Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
Greetings from Paul
1 From:[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus by God’s will.
To: His holy and faithful people[c] in Ephesus[d] who are in union with the Messiah[e] Jesus.
2 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[f] be yours!
The Many Blessings of Salvation
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah![g] He has blessed us in the Messiah[h] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, 4 just as he chose us in the Messiah[i] before the creation of the universe[j] to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself through Jesus the Messiah,[k] according to the pleasure of his will, 6 so that we would praise[l] his glorious grace that he gave us in the Beloved One. 7 In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God’s[m] grace 8 that he lavished on us, along with all wisdom and understanding, 9 when he made known to us the secret of his will. This was according to his plan that he set forth in the Messiah[n] 10 to usher in[o] the fullness of the times and to bring together in the Messiah[p] all things in heaven and on earth.
11 In the Messiah[q] we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything that he wills to do, 12 so that we who had already fixed our hope on the Messiah[r] might live for his praise and glory. 13 You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in the Messiah,[s] you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until God redeems his own possession[t] for his praise and glory.
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
15 Therefore, because I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[u] for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I pray[v] that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[w] the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah[x] fully. 18 Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the confidence[y] that is produced by God[z] having called you,[aa] the rich glory that is his inheritance among the saints, 19 and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he brought about in the Messiah[ab] when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm. 21 He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. 22 God[ac] has put everything under the Messiah’s[ad] feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of[ae] the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way.[af]
God Has Brought Us from Death to Life
2 You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins 2 that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient.[ag] 3 Indeed, all of us once behaved like[ah] them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for[ai] wrath, just like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us[aj] 5 even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with[ak] the Messiah[al] (by grace you have been saved), 6 raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah[am] Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah[an] Jesus. 8 For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God 9 and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting.[ao] 10 For we are God’s[ap] masterpiece,[aq] created in the Messiah[ar] Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.[as]
All Believers are One in the Messiah
11 So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth[at] were called “the uncircumcised” by those who called themselves “the circumcised.” They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah,[au] excluded from citizenship in Israel,[av] and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God. 13 But now, in union with the Messiah[aw] Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.[ax]
14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality[ay] he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them.[az] 15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace, 16 and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility. 17 He came and proclaimed peace for you who were far away and for you who were near. 18 For through him, both of us[ba] have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah[bb] Jesus himself being the cornerstone.[bc] 21 In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord. 22 You, too, are being built in him, along with the others, into a place for God’s Spirit to dwell.
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