Beginning

The Blessings of Redemption

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)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 [e]He ^(O)predestined us to ^(P)adoption as sons and daughters 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, with which He favored us in ^(S)the Beloved. ^7 (T)In ^[f]Him we have ^(U)redemption ^(V)through His blood, the ^(W)forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to ^(X)the riches of His grace ⁸ which He ^[g]lavished on ^[h]us. In all wisdom and insight ⁹ He ^[i](Y)made known to us the mystery of His will, ^(Z)according to His good pleasure which He ^(AA)set forth in Him, ¹⁰ regarding His plan of ^(AB)the fullness of the times, ^(AC)to bring all things together in Christ, things ^[j]in the heavens and things on the earth. ^11 [k]In Him we also ^(AD)have obtained an inheritance, having been ^(AE)predestined ^(AF)according to the purpose of Him who works all things ^(AG)in accordance with the plan of His will, ¹² to the end that ^[l]we who were the first to hope in the ^[m]Christ would be ^(AH)to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In ^[n]Him, ^[o]you also, after listening to ^(AI)the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ^[p]believed, you were ^(AJ)sealed in ^[q]Him with ^(AK)the Holy Spirit of the promise, ¹⁴ who is a ^(AL)first installment of ^(AM)our inheritance, in regard to 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 ^[r]your love for ^(AR)all the ^[s]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 you a spirit of ^(AW)wisdom and of ^(AX)revelation in the ^[t]knowledge of Him. ¹⁸ I pray that ^(AY)the eyes of your heart ^[u]may be enlightened, so that you 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 ^[v]saints, ¹⁹ and what is the ^[w]boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. ^(BE)These are in accordance with the working of the ^(BF)strength of His might ²⁰ which He brought about in Christ, when He ^(BG)raised Him from the dead and ^(BH)seated 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 He ^(BM)put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him ^(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.

Made Alive in Christ

2 And ^[x]you ^[y]were ^(BS)dead ^[z]in your offenses and sins, ² in which you ^(BT)previously walked according to the ^[aa]course of ^(BU)this world, according to ^(BV)the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in ^(BW)the ^[ab]sons of disobedience. ³ Among them ^[ac]we too all ^(BX)previously lived in ^(BY)the lusts of our flesh, ^[ad]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the ^[ae]mind, and were ^(BZ)by nature ^(CA)children of wrath, ^(CB)just 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 ^[af]in our wrongdoings, made us alive together ^[ag]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 ^[ah]boundless ^(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 ^[ai]this is not of yourselves, it is ^(CO)the gift of God; ^9 (CP)not a result 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)previously ^(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 separate from Christ, ^[aj](DA)excluded from ^[ak]the people of Israel, and strangers to ^(DB)the covenants of the promise, having ^(DC)no hope and ^(DD)without God in the world. ¹³ But now in ^(DE)Christ Jesus you who ^(DF)previously were ^(DG)far away ^[al]have ^(DH)been brought near ^[am](DI)by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For He Himself is ^(DJ)our peace, ^(DK)who made both groups into one and broke down the ^[an]barrier of the dividing wall, ^15 [ao]by ^(DL)abolishing ^[ap]in His flesh the hostility, which is ^(DM)the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might ^[aq](DN)make the two ^(DO)one new person, in this way establishing ^(DP)peace; ¹⁶ and that He might ^(DQ)reconcile them both in ^(DR)one body to God through the cross, ^[ar]by it having ^(DS)put to death the hostility. ¹⁷ And ^(DT)He came and preached ^(DU)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 foreigners, but you are ^(EB)fellow citizens with the ^[as]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)cornerstone, ^21 (EI)in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into ^(EJ)a holy ^[at]temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being ^(EK)built together into a ^(EL)dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Paul’s Stewardship

3 For this reason I, Paul, ^(EM)the prisoner of ^(EN)Christ Jesus ^(EO)for the sake of you ^(EP)Gentiles— ² if indeed you have heard of the ^(EQ)administration 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 briefly. ^4 [au]By referring to this, when you read you can understand ^(EW)my insight ^[av]into the ^(EX)mystery of Christ, ⁵ which in other generations was not made known to ^[aw]mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy ^(EY)apostles and prophets ^[ax]in the Spirit; ⁶ to be specific, 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 ^[ay]saints, this grace was given, to ^(FI)preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable ^(FJ)riches of Christ, ⁹ and to ^[az]enlighten all people as to what the plan of the ^(FK)mystery is which for ages has been ^(FL)hidden in God, ^(FM)who created all things; ¹⁰ so that the multifaceted ^(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 ^[ba]eternal purpose which He ^[bb]carried out in ^(FS)Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and ^[bc](FT)confident ^(FU)access through faith ^[bd]in Him. ¹³ Therefore I ask ^[be]you not ^(FV)to become discouraged about my tribulations ^(FW)in your behalf, ^[bf]since they are your glory.

¹⁴ For this reason I ^(FX)bend my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom ^[bg]every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to ^(FY)the riches of His glory, to be ^(FZ)strengthened with power through His Spirit in ^(GA)the inner ^[bh]self, ¹⁷ so that ^(GB)Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being ^(GC)rooted and ^(GD)grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with ^(GE)all the ^[bi]saints what is ^(GF)the width 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 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 think, ^(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 ^[bj]forever and ever. Amen.