Ephesians 1

This book is written to the saints at Ephesus.

Grace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This indicates the equivalence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, The Lord Jesus Christ = God.

We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

The blessings are for those in Christ. These blessings include righteousness, resources, privilege, position, and power. (Romans 8:16-17) Wow! We are so blessed in Christ and sometimes we forget. We live our lives with no joy and gloomy faces. And yet, if there was no other blessing other than salvation from eternal damnation, we should rejoice! Oh help me, dear Lord, to remember your blessings and to be grateful (and joyful) for all you have done!!


He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.

I know that not everyone will agree with me here and I'm not trying to convince, just put down in words what I believe. I believe that God chose His elect before the foundation of the world. God chose me before the beginning of the world. The choosing was determined by him and those who are chosen are called the elect. There is nothing that I can do to merit that choosing. He did it all! He gets all the glory. And that makes me grateful. If it were any other way, then one would have to ask, "What makes me different than the soul who did not choose?" "What was in me that made me choose and someone else not choose?" Andthat begs the question, "Was there something special about me that caused me to choose Him while someone else didn't?" And it sort of leads to a view that man initiates his own salvation. I will speak to this more when I get to Chapter 2. But for now, I'll leave with this thought if there was something in me that would cause me to choose and someone else not to choose, then that would make me special and would be the cause of God choosing me. And then God would be choosing based on something that I did which would make him a respecter of persons which is contrary to Acts 10:34 and I understand it.

He chose us ... to be holy and without blame before Him.
Our purpose is to be holy. The result is that we are without blame.

In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself.


Again, my soteriology says that the predestination happened before the foundation of the world and it was God who chose the elect to be adopted as sons. And when we are adopted into God's family we are given us His own nature. Earthly adoptive parents cannot pass on their traits to the adopted child. But God is able to change us into new creatures who now desire to glorify Him.


Predestined according to the good pleasure of HIS will


It is not our will that makes us predestined, but HIS will. These next few verses also underscore that it is God's work and not ours.


In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace when HE made to abound towrad us in all wisdom and prudence. HE made known.. He purposed in HIMself. In Him we also have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of HIM who works all things according to the counsel of HIS will.


My understanding here may be very simple. But it seems that there are too many HE and HIMs to overlook the fact that HE did it all.


You trusted after you HEARD the word of truth--the Gospel. You believed and were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.


People need to hear the Gospel and it is our job to proclaim it. I fear that I have fallen very short of this lately and need to get back to sharing the Good news with others. Also, here is the progression mentioned. First you hear, then you trust. When you believed, then you were sealed with the HOly Spirit. Can a true believer (one of the elect) be unsealed? I do not believe so and therefore I think this verse points to the perseverance of the saints.


I have heard of your faith and love for all saints.

Throughout the epistles, true faith is accompanied with love for the brethren. If one does not have love for the brethren , then he should examine his heart.


[Paul's] Prayers [are] that God may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.


We need to have more of a revelation of who God is in our lives. When we really know Him, it gives us strength, courage, love and patience for others, joy, and everything else we need to live a life that is pleasing to Him. I pray that this would be manifest in my life. Help me to learn more and to know you better, dear Lord!


So that we know the hope of our calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance, the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.


If I were to focus on knowing Him more, I would understand the hope in my calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance and the exceeding greatness of His power towards me. Oh how often, I look at myself, my struggles, my shortcomings, how I'm being treated in certain situations. I have been convicted lately and asking myself--who are you thinking about? And most of the time, when I'm defeated, struggling, angry and upset, frustrated, I'm thinking about ME. I hope that someday this will change in my life. That I can always look to Christ and know these things are true and take hold of the knowledge that His has blessed me beyond what I can imagine.


This same power is the power that raised Christ from the dead.


When I think of the power that raised Christ from the dead, I think of an awesome power. And that is the power that He has in my life. Wow!! Now if I only I can remember!