Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us[b] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[e] to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[f] toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
Paul views himself as someone sent by Christ in order to represent him. The genitive “of Christ Jesus” could be understood in a few different ways.
1) it could indicate possession (Paul is an apostle belonging to Christ Jesus).
2) it could indicate source (Paul is an apostle sent by Christ Jesus).
3) it could indicate general description (Paul is an apostle defined by Christ Jesus).
Thus, Paul’s sense of apostleship is that he is possessed by Christ, sent by Christ, and is defined by Christ. We all should seek to be inspired to be "possessed by Christ, sent by Christ, and defined by Christ".
The term “Christ Jesus” refers to the messianic status of Jesus of Nazareth. “Christ” means “Messiah,” God’s anointed Davidic king, and is not Jesus’s surname. These royal connotations stem from God’s promises to King David (e.g., Ps 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; cf. also 1 Sam 2:10; Hab 3:13). It is King Jesus!
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
The letter addresses believers in Christ Jesus in general, and specifically those in and around Ephesus. Paul’s regularly refers to his readers as “holy ones” or “saints”. God chose his people to be holy as he is holy (Exod 19:5–6; 22:31; Lev 11:45; 19:2; 20:7; Dan 7:18–27), with the expectation that they would be set apart to belong to him.
The word “faithful” refers to someone’s belief in something—in this case, Someone - Christ Jesus (cf. 1:13). This is in keeping with Paul’s substantival use of the word, which is found in contrast to “unbelievers” in 2 Cor 6:15. In other words, Paul describes his readers as “believers in Christ Jesus”—which is a better translation than “faithful in Christ Jesus”—putting focus on the object of their faith (Jesus) rather than their own character of faithfulness.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The regular Greek greeting was “Rejoice!” (chaire); the regular Jewish greeting was “Peace!”
Paul has modified the standard Hellenistic greeting in order to pronounce “grace” upon his readers, reflecting his theological convictions (cf. Eph 2:8–9). He has also added the Greek version of the typical Jewish greeting shalom—“peace.” In this sense, “grace and peace” expresses Paul’s “bilingual” identity as the Jewish apostle to the gentiles. It also reflects his message that Christ has wrought the saving grace of God, which results in peace and reconciliation between God and humanity.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us[b] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee[d] of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,[e] to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[f] toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians one summary
