Ephesians 1
Expanded Bible
1 From Paul, an ·apostle [messenger] of Christ Jesus. ·I am an apostle because that is what God wanted [L …by the will of God].
To ·God’s holy people [T the saints] living in Ephesus[a] [C a prominent city in the Roman province of Asia, present-day western Turkey; Acts 19], ·believers in [or who are faithful to] Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 ·Praise be to [or Blessed is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly ·world [realms; places]. 4 ·That is [or Just as; or For; Because], in Christ, he chose us before the ·world was made [L foundation of the world] so that we would be his holy people—people ·without blame [or unblemished; C as are sacrificial animals] before him. 5 Because of his love [C this phrase may go with the previous sentence], God ·had already decided to make us his own children [L predestined us for adoption] through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, 6 and it brings praise to God because of his ·wonderful [glorious] grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in ·Christ, the One he loves [L the Beloved]. 7 In ·Christ [L him] we ·are set free [have been redeemed/purchased] by ·the blood of his death [L his blood; C blood signifies his sacrificial death], and so we have forgiveness of sins. ·How rich is [or This redemption reveals the wealth of; L …according to the riches of] God’s grace, 8 which he has ·given to us so fully and freely [lavished on us]. With ·full [all] wisdom and understanding [C this phrase may go with the previous sentence], 9 God let us know ·his secret purpose [or the mystery of his will; C a “mystery” in Scripture is something God had not previously disclosed]. This was what ·God wanted [pleased him], and he ·planned to do it [or set it forth; publicly revealed it] through Christ. 10 His goal was to carry out his plan, ·when the right time came [or at the time of fulfillment; L in the fullness of the times], that all things in heaven and on earth would be ·joined together [unified; or summed up; or renewed] in Christ as the head.
11 In Christ we ·were chosen to be God’s people [have received/were given our part of an inheritance], ·because from the very beginning God had decided this [L having been predestined] in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who ·makes everything agree [or accomplishes everything in accord] with what he decides and wants. 12 We are the first people who hoped in ·Christ [the Messiah], and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God’s glory. 13 So it is with you. When you heard the ·true teaching [message/word of truth]—the ·Good News about [Gospel of] your salvation—you believed in Christ. ·And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you [L …having been sealed with] the Holy Spirit that he had promised. 14 That Holy Spirit is the ·guarantee [down payment; deposit] ·that we will receive what God promised for his people [L of our inheritance] until ·God gives full freedom to those who are his [or we acquire possession of it; L the redemption of the possession; v. 7]—to bring praise to God’s glory.
Paul’s Prayer
15 That is why ·since [or because] I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all ·God’s people [T the saints], 16 I ·have not stopped [never cease] giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers, 17 asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you ·a spirit of wisdom [or spiritual wisdom; or the Spirit of wisdom] and revelation so that you will know him better. 18 I pray also that ·you will have greater understanding in your heart [L the eyes of your heart may be enlightened] so you will ·know [comprehend] the hope to which he has called us and that you will know ·how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised [the riches of his glorious inheritance for; or the glorious wealth of an inheritance that God possesses in] ·his holy people [T the saints]. 19 And you will know that God’s power is ·very [exceedingly; overwhelmingly] great for us who believe. That power ·is the same as [or was demonstrated in] the great strength 20 God ·used [exerted] to raise Christ from the dead and ·put [L seat] him at his right ·side [L hand; Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34] in the heavenly ·world [realm; places]. 21 God has put Christ ·over [far above] all rulers, authorities, powers, and ·kings [lords; dominion], and every other ·title given [L name that is named] not only in this ·world [age] but also in the ·next [coming one]. 22 God ·put [subjected] everything under his ·power [L feet; Ps. 8:6] and ·made him the head over everything for the church [or gave him to the church as head over all things], which is his body. 23 ·The church is filled with Christ [or The church completes Christ; L …the fullness of the one], who fills ·everything in every way [or all things everywhere; L all in all].
Footnotes
- Ephesians 1:1 in Ephesus Some Greek copies do not have this phrase.
Ephesians 1
Amplified Bible
The Blessings of Redemption
1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],
To the [a]saints (God’s people) [b]who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 [c]Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, 4 just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love 5 He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will— 6 to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ]. 7 In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, 10 with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth. 11 In Him also we have [d]received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].(A) 14 The Spirit is the [e]guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers; 17 [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son]. 18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [f]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [g]saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He [h]produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. 22 And He [i]put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and [j]appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,(B) 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].
Footnotes
- Ephesians 1:1 “Saints” refers to born-again believers. All believers are holy, that is, set apart or sanctified for God’s purpose.
- Ephesians 1:1 Three early mss do not contain “at Ephesus.” Some scholars suggest that this was intended as a circular letter for various churches of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), sent first to Ephesus and then to the other churches. See Paul’s instruction to the Colossians in 4:16. Others believe the letter was directed only to the Ephesians because of its many personal references. The books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are believed to have been written by Paul while he was a prisoner under house arrest in Rome (a.d. 60-62) (cf 6:20).
- Ephesians 1:3 In Greek this passage (vv 3-14), also referred to as a doxology, is one sentence.
- Ephesians 1:11 Or our destiny.
- Ephesians 1:14 Or down payment.
- Ephesians 1:18 In the NT the word “hope” expresses a cherished desire along with the confident assurance of obtaining that which is longed for.
- Ephesians 1:18 See note v 1.
- Ephesians 1:20 The first of three manifestations of God’s power exhibited in Christ.
- Ephesians 1:22 The second manifestation of God’s power exhibited in Christ.
- Ephesians 1:22 This is the third manifestation of God’s power exhibited in Christ.
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