Ephesians 1
Chapter 1
Unity it Christ
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
(Verses 1-3) In Christ, we have all the benefits of knowing God through our intimate relationship with Christ. God gives us gifts when we come into his family. These gifts include salvation, adoption, forgiveness, insight, gifts of the spirit, power, and hope of life in Christ. They come from the heavenly realm so we can’t attain them by ourselves. When the bible talks about the gifts of Christ, you have to stop and really think about those gifts and whether you have them. If the gifts come from being in Christ but we don’t have them are we really in Christ?
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
(Verse 4) God knew we would fail and being righteous and holy, but in his infinite knowledge he already prepared Christ to come down and redeem the world. He gave us free will and choice because he loves us however because he is God, he also knew that most of us would not chose him and could not be in relationship with him. Imagine the omniscience of a God who loved us so much that desired not only respect but relationship. Because we are inherently sinful and he is inherently good, he knew there needed to be a Christ filter so he’d be able to get close to us and see us as holy enough to abide in his presence. Paul emphasizes the fact that God chose us in order to make the point that our salvation has nothing to do with us. We didn’t deserve it, we can’t earn it, we didn’t even know to ask for it. God divinely ordained it. All we can do is accept the love and thank him for accepting us despite our sin. God did not just chose us. He chose us IN CHRIST. Therefore, he chose the potential of holiness in us. God cannot even LOOK at sin, so he created a mechanism through which he could lay his eyes on his Children- Jesus Christ.
5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
(Verse 5-7) It is mind-blowing to think that Christ is the person of GOD. Like the God of the universe. The God who humbled himself to our level in order to introduce us to they system he created so we might have a chance at relationship with him. “God decided in advance to adopt up into his family. Grace changes everything. Grace tears down our pride and guides us to walk in humility. It tears down the walls that divide us and guides us to walk in unity. God gave us salvation through Christ with kindness, wisdom and understanding? But why?
8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
(Verses 8-18) He gave us these things to unify everyone under Christ. Through that Unity, we get are inheritance from God which is access into his family. God sealed our inheritance with the seal of the Holy Spirit. We haven’t yet reached complete unity with Christ. That’s the perfection we’re working towards. However just so we can be sure that God will make good on the promise of our inheritance, he sends the Holy Spirit to guide us and remind us.
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
(Verses 19-23) The same power that God gives us is the one that literally raised Jesus from the dead. When we really sit and think about that, its overwhelming and peace inducing. Real belief in that power will change the way we live.