Outline
- The Divine Purpose: The Glory and Headship of Christ (1:3-14)
- Prayer That Christians May Realize God's Purpose and
Power (1:15-23)
- Steps Toward the Fulfillment of God's Purpose
(chs. 2-3)
Ephesians 1 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.
4Even 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 plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good
pleasure.
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.
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.
12 God’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.
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.
