performance — it originates in God's eternal purpose. Does this give you security or raise questions? Sit with both.
- 3. "Accepted in the beloved" (v.6). You are accepted — not because of what you've done but because of who you're in. Where do you still feel unaccepted? Can you receive this truth?
- 4. "Sealed with the Holy Spirit" (v.13). God has put His seal of ownership on you. You belong to Him. You are secure. How does this affect your sense of identity and security?
- 5. Paul prays for "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" (v.17). What would change if you truly knew the hope of God's calling, the riches of His inheritance, and the greatness of His power? Pray this prayer for yourself.