Ephesians 1

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Ephesians 1 opens with a blessing that in Greek is a single sentence of 202 words, running from verse 3 to verse 14. It praises God for every spiritual blessing in Christ: chosen before the foundation of the world, predestined for adoption, redeemed through his blood, forgiven, let in on the mystery of God's will to bring everything together in Christ, made heirs, and sealed with the promised Holy Spirit as the down payment on the inheritance, all "to the praise of His glory." Then Paul prays that his readers may know the hope of God's calling, the riches of his inheritance, and the greatness of his power, the power that raised Christ and seated him above every authority as head over everything for the church.

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Ephesians 1 begins with a sentence that Paul, or his secretary, could not bring himself to end. From verse 3 to verse 14 it is one Greek sentence, 202 words long, and it is one of the great pieces of praise in the Bible. Blessed be God, it says, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Then it unrolls the blessings like a scroll. He chose us before the world was founded. He predestined us to be adopted as his children. He redeemed us with his Son's blood and forgave our trespasses, lavishly. He let us in on the secret of his plan, which is to gather everything in heaven and on earth under one head, Christ. He made us heirs. And he sealed us with the Holy Spirit, the first installment of an inheritance still to come. Three times the sentence catches its breath with the same phrase: to the praise of his glory. Only then does Paul turn to his readers, and what he does is pray for them. He asks that God would open the eyes of their hearts to see three things they already possess, the hope they were called to, the wealth of the inheritance, and the size of the power at work in them. To measure that power he points to the one place it has been fully shown: God raised Christ from the dead, seated him at his right hand above every authority and every name, put everything under his feet, and made him head over all of it for the sake of the church, which is his body. The letter has not asked anything of its readers yet. It is still telling them what they have.

Key passages

Ephesians 1:3-6 Ephesians 1:7-10 Ephesians 1:13-14 Ephesians 1:15-19 Ephesians 1:20-23 Romans 8:28-30

Historical and literary context

The letter was written from prison, traditionally Rome around AD 60 to 62, and the words "in Ephesus" are absent from the oldest manuscripts, so it was probably a circular letter to the churches of the Roman province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital. Ephesus was famous for the temple of Artemis and for magic, which gives the letter's emphasis on Christ above "all rule and authority, power and dominion" a local edge. The opening blessing follows the form of a Jewish berakah, "Blessed be God," and the language of election and inheritance is Israel's, now applied to a church of Jews and Gentiles. A seal marked ownership and authenticity, and the "pledge" was a first installment guaranteeing full payment. Some scholars think a disciple wrote the letter in Paul's name.

How the chapter unfolds

Verses 1 and 2 are the greeting. Verses 3 to 14 are the blessing, which many divide by the three persons: the Father's choosing and predestining in verses 3 to 6, the Son's redemption and the revealed mystery in verses 7 to 12, and the Spirit's sealing in verses 13 and 14, each part ending with "to the praise of His glory." Verses 15 to 23 are the thanksgiving and prayer: thanks for their faith and love, the request for a spirit of wisdom and enlightened eyes, the three things to know, and the description of Christ's resurrection, enthronement, and headship over the church, which is his body and fullness.

Why this chapter matters

The chapter is the New Testament's densest statement of election and predestination and has been the battleground for that doctrine since Augustine; it is also the source of the phrase "the praise of His glory" and of the picture of the Spirit as seal and deposit. Verse 10, God's plan "to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ," has shaped Christian thinking about the cosmic scope of salvation. The prayer of verses 17 to 19 is one of the most prayed passages of Scripture, and verses 20 to 23, Christ seated above every power with everything under his feet, ground the church's confidence in a world of rival authorities. "The church, which is His body" begins the letter's great theme.

Interpretive tension to watch

Whether "He chose us" means God chose individuals for salvation or chose a people in Christ, and whether predestination is compatible with human freedom, are questions this chapter raises without settling, and Christian traditions have divided over it for sixteen centuries. The 202-word sentence resists translation, and every English version has to decide where to break it and how to attach phrases such as "in love." Verse 23, the church as "the fullness of Him who fills all in all," can mean that Christ fills the church or that the church completes Christ, and interpreters disagree. The letter's authorship and the missing "in Ephesus" remain open questions.

Questions for this chapter

  • The blessing lists what God has done before anyone asked. How does starting from God's initiative rather than your own change the way you pray?
  • Paul prays that the "eyes of your heart" be enlightened to know hope, inheritance, and power. Which of the three is hardest for you to see right now?
  • The power at work in believers is the power that raised Christ from the dead. Where in your life would you expect to see that kind of power?

Study with context

Use this as a chapter guide, then press deeper into the text itself. The goal is to slow down observation, notice structure, and ask better questions before jumping to conclusions.

Add to Notes
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 4 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5 He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ. 11 In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. 18 I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, 20 which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

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