Ephesians 1

Jesus Christ names the church at Ephesus as the recipient of the letter, it was to be delivered to the messenger, the leader of the church to be read to the church. As I described earlier no church in history had as rich a heritage as this church. Both the apostle Paul and the apostle John ministered at this church. Read the history of this church and the opposition it faced in the city where it was founded in Acts 19-20. 40 years had passed since the church was founded and a new situation required that another inspired letter be written to the Ephesians, recorded by the pen of the apostle John, given to him by the glorified, exalted Lord Jesus Christ. The city of Ephesus was the most important city in Asia Minor. It was a free city, no Roman troops occupied the city, it was the residence of the Roman governor of Asia Minor. It is estimated that in New Testament times it had a population of 250,000 to 500,000 people. Ephesus was the primary harbor for the province of Asia. Ephesus was located at the junction of four of the most important Roman roads. Ephesus was also famous as a center of the worship of the goddess Artemis, also called the goddess Diana by the Romans. The temple to Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Artemis was the fertility goddess and thus her worship included wanton immorality with cult prostitutes. In the midst of this pagan idolatry that characterized Ephesus there existed a faithful group of Christians. It was to this group that Christ addresses this first of the seven letters. -McCleary Community Church

Ephesians 1:1-2:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In many of Paul’s letters, he introduced himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ (see also, 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1; Titus 1:1).
          This, then is the very heart, the very core of what constitutes an “apostle.” Total voluntary submission to the will of Christ and dependency upon Him to provide for every need while seeking to emulate the life-style of Jesus Himself.
          “Called” is the word kletos, meaning “invited.” We know from scripture that the invitations (callings) from God are irrevocable. We are the ones who seek to deny His callings upon our lives. He is the one Who remains faithful and continues to extend His invitation (calling) to us.
          We know from the scriptural accounts that Paul had a direct encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and that he spent years in the deserts of Arabia learning from God, and that his invitation (calling) and preparation, was from God. This invitation, or calling was by God’s will (1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1), through Jesus and God the Father: “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)” (Galatians 1:1), and through the commandment of God: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; (1 Timothy 1:1).”
          Continuing in the verse, the word “apostle,” apostolos, is literally “one sent forth.” Jesus used it to describe His relation to God the Father: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (apostello).” (John 17:3). This is attested to by the writer of Hebrews: “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;” (Hebrews 3:1)

Ephesians 1:1-4:
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Since the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitute one divine being – one God – the work of salvation is shared among the members of the Trinity. No single member delivers all the elements of salvation, but together they accomplish all the work that produces redemption.
Ephesians 1:3-14 is a good illustration of a Trinitarian expression of praise. In verses 3-6, Paul praises the Father for choosing us. In verses 7-12, he exalts Jesus for dying for us. And in verses 13-14, he honors the Spirit for sealing us. -Rob Phillips

A basic definition of God’s sovereignty is that God is in complete control over all the universe and therefore governs over all things. Another way to think about sovereignty is to think about God’s lordship over all creation. He is the King of Kings, and He therefore rules over all things in heaven and on earth. When thinking about God’s unimaginable power over all things, it might be tempting to think of Him as a domineering boss who controls and forces His employees to do everything He demands. Or you may even think of Him like an emotionless engine that simply runs the mindless machine of the universe. Neither of these views are true about God. Though God is sovereign, He is also personable. His sovereignty not only means that He controls all of creation, but He also knows all of creation. Matthew 10:29–30 goes on to say that “even the hairs of your head have all been counted.” David echoes this sentiment in Psalm 139 when he says that there is not a single place that he could go where the Lord would not find him—would not know him. The Lord controls all of the universe, yet He knows the smallest detail of your life and the deepest emotion of your heart. --Daily Grace Blog

Ephesians 1:5:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will

"Adoption is a greater mercy than Adam had in paradise; he was a son by creation, but here is a further sonship by adoption. To make us thankful, consider, in civil adoption there is some worth and excellence in the person to be adopted; but there was no worth in us, neither beauty, nor parentage, nor virtue; nothing in us to move God to correct us, but nothing to move him to adopt us, therefore exalt free grace; begin the work of angels here; bless him with your praises who has blessed you in making you his sons and daughters."
***Taken from Thomas Watson, author of, A Body of Divinity (1692)

