Beginning

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of ^(B)Christ Jesus ^[a](C)by the will of God,

To the ^[b](D)saints who are ^[c]at ^(E)Ephesus and ^(F)who are faithful in ^(G)Christ Jesus: ^2 (H)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^3 (I)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in ^(J)the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as ^(K)He chose us in Him before ^(L)the foundation of the world, that we would be ^(M)holy and blameless before ^[d]Him ^(N)in love, ⁵ by ^(O)predestining us to ^(P)adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, ^(Q)according to the good pleasure of His will, ^6 (R)to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in ^(S)the Beloved. ^7 (T)In ^[e]Him we have ^(U)redemption ^(V)through His blood, the ^(W)forgiveness of our transgressions, according to ^(X)the riches of His grace ⁸ which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight, ^9 (Y)making known to us the mystery of His will, ^(Z)according to His good pleasure which He ^(AA)purposed in Him ¹⁰ for an administration of ^(AB)the fullness of the times, that is, ^(AC)the summing up of all things in Christ, things ^[f]in the heavens and things on the earth in Him. ¹¹ In ^[g]Him, we also ^[h](AD)have been made an inheritance, having been ^(AE)predestined ^(AF)according to the purpose of Him who works all things ^(AG)according to the counsel of His will, ¹² to the end that we who first have hoped in ^[i]Christ would be ^(AH)to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In ^[j]Him, you also, after listening to ^(AI)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ^[k]believed, you were ^(AJ)sealed in ^[l]Him with ^(AK)the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is ^[m](AL)given as a pledge of ^(AM)our inheritance, unto the ^(AN)redemption of ^(AO)God’s own possession, ^(AP)to the praise of His glory.

¹⁵ For this reason I too, ^(AQ)having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and ^[n]your love for ^(AR)all the ^[o]saints, ^16 (AS)do not cease giving thanks for you, ^(AT)while making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the ^(AU)God of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AV)the Father of glory, may give to you the ^[p]Spirit of ^(AW)wisdom and of ^(AX)revelation in the ^[q]full knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ so that you—^(AY)the eyes of your heart having been enlightened—will know what is the ^(AZ)hope of His ^(BA)calling, what are ^(BB)the riches of the glory of ^(BC)His inheritance in ^(BD)the ^[r]saints, ¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe ^(BE)according to the working of the ^(BF)might of His strength, ²⁰ which He worked in Christ, by ^(BG)raising Him from the dead and ^(BH)seating Him at His right hand in ^(BI)the heavenly places, ²¹ far above ^(BJ)all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every ^(BK)name that is named, not only in ^(BL)this age but also in the one to come. ²² And ^(BM)He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as ^(BN)head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His ^(BO)body, the ^(BP)fullness of Him who ^(BQ)fills ^(BR)all in all.

By Grace Through Faith

2 And you ^[s]were ^(BS)dead ^[t]in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you ^(BT)formerly walked according to the ^[u]course of ^(BU)this world, according to ^(BV)the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in ^(BW)the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom we all also ^(BX)formerly conducted ourselves in ^(BY)the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the ^[v]mind, and were ^(BZ)by nature ^(CA)children of wrath, ^(CB)even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being ^(CC)rich in mercy because of ^(CD)His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were ^(CE)dead ^[w]in our transgressions, made us alive together ^[x]with Christ—^(CF)by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and ^(CG)raised us up with Him, and ^(CH)seated us with Him in ^(CI)the heavenly places in ^(CJ)Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing ^(CK)riches of His grace in ^(CL)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For ^(CM)by grace you have been saved ^(CN)through faith, and ^[y]this not of yourselves, it is ^(CO)the gift of God; ^9 (CP)not of works, so that ^(CQ)no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, ^(CR)created in ^(CS)Christ Jesus for ^(CT)good works, which God ^(CU)prepared beforehand so that we would ^(CV)walk in them.

