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.

Ключевые места

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.

Вопросы к этой главе

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.

В заметки

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

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