Ephesians 1 Study Notes

1:1 Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wrote the letter to the Ephesians. He may have written it at about the same time as he wrote Colossians and Philemon from prison, most likely in Rome. Paul identified himself as an apostle. An apostle was a person whom the resurrected Christ had commissioned and sent on special service, and who was gifted by the Holy Spirit for that service. Paul was carrying out his apostolic commission according to God’s will. The letter may have been intended for churches throughout Asia Minor, though clearly the more prominent recipients were the saints (believers) at Ephesus. Ephesus was the most important city in western Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), positioned at an intersection of major trade routes in a significant commercial center. It had a harbor that opened into the Cayster River, which in turn emptied into the Aegean Sea. Ephesus boasted a pagan temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Artemis (Diana, Ac 19:23-41). The church there apparently flourished for some time, though not without need for additional exhortation (Rv 2:1-7).

1:2 Paul’s greeting, though brief, is theologically significant. Grace and peace are unmerited gifts from God. Paul used the word grace twelve times and the word peace eight times in Ephesians. On “grace,” see note at 2:4.

1:3-14 Following the greeting in vv. 1-2 is a sequence of phrases about the marvelous spiritual blessing(s) that belong to the church in Jesus Christ. All of these blessings are assured to each believer, for they flow from God’s grace, wisdom, and eternal purpose. These twelve verses form one long sentence in the original Greek.

1:3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: This section often is called “the doxology” because it recites what God has done and is an expression to him of worship, praise, and honor. Similar doxologies are found in 2Co 1:3 and 1Pt 1:3. In this majestic section, Paul wrote of the blessings that belong to the church through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has blessed us with all of the blessings in the heavenly realms. These blessings include our union with Christ; being seated with him in the heavenlies; and our adoption, redemption, and election. All spiritual gifts and service abilities also flow out of these spiritual blessings that God gives to every believer at the time of salvation.

1:4 He chose us in him: The idea of divine election flows out of the important theme of spiritual union, for election is “in Christ.” The doctrine of election is one of the most central and one of the most misunderstood teachings of the Bible. At its most basic level, election refers to God’s plan whereby he accomplishes his will. The meaning of election is best understood as God’s sovereign initiative in bringing persons to faith in Christ, resulting in a special covenant relationship with him. This theme serves as a foundation to the entire opening section of Ephesians, which includes the phrases God “chose us” (v. 4); “predestined us” (v. 5); and “predestined according to the plan” (v. 11). Paul’s focus on the Christ-centered character of election is vitally important. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This indicates the centrality of the gospel in God’s plan for history. We are chosen to be holy and blameless. Holiness and blamelessness are the results, not the basis, of God’s election.

1:5 He predestined us. All of God’s blessings are in accord with sovereign predestination, which is purposeful and grounded in love. Predestination refers to the consistent and coherent intention of God’s will, an eternal decision rendering certain that which will come to pass. Adopted as sons through Jesus Christ: Through God’s purposeful love, believers are adopted into God’s family. Adoption is the legal declaration that we are God’s children with all of the rights, privileges, and duties belonging to believers.

1:6 The ultimate purpose of God’s redemptive plan is the praise of his glorious grace. Grace is God’s free favor to the undeserving. Believers are given grace simply because God is gracious. The Beloved One refers to Christ and recalls the Father’s declarations at Jesus’s baptism and transfiguration (Mt 3:17; 17:5).

1:7 Redemption means that believers have been bought with the price of Christ’s blood (1Co 6:20; 1Tm 2:6; 1Pt 1:18-19) and have been redeemed from sin, Satan, and the misery of sinful self. The result of redemption is a sending away or banishment of our sin debt, resulting in complete forgiveness.

1:8 Wisdom and understanding probably refer to gifts of God’s grace.

1:9 God’s grace has been lavished upon believers in accordance with the mystery of his will. Paul does not mean that God’s will is secret in the way that the mystery religions of Asia Minor taught. The mystery religions held that the divine expectations were fundamentally hidden from all but an enlightened few, whereas for Paul “mystery” meant the revelation of a component of God’s plan so that it now can be understood by all (3:2-13). Specifically the mystery involved the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring everything together in the Messiah.

1:10 The right time: The goal of history is based on God’s divine purpose concerning the crucified redeemer, Jesus the Messiah—for whom, through whom, and in whom are all things. The goal is to establish a new world order of which Jesus Christ is the acknowledged head (v. 22). He is the head of a reunited universe. He now rules and reigns from God’s right hand; one day he will establish his kingdom and bring in the new heavens and the new earth, fulfilling and finalizing God’s redemptive purpose. This is what is involved in bringing together things in heaven and things on earth in him.

1:11 Christians have been predestined according to God’s plan. They come to faith in Christ not by chance, coercion, or unaided choice, but by the enabling of God’s Spirit.

1:12 Those who had already put our hope in Christ consist of Paul and all Jewish believers.

1:13-14 Sealed in him with the promised Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit was promised by the prophets and by Jesus (Jl 2:28-29; Jn 14:15-26; 16:5-16). The Spirit is described as both a seal showing ownership and a pledge pointing to future redemption. Though believers have not yet experienced redemption in full, God will bring about final redemption (life in his immediate presence) for all who have received the Spirit (Eph 1:14). On the sealing of the Holy Spirit, see 4:30; 2Co 1:21-22.

1:15 Since I heard about your faith: Most likely Paul wrote and sent the letters to the Ephesians, the Colossians, and Philemon at the same time. Philemon 5 indicates that Paul recently had received word about the faith of the believers in the region of Asia Minor.

1:16 Never stop giving thanks: Paul particularly was thankful for his readers’ faith and love. Faith finds its focus in Christ and expresses itself in love to others. Such love is the evidence of genuine faith (Gl 5:6).

1:17 Wisdom and revelation: Paul wanted the Ephesian believers to understand what great spiritual resources were theirs in Christ. “Revelation” refers to the insight and the discernment the Spirit brings to the mysteries of divine truth. Paul wanted his readers to have a spirit of wisdom so that they might get to know God more completely. God has given believers wisdom (vv. 8-9), but Paul prayed for the church not only to understand but to experience these blessings.

1:18 The hope of his calling refers to the assurance of eternal life guaranteed by the possession of the Holy Spirit. His glorious inheritance: Believers will inherit all of God’s blessings (vv. 3,11,14; Rm 8:32). The phrase could mean either God’s inheritance or ours, that is, either the inheritance God receives or the inheritance he bestows. The OT consistently taught that God’s people were his inheritance. Likewise, Paul’s words reflect such an understanding, pointing to what God will receive by being glorified in his saints.

1:19 The immeasurable greatness of his power: God’s power alone can bring believers safely to the riches of the final glory that will be made available in heaven. The extraordinary divine power by which Christ was raised from the dead is the same power at work in and through believers.

1:20-23 Christ’s resurrection was the driving force in Paul’s life. In raising Jesus from the dead, God did not merely reverse the natural process of decay, but transcended it. He raised Jesus to a completely new life, giving him a resurrection body. Not only was Jesus raised, but he was also seated at God’s right hand, the place of authority from which Christ now reigns. Christ is above all, indicating that he is infinitely superior. The ascension and exaltation completed the resurrection event, providing hope for believers as Jesus Christ became the firstfruits for his people (1Co 15:20).

Paul claimed the church exists and functions only by reason of its vital relationship to its head, Christ Jesus. As the resurrected and exalted Christ, he is without need and is independent of anything. Yet as head, he is incomplete without the body, which is the church that fills up Christ. So the body and the head are one in the truest sense.