Efesios 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.

Pasajes clave

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.

Preguntas para este capítulo

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.

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1 PABLO, apóstol de Jesucristo por la voluntad de Dios, á los santos y fieles en Cristo Jesús que están en Efeso: 2 Gracia [sea] á vosotros, y paz de Dios Padre nuestro, y del Señor Jesucristo. 3 Bendito el Dios y Padre del Señor nuestro Jesucristo, el cual nos bendijo con toda bendición espiritual en [lugares] celestiales en Cristo: 4 Según nos escogió en él antes de la fundación del mundo, para que fuésemos santos y sin mancha delante de él en amor; 5 Habiéndonos predestinado para ser adoptados hijos por Jesucristo á sí mismo, según el puro afecto de su voluntad, 6 Para alabanza de la gloria de su gracia, con la cual nos hizo aceptos en el Amado: 7 En el cual tenemos redención por su sangre, la remisión de pecados por las riquezas de su gracia, 8 Que sobreabundó en nosotros en toda sabiduría é inteligencia; 9 Descubriéndonos el misterio de su voluntad, según su beneplácito, que se había propuesto en sí mismo, 10 De reunir todas las cosas en Cristo, en la dispensación del cumplimiento de los tiempos, así las que [están] en los cielos, como las que [están] en la tierra: 11 En él [digo], en quien asimismo tuvimos suerte, habiendo sido predestinados conforme al propósito del que hace todas las cosas según el consejo de su voluntad, 12 Para que seamos para alabanza de su gloria, nosotros que antes esperamos en Cristo. 13 En el cual [esperasteis] también vosotros en oyendo la palabra de verdad, el evangelio de vuestra salud: en el cual también desde que creísteis, fuisteis sellados con el Espíritu Santo de la promesa, 14 Que es las arras de nuestra herencia, para la redención de la posesión adquirida para alabanza de su gloria. 15 Por lo cual también yo, habiendo oído de vuestra fe en el Señor Jesús, y amor para con todos los santos, 16 No ceso de dar gracias por vosotros, haciendo memoria de vosotros en mis oraciones; 17 Que el Dios del Señor nuestro Jesucristo, el Padre de gloria, os dé espíritu de sabiduría y de revelación para su conocimiento; 18 Alumbrando los ojos de vuestro entendimiento, para que sepáis cuál sea la esperanza de su vocación, y cuáles las riquezas de la gloria de su herencia en los santos, 19 Y cuál aquella supereminente grandeza de su poder para con nosotros los que creemos, por la operación de la potencia de su fortaleza, 20 La cual obró en Cristo, resucitándole de los muertos, y colocándole á su diestra en los cielos, 21 Sobre todo principado, y potestad, y potencia, y señorío, y todo nombre que se nombra, no sólo en este siglo, mas aun en el venidero: 22 Y sometió todas las cosas debajo de sus pies, y diólo por cabeza sobre todas las cosas á la iglesia, 23 La cual es su cuerpo, la plenitud de Aquel que hinche todas las cosas en todos.

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