Ephesians 1
BSASBPaul opens Ephesians with a great outburst of praise for what God has done in Christ: choosing, adopting, redeeming and sealing His people. He then prays that his readers would truly grasp these riches and the mighty power that raised Christ and set Him over all things, including the church.
Ephesians 1:1
Paul writes as an apostle, someone sent with Christ’s authority, and he says this was God’s will, not his own idea. He addresses believers in Ephesus as saints, meaning people set apart for God, and as faithful, those who trust Christ.
BSA: saints (“holy ones, set apart”): Saints are not a special class of super-Christians but all God’s people, set apart for Him.
Greek: ἅγιοις (hagiois, G40) — “holy ones, set-apart ones.” The word describes belonging to God, not moral perfection. Every believer is already called this because of being joined to Christ.
Ephesians 1:2
Paul’s usual greeting joins grace, God’s undeserved kindness, with peace, wholeness and reconciliation with Him. Both flow from one source: God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They are gifts to receive, not rewards to earn.
BSA: Grace (“unmerited favor, divine kindness”): Grace is favor that cannot be earned, and everything else in the chapter rests on it.
Ephesians 1:3
Paul begins with praise. God has already blessed believers with every spiritual blessing, and these blessings are found in Christ, not apart from Him. The heavenly realms are the unseen sphere of God’s presence, where our true life is secured.
BSA: blessed (“praiseworthy, worthy of admiration”): When we bless God, we declare Him worthy of praise, while His blessing on us actually gives gifts.
Greek: εὐλογητὸς (eulogētos, G2128) — “blessed, spoken well of.” The same word family is used for God blessing us and for us blessing God. We speak well of Him because He has done good to us.
Ephesians 1:4
God chose His people in Christ before creation. His aim is that they be holy and blameless in His presence, and He did it in love. Our salvation did not begin with our decision but with God’s heart long before we existed.
BSA: chose (“selected, elected”): Choosing means God took the initiative, so our standing rests on His purpose. holy (“set apart, sanctified”): Holiness means belonging wholly to God and living like it.
See also: John 15:16; 1 Peter 1:2.
Ephesians 1:5
God planned in advance to bring us into His family as adopted sons. This came through Jesus and was pleasing to Him. Believers are not servants kept at a distance but children welcomed at the Father’s own wish.
BSA: predestined (“having foreordained, decided in advance”): God settled our destination beforehand: a place in His family.
Greek: υἱοθεσίαν (huiothesian, G5206) — “adoption as sons.” In the Roman world an adopted son received full legal standing and inheritance. Paul uses this to show believers have full family rights.
See also: Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:4-5.
Ephesians 1:6
The purpose of all this is that God’s glorious grace be praised. Grace is something He gave freely, not something we paid for. It comes to us in the Beloved One, Jesus, whom the Father loves and in whom we are accepted.
BSA: freely given (“bestowed, granted”): The gift cost the receiver nothing; it was granted out of pure generosity.
See also: Matthew 3:17.
Ephesians 1:7
In Christ we have redemption, which means being bought back and set free. The price was His blood, His life given for us. The result is forgiveness of our trespasses, measured not by what we deserve but by the riches of God’s grace.
BSA: redemption (“salvation, liberation from sin”): The word pictures a captive set free by a ransom paid.
Greek: ἀπολύτρωσιν (apolytrōsin, G629) — “release by payment of a ransom.” It was used for freeing slaves or prisoners. Paul says Christ’s blood was the price that set us free.
See also: 1 Peter 1:18-19; Colossians 1:14.
Ephesians 1:8
God’s grace was not given sparingly. He poured it out beyond measure, together with wisdom and understanding. He does not just forgive us but also helps us grasp what He is doing.
BSA: lavished (“abounded, superabounded”): Grace overflowed, giving far more than was needed.
Ephesians 1:9
A mystery in the Bible is not a puzzle but something once hidden that God has now revealed. God has let us in on His secret plan, and it was His own kind purpose all along, centered in Christ.
BSA: mystery (“a secret or hidden truth”): It is a truth hidden for ages that God has now opened to His people.
See also: Colossians 1:26-27.
Ephesians 1:10
The plan is that when the right time came, God would unite everything in heaven and on earth under Christ. The brokenness and division of creation will be healed in Him. History is heading toward this gathering together.
BSA: together (“into one, unified”): All things, now scattered and divided, will be brought under one head.
Greek: ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι (anakephalaiōsasthai, G346) — “to sum up, to bring under one head.” The word suggests adding up a column of figures into one total. All creation finds its meaning and unity in Christ.
See also: Colossians 1:19-20; Philippians 2:10-11.
Ephesians 1:11
Paul now says that in Christ we have also received an inheritance, or been made God’s own. God works everything according to His wise counsel, so our place does not depend on chance. Our lives sit inside a purpose He is carrying out.
