BIBLE STUDY OF EPHESIANS
FOSCO
INTERCESSORS FELLOWSHIP
WEDNESDAY
BIBLE STUDY
BOOK:
EPHESIANS
Ephesians 1:1–23 (NLT)
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, 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.
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be
holy and without fault in his eyes.
5 God 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.
6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to
his dear Son.
7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with
the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and
understanding.
9 God has now revealed to
us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.
10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together
under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
11 Furthermore, 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.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would
bring praise and glory to God.
13 And 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.
14 The 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.
15 Ever since I first
heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people
everywhere,
16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,
17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you
spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can
understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people
who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you
will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.
This is the same mighty power
20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at
God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything
else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.
22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head
over all things for the benefit of the church.
23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who
fills all things everywhere with himself.
EPHESIANS 1:1–23 —
VERSE-BY-VERSE SUMMARY
(Faithful to the flow,
tone, and emphases of the NLT)
1:1
Paul identifies himself
as an apostle chosen by God’s will and addresses believers who belong to Christ
and live faithfully in Him.
1:2
Paul pronounces God’s
grace and peace, emphasizing that both come from God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
1:3
God is praised because,
through Christ, He has already given believers every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly realm.
1:4
Before the world was
created, God chose believers in Christ so they would be holy and without fault
in His sight, motivated by love.
1:5
God planned in advance to
adopt believers into His family through Jesus Christ, and this decision pleased
Him deeply.
1:6
All of this results in
praise to God for His glorious grace, which He freely gave through His beloved
Son.
1:7
Through Christ’s blood,
believers receive redemption and forgiveness of sins, showing the richness of
God’s grace.
1:8
God’s grace is described
as abundant, given with wisdom and understanding.
1:9
God reveals His
previously hidden plan, which centers on Christ and fulfills His good purpose.
1:10
God’s ultimate plan is to
bring everything in heaven and on earth under Christ’s authority at the
appointed time.
1:11
Believers receive an
inheritance because God chose them in advance, and He works everything
according to His will.
1:12
Those who first trusted
in Christ exist to bring praise and glory to God.
1:13
When believers heard the
gospel and believed in Christ, they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
1:14
The Holy Spirit is God’s
guarantee that believers will receive their full inheritance when He redeems
His people—resulting in praise to God.
1:15
Paul explains that he has
heard about their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all God’s people.
1:16
Because of this, he
continually thanks God for them and remembers them in prayer.
1:17
Paul prays that God will
give believers spiritual wisdom and revelation so they may know Him better.
1:18
He asks that their hearts
be enlightened so they understand the hope of God’s calling, the richness of
His inheritance, and His glorious promises.
1:19
Paul emphasizes the
incredible greatness of God’s power working in believers—the same mighty power
of God.
1:20
That power raised Christ
from the dead and seated Him at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
1:21
Christ is placed far
above every ruler, authority, power, and dominion—both now and in the future.
1:22
God has put everything
under Christ’s authority and made Him head over the church.
1:23
The church is described
as Christ’s body, filled by Him who fills everything everywhere with His
presence.
Summary Theme of
Ephesians 1 (NLT Emphasis)
Believers are chosen,
redeemed, adopted, sealed, empowered, and positioned in Christ, according
to God’s eternal plan, for the praise of His glory.
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