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The letter names Paul as its writer, though some scholars think a close follower wrote in his name, and some early manuscripts lack the words at Ephesus, so it may have been meant for several churches. After the greeting, verses 3 to 14 form a single long sentence of praise in the Greek, piling blessing on blessing: chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, sealed with the Spirit. Then comes a prayer that the readers will grasp the hope, riches, and power that are theirs in the risen Christ. Traditions read the language of choosing in different ways. Watch how often the words in Christ, or in him, recur.
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 him 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.
11We were also assigned an inheritance in him, 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, authority, power, 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.
Meditate
Before the world began, you were in God's heart. Ask him to open the eyes of your heart, so you can glimpse how rich his welcome toward you is.
Read it slowly, then sit with the prompt. Free: stillingwaves.com/bible/ephesians/1/
Scripture: World English Bible (public domain).Scripture: King James Version (1769 text), public domain outside the United Kingdom; in the United Kingdom under Crown patent.
Try reading verses 3 to 14 aloud without stopping to analyze. The writer seems unable to stop once he starts, and the sheer overflow is part of the message. Then pause at verses 13 and 14. The Holy Spirit is described as a seal, a mark of belonging, and as a pledge, a first installment of what is still to come. You have not received everything yet, but what you have is real, and it points to the rest. Which blessing in this list do you find hardest to believe applies to you? Where do you feel unsure that you belong? What would change if you knew you were marked as God's own? Let your prayer begin with praise, even halting praise, before you ask for anything.
A journal for this chapter
Devotional Journal for New Believers
You said yes to Christ, and yet your worth still feels like a bar you can never quite reach.
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