BSA: predestined (“foreordained, marked out from the first”): God marked out our destiny in advance as part of His plan.
See also: Romans 8:28-30.
Ephesians 1:12
Paul seems to mean Jewish believers, who were the first to hope in Christ. The goal of their lives, and of all believers, is to bring praise to God’s glory. We are saved so that God may be honored.
BSA: first to hope (“who first trusted, had before hoped”): These were people who had hoped in the Messiah before the Gentiles came in.
Ephesians 1:13
Now Paul speaks to the Gentile readers: you heard the gospel, believed, and were sealed with the Holy Spirit. A seal marked ownership and security. God put His mark on believers by giving them His own Spirit.
BSA: sealed (“marked, authenticated”): A seal showed that something belonged to someone and was protected. gospel (“good news, message of salvation”): The gospel is news of what God has done, not advice about what we must do.
Greek: ἐσφραγίσθητε (esphragisthēte, G4972) — “you were sealed.” A seal pressed in wax stamped ownership on a letter or a package. The Spirit in us is God’s mark that we are His.
See also: 2 Corinthians 1:21-22.
Ephesians 1:14
The Spirit is the pledge, a first installment guaranteeing the full inheritance still to come. God will finish what He began, until His people are fully redeemed. All of this again is for the praise of His glory.
BSA: pledge (“guarantee, down payment”): The Spirit now is a first payment that guarantees the rest will follow.
Greek: ἀρραβὼν (arrabōn, G728) — “down payment, deposit.” In business the word meant a first payment that bound the buyer to complete the purchase. The Spirit is God’s promise that He will finish.
See also: 2 Corinthians 5:5.
Ephesians 1:15-16
Having described God’s gifts, Paul turns to prayer. He has heard of the Ephesians’ faith in Jesus and their love for all God’s people, and he constantly thanks God for them. Faith and love together are signs of real spiritual life.
BSA: love (“unconditional affection, agape”): This is self-giving love that seeks others’ good, shown to every believer.
See also: Colossians 1:3-4.
Ephesians 1:17
Paul asks the glorious Father to give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation so they may know Him better. The goal is not more facts but deeper personal knowledge of God, which only He can open up to us.
BSA: knowledge (“deep understanding, intimate awareness”): This is knowing God personally, not just knowing about Him.
Greek: ἐπιγνώσει (epignōsei, G1922) — “full, deep knowledge.” This word adds a prefix to the common word for knowledge, suggesting a fuller, closer knowing of a person.
Ephesians 1:18
Paul prays that the eyes of their heart would be enlightened. The heart is the center of the whole person, and it needs light to see. He names three things to grasp: the hope of God’s calling, the riches of His inheritance in His people, and His power.
BSA: heart (“the seat of thoughts, feelings, and emotions”): In the Bible the heart is the inner center of mind, will and feeling, not only emotion. enlightened (“illuminated, shine light on”): Understanding comes as God shines light, not as we work it out ourselves.
See also: Psalm 119:18.
Ephesians 1:19
Paul piles up words for power to show how great it is. This same strength is at work toward us who believe. Whatever we face, the power backing us is not small or ordinary.
BSA: surpassing (“exceeding, beyond measure”): The power goes far beyond anything we could measure or imagine.
Greek: δύναμις (dynamis, G1411) — “power, ability.” Paul stacks four power words in verses 19-20, including dynamis and energeia, to show how strong God’s working is.
Ephesians 1:20
The proof of God’s power is Christ’s resurrection. God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand, the place of highest honor and authority. The power that conquered death is the power at work in believers.
BSA: right hand (“the position of honor and authority”): To sit at the right hand is to share the ruler’s own authority.
See also: Psalm 110:1; Romans 8:11.
Ephesians 1:21
Christ’s rule is far above every power, whether earthly or spiritual, in this age and the next. No name or title ranks over His. Believers serve a Lord for whom nothing is out of reach.
BSA: far above (“beyond all comparison”): Christ’s position is not merely higher but beyond comparison with any other.
See also: Philippians 2:9-11.
Ephesians 1:22
God has put everything under Christ’s feet, a picture of complete victory. He is also head over everything for the church. His rule over the universe is exercised for the good of His people.
BSA: head (“the supreme Leader, ruler”): Christ holds first place and guides all things.
See also: Psalm 8:6; Colossians 1:18.
Ephesians 1:23
The church is Christ’s body, the place where His fullness is displayed. He fills everything everywhere, and the church is where His presence and life are to be seen. Believers are joined to Him and carry His life into the world.
BSA: body (“the church, His physical representation”): The church is the living, visible form through which Christ works in the world. fullness (“completion, perfection”): The church is filled with Christ and shows what He is like.
Greek: πλήρωμα (plērōma, G4138) — “fullness, that which fills.” The word speaks of being filled up completely. The church is filled with the life of Christ, who Himself fills everything.
See also: 1 Corinthians 12:27; Colossians 2:9-10.