Ephesians 1

The first chapter of Ephesians contains the letter's opening greeting, followed by an extended passage of praise and a prayer. Because no chapter precedes it, this chapter introduces the themes of the entire letter.

Outline

• Verses 1–2: Paul introduces himself as an apostle and wishes grace and peace to the saints.
• Verses 3–14: Praise to God. The passage speaks in turn of election and predestination before the foundation of the world; redemption (buying back at a price) and the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ; God's purpose to gather together all things in Christ; and the sealing (a mark of ownership and guarantee) received through the Holy Spirit of promise. In the original Greek, this entire passage is generally said to form a single continuous sentence.
• Verses 15–23: Having heard of the readers' faith and love, Paul gives thanks and prays that they may know the hope of their calling, the glory of their inheritance, and the power of God. He states that this power raised Christ from the dead, seated Him at God's right hand in the heavenly places, and gave Him to be head over the church.

Key Verses

• Ephesians 1:4 "he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" — one of the verses most frequently cited in discussions of the doctrines of election and predestination.
• Ephesians 1:13 "ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" — used to explain the work of the Holy Spirit and the assurance of salvation.
• Ephesians 1:23 "which is his body" — a representative text for the ecclesiology that views the church as the body of Christ.

People and Places

• Paul: The apostle who wrote the letter.
• Ephesus: A city in Asia Minor where the recipients lived. However, some ancient manuscripts are reported to lack the words "at Ephesus" in verse 1, which has led some scholars to regard the letter as a circular epistle read among several churches.

Points for Reflection

• The predestination in verses 4–5 and verse 11 is central to the debate over predestination and free will. The Calvinist tradition, including Presbyterians, reads these verses as teaching God's unconditional election of individuals. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions, including Methodists, tend to read them as describing election based on God's foreknowledge, or they emphasize the community chosen "in Christ."
• The sealing with the Holy Spirit in verses 13–14 is generally understood as received at the moment of belief, though some traditions associate it with an experience of the Holy Spirit subsequent to conversion.
• The themes of Christ's resurrection and Ascension and His headship over all things in verses 20–23 continue in Ephesians 2 and Colossians 1:15–17.