¹¹ Therefore, remember that ^(CW)formerly ^(CX)you—the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “^(CY)Uncircumcision” by the so-called “^(CZ)Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— ¹² remember that you were at that time without Christ, ^(DA)alienated from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to ^(DB)the covenants of promise, having ^(DC)no hope and ^(DD)without God in the world. ¹³ But now in ^(DE)Christ Jesus you who ^(DF)formerly were ^(DG)far off ^[z]have ^(DH)been brought near ^(DI)by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is ^(DJ)our peace, ^(DK)who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition ^15 [aa]by ^(DL)abolishing in His flesh the enmity, ^(DM)the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might ^(DN)create the two into ^(DO)one new man, making ^(DP)peace, ¹⁶ and might ^(DQ)reconcile them both in ^(DR)one body to God through the cross, having in Himself ^(DS)put to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And ^(DT)He came and preached ^(DU)the good news of peace to you who were ^(DV)far away, and peace to those who were ^(DW)near; ¹⁸ for through Him we both have ^(DX)our access in ^(DY)one Spirit to ^(DZ)the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer ^(EA)strangers and sojourners, but you are ^(EB)fellow citizens with the ^[ab]saints, and are of ^(EC)God’s household, ²⁰ having been ^(ED)built on ^(EE)the foundation of ^(EF)the apostles and prophets, ^(EG)Christ Jesus Himself being the ^(EH)corner stone, ^21 (EI)in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into ^(EJ)a holy ^[ac]sanctuary in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being ^(EK)built together into a ^(EL)dwelling of God in the Spirit.

The Mystery of Christ Revealed

3 For this reason I, Paul, ^(EM)the prisoner of ^(EN)Christ Jesus ^(EO)on behalf of you ^(EP)Gentiles— ² if indeed you heard of the ^(EQ)stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; ^3 (ER)that ^(ES)by revelation there was ^(ET)made known to me ^(EU)the mystery, ^(EV)as I wrote before in brief. ⁴ About which, when you read you can understand ^(EW)my insight ^[ad]into the ^(EX)mystery of Christ, ⁵ which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy ^(EY)apostles and prophets ^[ae]in the Spirit: ⁶ that the Gentiles are ^(EZ)fellow heirs and ^(FA)fellow members of the body, and ^(FB)fellow partakers of the promise in ^(FC)Christ Jesus through the gospel, ^7 (FD)of which I was made a ^(FE)minister, according to the gift of ^(FF)God’s grace which was given to me ^(FG)according to the working of His power. ⁸ To me, ^(FH)the very least of all ^[af]saints, this grace was given, to ^(FI)proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the unfathomable ^(FJ)riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for all what is the administration of the ^(FK)mystery which for ages has been ^(FL)hidden in God ^(FM)who created all things; ¹⁰ so that the manifold ^(FN)wisdom of God might now be ^(FO)made known through the church to the ^(FP)rulers and the authorities in ^(FQ)the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was in ^(FR)accordance with the ^[ag]eternal purpose which He ^[ah]carried out in ^(FS)Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and ^[ai](FT)confident ^(FU)access through faith ^[aj]in Him. ¹³ Therefore I ask ^[ak]you not ^(FV)to lose heart at my afflictions ^(FW)on your behalf, which are your glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Power

¹⁴ For this reason I ^(FX)bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom ^[al]every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would give you, according to ^(FY)the riches of His glory, to be ^(FZ)strengthened with power through His Spirit in ^(GA)the inner man, ¹⁷ so that ^(GB)Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being firmly ^(GC)rooted and ^(GD)grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with ^(GE)all the ^[am]saints what is ^(GF)the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know ^(GG)the love of Christ which ^(GH)surpasses knowledge, that you may be ^(GI)filled up to all the ^(GJ)fullness of God.

^20 (GK)Now to Him who is ^(GL)able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or understand, ^(GM)according to the power that works within us, ^21 (GN)to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations ^[an]forever and ever. Amen.