SLASB Ephesians Sampler - Flipbook - Page 6
Ephesians 1
6
Greetings from Paul
1
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of
God to be an apostle of Christ J esus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus,*
who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 May God our Father and the Lord
Jesus
Christ give you grace and peace.
Spiritual Blessings
3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord J
esus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly realms because we are
united with Christ. 4Even before he made the
world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be
holy and without fault in his eyes. 5God decided
in advance to adopt us into his own family by
bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him
great pleasure. 6So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong
to his dear Son.* 7He is so rich in kindness and
grace that he purchased our freedom with the
blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8He has
showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9God has now revealed to us his mysterious
will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his
own good plan. 10And this is the plan: At the
right time he will bring everything together
under the authority of C
hrist—everything in
heaven and on earth. 11Furthermore, because
we are united with Christ, we have received
an inheritance from God,* for he chose us in
advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12God’s purpose was that we Jews who were
the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and
glory to God. 13And now you Gentiles have also
heard the truth, the Good News that God saves
you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own* by giving you the Holy
Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14The Spirit
is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased
us to be his own people. He did this so we would
praise and glorify him.
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in
the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people
everywhere,* 16I have not stopped thanking God
for you. I pray for you constantly, 17asking God,
the glorious Father of our Lord J esus Christ, to
give you spiritual wisdom* and insight so that
1:1 The most ancient manuscripts do not include in Ephesus. 1:6 Greek to us in the beloved.
1:11 Or we have become God’s inheritance. 1:13 Or he
put his seal on you. 1:15 Some manuscripts read your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and to God’s people everywhere.
1:17 Or to give you the Spirit
of wisdom.
THE LOCATION
OF EPHESUS
E phesus was one
of the five most
important cities in
the Roman Empire,
along with Alexandria
in Egypt, Antioch of
Syria, Carthage, and
Rome. It lay on the
western edge of Asia
Minor (modern-day
Turkey) and was the
most important port
on the Aegean Sea on
the main route from
Rome to the east.
Rome
N
Aegean
Sea
Corinth
Athens
ASIA
Ephesus
Antioch
SYRIA
to
Carthage
Mediterranean Sea
Jerusalem
Alexandria
300 mi
0
0
EGYPT
300 km
1:3 Blessed through Christ Because we are united with
Christ, we have all the benefits of knowing G
od—we have
been chosen for salvation, adopted as his children, and
forgiven. God gives us insight into his Word, the gifts of the
Spirit, the power to do his will, and the hope of living forever
with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with
Christ, the victorious, exalted ruler of all, we can enjoy these
eternal blessings now.
1:4‑12 God’s Kindness One way Paul makes the point that
salvation depends totally on God is by emphasizing that God
chose us. We are saved not because we deserve it but because God has graciously and freely given us salvation. Our
wisdom or good behavior don’t have any influence on his
decision to save us. In his mercy, he has saved us according
to the plan that he laid out long before we existed. Through
Jesus’ sacrifice, God has brought us into his family and made
us heirs along with his Son (Romans 8:17). He did this on purpose and for his own pleasure (also see Luke 12:32).
1:13‑14 A First Taste The presence of the Holy Spirit in
us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proves that
we are God’s children, and secures eternal life for us. His
power transforms us now, and what we experience today
gives us a first taste of the total change we will experience
in eternity.
