Ephesians · chapter 1 of 6
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Ephesians 1 opens the letter with praise to God for the spiritual blessings believers have in Christ: election before the foundation of the world, adoption as sons, redemption through his blood and the seal of the Holy Spirit. Paul then gives thanks for his readers and prays that they may know the hope, the inheritance and the power of God, the same power that raised Christ and made him head over all things for the church.
Ephesians is a letter that lifts the eyes: before giving commands, Paul shows all that God has done in Christ. Chapter 1 is a praise and a prayer that set out God's plan, from election to the uniting of all things in Christ, and prepare for the rest of the letter.
Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and greets the saints, the faithful in Christ, with grace and peace. Then he bursts into praise: blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
The praise moves through the work of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless, and predestined us for adoption as his sons, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glory. In the Son we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. God made known the mystery of his will: to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and on earth. In him we have also obtained an inheritance, and those who believed were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.
Next Paul gives thanks because he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints, and he does not cease to pray for them. He asks that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, that the eyes of their hearts be enlightened so they may know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.
That power is the same that God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power and dominion. He put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Paul praises the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. The blessings are already a reality for the believer, not only a future promise.
In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Forgiveness is not our achievement but a gift that cost Christ his life.
Those who believed the gospel were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of the inheritance. The Spirit is the sign of belonging and the assurance that God will complete what he began.
God put everything under Christ's feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, his body. The church is not a human club but the body of the one who rules everything.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: With every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. — Ephesians 1:3
Answer: Before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless. — Ephesians 1:4
Answer: For adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 1:5
Answer: Redemption and the forgiveness of sins. — Ephesians 1:7
Answer: With the promised Holy Spirit, the guarantee of the inheritance. — Ephesians 1:13-14
Answer: At his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority. — Ephesians 1:20-21
Ephesians 1 invites us to begin with gratitude. Before asking what we must do, Paul reminds us of what we already are and have in Christ: chosen, adopted, forgiven and sealed. In a small group you can make a list of these blessings and give thanks for them, especially for those who doubt their place in God's family.
Paul's prayer is also a model for the church: he does not ask only for favorable circumstances but that believers know God better, along with his hope and his power. You can pray this way for your class, for the youth group or for your own family. And knowing that Christ rules over everything brings calm in times of fear.
Ephesians 1 shows the magnitude of what God has done in Christ and of the power working on behalf of believers. In chapter 2, Paul will describe how that power raised them from spiritual death and united them in one people.
It means that salvation began in God's initiative and not in human merit, as the passage shows by saying it was according to his good pleasure. Believers understand differently how this relates to the decision to believe, but the purpose of the text is to produce praise and assurance, not debate.
The expression designates the spiritual realm where Christ reigns and where believers already share in his blessings. In Ephesians it also appears when speaking of the struggle against the powers of evil, so it does not refer only to the future heaven but to a present spiritual reality.
A guarantee is a first payment that secures the full payment. Paul says that the Holy Spirit, who already dwells in believers, is that guarantee of the full inheritance God will give them when redemption is complete.