"If you are doubtful concerning your state and condition, do not expect an extraordinary determination of it by an immediate testimony of the Spirit of God. I do grant that God doth sometimes, by this means, bring in peace and satisfaction unto the soul. He gives his own Spirit immediately “to bear witness with ours that we are the children of God,” both upon the account of regeneration and adoption. He doth so; but, as far as we can observe, in a way of sovereignty, when and to whom he pleaseth. Besides, that men may content and satisfy themselves with his ordinary teachings, consolations, and communications of his grace, he hath left the nature of that peculiar testimony of the Spirit very dark and difficult to be found out, few agreeing wherein it doth consist or what is the nature of it. No one man’s experience is a rule unto others, and an undue apprehension of it is a matter of great danger. Yet it is certain that humble souls in extraordinary cases may have recourse unto it with benefit and relief thereby. This, then, you may desire, you may pray for, but not with such a frame of spirit as to refuse that other satisfaction which in the ways of truth and peace you may find. This is the putting of the hand into the side of Christ; but “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
*** Taken from John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, vol. 6 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 594.

==ephesians 1:6-10:

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him

RL Dabney

And that every Christian has been redeemed from his sin and death by the Saviour, for no other purpose than this, that he shall be that, and do that, by which he can best glorify his Lord, (Acts xxvi. 16; Eph. i. 6). These Scriptures, and a hundred others, plainly teach that the only condition of discipleship permitted by Christ to any believer is complete self-consecration to his service. In this the self-devotion of the minister is just the same as that of all other true Christians. If a Christian man proposes to be a teacher, physician, lawyer, mechanic, or farmer, it must be, not chiefly from promptings of the world or self, but chiefly because he verily believes he can, in that calling, best serve his heavenly Master. If he hath not this consecration, we do not say he is unfit for the ministry only, he is unfit to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. If any man think this standard of dedication too strict, let him understand at once that he is "not fit for the kingdom of God;" let him relinquish his delusive hope of salvation; let him at once go back among the dark company of Christ's enemies, on the ground scathed and riven by the lightnings of his wrath, and under the mountainous load of all his sins unatoned and unforgiven. There is no other condition of salvation. For did not Christ redeem the whole man? Did he not purchase with his blood all our powers, and our Whole energies, if we are his disciples?

==ephesians 1:10:

Ephesians 1:10:
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

The New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new heart is the consummation of God heading up all things in Christ, the complete fulfillment of Eph. 1:10. Throughout the ages God has been doing the work of recovery by heading up all things in Christ – first in the church and then, through the church, in the entire universe.
The New Jerusalem will be the consummation, the result of God’s work in His economy throughout the ages in many dispensations (sin, law, grace, and kingdom), all resulting in one thing – the heading up of all things in the universe in Christ! At the fullness of the times, God will head up all things in Christ – the things in the heaven and the things on the earth, in Him.

How does He do it? God is life and God is light, and the way He heads up all things is by first entering into the “all things” to be a man, then as the Spirit He works Himself into a group of people, the church, who would take the lead to be headed up in Christ by life and by light.

Today in the church life we are being headed up in Christ, recovered to our rightful place out of the heap of collapse and under the Head. The way we are headed up in Christ is by growing in the divine life; our growth in life delivers us from the heap of collapse in the universe in a practical way.
How wonderful that today in the church life we have the privilege of taking the lead to be headed up by Christ by growing in life and by being under His light! When we are full of Christ as life, we are under His light and we are controlled by the power of His light.

Eventually, we will become the New Jerusalem, the bright city with God in Christ as the light being diffused through the city to become a pleasant light for all the nations to walk in.
We will be fully transformed and conformed to Christ’s image, becoming children of light in reality, the same as He is in life, nature, expression, and function (but not in the Godhead), expressing God in Christ to the entire universe as light!
SOURCE: A Normal Believer in Christ: Being Headed up in Christ by Life and Light in the Church for the New Jerusalem

Ephesians 1:11:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

There is no situation that God does not control. There is no heart that is immune to His power. Therefore: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Ephesians 1:9-12:
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ

