Ephesians 1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love,

having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,

to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.

In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him.

We were also assigned an inheritance in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will,

to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ.

In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you and the love which you have toward all the saints,

don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.

He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,

which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter opens the letter to the Ephesians with a profound theological vision of God’s eternal purpose in Christ, unfolding the spiritual blessings believers possess in him. It moves from an apostolic greeting to a doxology of grace, then into a prayer for illumination, revealing how God’s sovereign love and power are at work from eternity to redemption. Positioned at the start of the letter, it sets a foundation of divine initiative in salvation that the later chapters will apply to the believer’s life and the church’s unity.

Flow.

Begins with a greeting that identifies Paul’s apostolic authority and invokes grace and peace rooted in the triune God.
Expands into a blessing on God for bestowing every spiritual blessing in Christ, including election, adoption, redemption, and the revelation of his eternal plan to sum up all things in Christ.
Shifts to Paul’s personal thanksgiving for the Ephesians’ faith and love, leading into a prayer that they would grasp the hope, inheritance, and power God has given them.
Culminates in the cosmic exaltation of Christ—raised and enthroned far above all powers, made head over all things to and for the church.

Connections.
Following the greeting and doxology of this chapter, the letter moves into chapter 2 by showing how the power that raised Christ is the same power that makes dead sinners alive in him. Chapter 1’s emphasis on divine election and spiritual blessings in heavenly places prepares the ground for the dramatic transition in chapter 2 from death in sin to new life through grace. The prayer for enlightenment in 1:17–19 directly anticipates the revelation of the mystery of Jew and Gentile unity in the church, which chapter 4 takes up in calling for unity in the Spirit. The cosmic authority of Christ over all powers (1:20–23) also forms a foundation for the spiritual warfare addressed later in chapter 6.

What it teaches.
The chapter teaches that salvation originates entirely in God’s eternal will and redemptive design, not human merit (WCF 3.5–6). It affirms that believers are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (; WCF 3.5), adopted as sons according to the pleasure of God’s will (; WCF 12.1), and redeemed through Christ’s blood for the praise of his grace (; WCF 8.5). The Holy Spirit is given as a seal and pledge of final redemption (; WCF 11.1), and God’s ultimate purpose is to unite all things in Christ (; WCF 8.6). The church is identified as Christ’s body, filling all in all, over which he reigns in exalted glory (; WCF 25.1).

Apply.
The reality that we were raised and seated with Christ in heavenly places reorients the whole of life from self-centered striving to living as those already secured in Christ’s victory.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.