Greeting
1 Paul, a an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: b
To the faithful saints c in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. ,d
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Rich Blessings
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. e 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. ,f 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace g that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. h
7 In him we have redemption i through his blood, the forgiveness j of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, k according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ l 10 as a plan for the right time —to bring everything together in Christ, m both things in heaven and things on earth n in him. o
11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined p according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope q in Christ might bring praise to his glory. r
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirits when you heard the word of truth, t the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment u of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Insight
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit ,v of wisdom and revelation w in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope x of his calling, y what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power z toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
God’s Power in Christ
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand a in the heavens b— 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, ,c not only in this age but also in the one to come. d 22 And he subjected everything under his feet ,e and appointed him as head f over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, g the fullness h of the one who fills all things i in every way.
1. OPENING AND GREETINGS (1:1–2)
1:3. The word “blessed” carries here two different senses, depending on whether God or a human being is the one who blesses. God’s blessings are secured in the very character of God and are not subject to the uncertainties of earthly life. This is repeatedly confirmed in this section by emphasis on God’s decision, will, and purpose.
1:4–6. God made his choice before the creation of the world: we, the human race, were created to be holy and blameless before him (1:4). Because he loved us and simply because it pleased him to do so, he predestined us to be his own adopted family (1:5), so that we might praise the glorious grace God has freely given us (1:6). This predestination applies to all humanity, not to some elect portion. It was God’s plan for creation that we humans would be his special delight, able to commune with him and praise him forever. It is this original design, marred and corrupted by human rebellion, which God has now restored in Christ Jesus (1:5). The concept of predestination (or election) emphasizes God’s initiative, God’s choice in creating—and now in re-creating. There is no hint here of his choosing some people and rejecting others.
1:7–10. In Christ three spiritual blessings are ours: redemption, adoption, and sealing with the Spirit (1:7, 11, 13). Together they amount to a whole new God-determined existence. Paul begins with redemption, made available to us through the payment of a price—the blood, or death, of Christ (1:7a). It consists in the forgiveness of sins, the necessary first step toward the re-creation of a truly holy, blameless family. God’s blessing us with redemption implies that his original intentions (1:4–6) have been momentarily frustrated; sin has spoiled creation.
1:11–12. The negative orientation of the first blessing (redemption) is balanced by the positive orientation of the second blessing (adoption). In Christ we have been appointed to participate (1:11). The purpose is that we may praise God’s glory and so be enabled to fulfill our proper destiny as those who belong to a holy God (1:12). The place we have been allotted was hinted at already in verses 5 and 10. It is a place in God’s new family, whose head is Christ. Again, God himself is the author, decider, planner, and accomplisher of this.
1:13–14. Now Paul draws the readers into the picture by centering the third blessing on them: sealing with the Spirit. They have heard the “word of truth,” the true message, the gospel that brought them too into God’s salvation once they believed it (1:13). This gospel is the proclamation that Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah, has been declared King of all creation by his resurrection from the dead (Rm 1:2–6), with the implication that all humanity, not just Israel, belongs to him. Thus these Gentiles too are “in Christ” and in him have received this third blessing.
1:15. Their faith has two dimensions that encapsulate the sort of life the epistle promotes: faith in the Lord Jesus and love toward all the saints. In other words, this faith involves a confidence in God’s work through Christ, which then issues in loving concern for fellow members of the new family—no matter who they may be—acted out in attitudes and concrete deeds. The epistle in fact divides in half, treating these twin aspects of the faith.
1:16–19. Paul prays for these people that God would foster their understanding (1:17). They need to receive from the Spirit a revealing of the divine wisdom, so that they might themselves know God (or perhaps Christ). The phrase “eyes of your heart” refers to the spirit of the community—the mind, the inner soul—in its power to grasp ideas (1:18a). The implication is that if God does not give this illumination, it cannot be had. The concern is for health of the entire community and not merely for the spirituality of individuals.
1:20–23. Paul also makes an important connection between these abstract concepts (and blessings) on the one hand, and down-to-earth history on the other. The power that God has in such abundance for his people is the very same power he exercised in raising Christ from the dead (1:20a). The truth of one’s membership in the redeemed, Spirit-sealed family of God is anchored in a concrete historical event—the physical resurrection of Jesus from the tomb. Moreover, this power that raised Christ from the dead and secured for us our hope and inheritance has also seated Christ at the place of supreme honor in the universe, the right hand of God (1:20b).