His plan, purpose and will were to make us. To know His will, which He purposed in Himself, in the fullness of times to gather in one all things, in Christ; everything in heaven, on earth even in Him through whom we have an inheritance. You were predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. So that we should be the praise of His glory; Ephesians 1: 9-12 seek the kingdom of God first, His righteousness. The kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit, Romans 14:17. -Jaime Cabralez

Thomas Boston

Just as a person who has fallen into a pit cannot be expected to help themselves out of it except through one of two ways—either by relying solely on their own efforts or by seizing and utilizing the help offered by others—likewise, an unconverted person cannot be expected to help themselves out of their natural state except through either the path of the law or the covenant of works, by relying solely on their own efforts without Christ, or through the path of the Gospel or the covenant of grace, by exerting their own strength to lay hold of and make use of the help offered by a Saviour. But alas! the unconverted person is dead in the pit and cannot help themselves in either of these ways. Not the first way, for the first passage tells us that when our Lord came to help us, "we were without strength," unable to recover ourselves. We were ungodly, burdened with guilt and wrath, yet "without strength," unable to endure it or remove it. Thus, all of mankind would undoubtedly have perished had not "Christ died for the ungodly" and brought help to those who could never have recovered themselves. But when Christ comes and offers help to sinners, can they accept it? Can they make use of the help when it is within their reach? No, the second passage tells us they cannot. "No one can come to me," that is, believe in me, John 6:44, "unless the Father draws him." This drawing is what enables them to come when previously they could not; it enables them to come and make use of the offered help. It is a drawing that is always effective, for it can be nothing less than "hearing and learning from the Father," which leads everyone who partakes in it to come to Christ, verse 45. Therefore, it is not merely a moral persuasion but a drawing by mighty power, Ephesians 1:12, which is absolutely necessary for those who have no power in themselves to come and take hold of the offered help. --Thomas Boston; Human Nature in its Fourfold State

Ephesians 1:11-12:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:13-16 MSG

“Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 MSG

“That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” – Galatians 5:26 MSG

Ephesians 1:13-14:
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

If you have been indwelt, renewed, sealed by the Spirit, he will never leave you, nor us as a people. After so many provocations, you would leave you — but God the Holy Spirit will not. He is given as our down payment in a way Old Testament saints (and Israel at large) did not receive him. The Spirit came upon individuals, anointing them for kingship and other great feats, but he did not indwell them as promised in the new covenant (Ezekiel 36:27).
The apostate may outrage the Spirit and choose his darling sins over Jesus, but this proves he did not truly have the Spirit — for the Spirit seals us, marking us as God’s for the day of redemption, the day of Christ’s return. -Greg Morse; Desiring God

Ephesians 1:15-16:
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Peter Mead Files

Take a look at Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in 1:15-23. He begins by referencing how thankful he is for their faith in Christ and love for the saints..........Paul spells out this one prayer request with three specifics. He wants God to enlighten the eyes of their hearts to know three things.
First, he wants them to know the absolute certainty of their calling in Christ. We have churches filled with people who carry the label of Christian, and yet have all manner of uncertainty and confusion over God’s calling on their lives.
Second, he wants them to know that they are God’s inheritance – an inheritance He considers to be gloriously rich! This is not something new believers readily grasp.
Just as it takes a wife many years to truly believe that her husband really loves her, so it is with God’s people.
Third, he wants them to know how much power there is toward them as they trust God for it. That is, is there enough power for a life like mine to be truly transformed by the gospel?
Is there enough power for me to be raised from my sinful state of death to do the works God has prepared for me to do? There is if that power is the same power that raised Christ from the dead, seated him in glory, put all enemies under his feet and made him head over the church!
--Peter Mead; Evangelical Focus Europe; 6.29.23

Ephesians 1:17-18:
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Paul prayed this prayer for the Ephesians and all believers to receive wisdom and revelation.
After Solomon was anointed king over Israel, he asked Jehovah for wisdom to administer justice among the people (1 Kings 3:9).
We face opportunities to make decisions every day. Some are more important than others, but our response makes a difference in the outcome. We need godly wisdom to avoid emotional and sometimes physical disasters.
---Barb Latta: Crosswalk: 9 Prayers in the Bible and What They Mean to Us

Wachman Nee

I do not know how many Christians know that there is a hope before them. Many people only hope for heaven. Thank the Lord that there is heaven; it is true that there is heaven. But this is not the goal for which God has called us. This is not the hope of His calling. What then is this calling? Verse 4 says, "Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love." This is God’s calling. God’s calling is that we be like God. On the positive side, it is to be holy, and on the negative side, it is to be without blemish and blameless. Brothers and sisters, what a grand calling this is! If you have never been weak, and if you have never realized that you have erred, you will not realize how special this calling is. But if you know a little about how weak and worthless you are, and how wrong you have been, you will realize the preciousness of this calling. You will say, "Thank the Lord. You have called me to be holy and without blemish; You have called me to be blameless and to be as perfect as You are." Thank the Lord that one day the goal for which God has chosen us will be reached. It does not matter how weak and worthless we are today, and it does not matter how many defects and faults we have today. Thank Him that one day He will bring us to the point where we will stand before Him holy and without blemish as He is. This is what God has chosen us for, and this is what He has called us into. Since He has ordained this, He will surely accomplish it. Now we know the kind of hope we have before God. We have hope, and our hope is to be like God. God has chosen us and called us for this.
Second, let us consider God’s inheritance in the saints. Verse 18 says, "The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know...what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." What is the inheritance God has in the saints? The saints are God’s inheritance; they are God’s possession. This verse does not say that God has given the saints an inheritance. Rather, it says that the saints have become God’s inheritance. Paul said that God has an inheritance in the saints. Such an inheritance is glorious. It is not only glorious, but in it are the riches of glory. --Wachman Nee; A Prayer for Revelation

Ephesians 1:19-20:
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Ted Lewellen

Have you noticed your mind doesn’t always do what you tell it to do? Sometimes our minds “has a mind of its own.” Sometimes our thoughts go off in directions that we don’t intend. When we need to pray, our thoughts stray. When we want to ponder God’s Word, our thoughts want to wander. Why is that? Because our spiritual enemy is active.
The Bible says, when this happens, we need to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). What does that mean? The Greek word used in that verse literally means you take thoughts prisoner. You conquer them. You bring them under control.
That’s only possible when you use the two weapons every believer has available to them: the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
First, we need to recognize the power of God’s Spirit inside us. Without him, we are defenseless. Romans 8:6 says, “Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (NLT). We need Jesus in our life because, without the Holy Spirit, our sinful nature controls our mind and will always lead us in the wrong direction. But when the Spirit controls us, we have the power we need to take every thought captive. Paul tells us that, his incomparably great power (is available) for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead. Ephesian 1:19,20.
--Tedd Lewellen; Scio Community Church; Taking Every Though Captive 6.15.22

Vaneetha Rendall Risner

We may think our physical weakness is keeping us from maximum fruitfulness, but that’s impossible. Our weaknesses are a part of God’s plan for our lives; they are intertwined with our calling. Paul thought his thorn was hampering his ministry, but God knew that it was the key to his strength: it forced Paul to be wholly dependent on God. When we are depleted and exhausted, lacking any resources of our own — it is then that we fully rely on God.
And in that reliance, we discover the power of God flowing through us — the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19–20). This power keeps us enduring when we want to give up; it showcases God’s glory and brings lasting change. Because Paul relied on God’s provision, he accomplished more for the kingdom with his thorn than he could have without it. His greatest strength lay in his submission to Christ.
Even Jesus’s greatest strength appeared in his greatest physical weakness. Throughout his ministry, Jesus impacted others by his actions. He calmed the storm with a word. He fed five thousand with a few loaves and fish. He cast out demons, healed the sick, and raised the dead. He turned the world upside down.
But at the end of his ministry, from the Last Supper on, Jesus allowed others to act upon him: he was led away, he was whipped and mocked, he was beaten and crucified. When he submitted to his captors, the crowds saw weakness rather than what was really there: Jesus’s strength and power.
Just before these horrific events, Jesus begged God to take the cup of suffering from him. But it was through Christ’s submission to the will of the Father — to torture and humiliation, to physical abuse and carrying his own cross — that God brought about the most astonishing display of his power and grace.
--Vaneetha Rendall Risner; Desiring God; Living Well Among Thorns 8.27.23

Ephesians 1:21-23:
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.