EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING
Opening Prayer
I praise You, God, for blessing me in Christ!
Read Ephesians 1:1–14
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing 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 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 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.
Footnotes
a. Ephesians 1:1 Some early manuscripts do not have in Ephesus.
b. Ephesians 1:5 Or sight in love. 5 He
c. Ephesians 1:5 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture.
d. Ephesians 1:9 Or us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he
e. Ephesians 1:11 Or were made heirs
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How big is God? Is your view of Him too small?We all have friends who exaggerate! But we can’t exaggerate when it comes to God. Paul writes to believers in Ephesus (on the Turkish west coast) with the aim of blowing their minds. There may be details here we don’t grasp, but try to sense the scale of his vision of God.
Verses 1–10. After the standard introductions, Paul launches into exuberant praise. Read through this passage again, noticing all the different things that God does for us. Do this again, noticing God’s activities across history: in the past, in the present and in the future.
Is that making your brain hurt yet?! In short, God has been preparing the Gospel since before creation (4) so that through Christ it is possible for sinful people to be holy and blameless, adopted, forgiven, and brought together with everything in the universe under Christ’s rule at the end of time.
That’s quite a promise! Verse 3 is no exaggeration. In Christ we really do have every spiritual blessing.
Verses 11–14. Now Paul zooms in on the Ephesian Christians themselves. God makes plans and completes them (11). What’s the goal? So that people like them (and us) can ‘put our hope in Christ’ (12). This is similar to trusting in Christ, but is focused on the future – and it is certain because it is entirely dependent on God.
Apply
Write down every spiritual blessing you have been given that you can think of. Keep this list with you throughout the day and write down more blessings as you think of them.
Closing prayer
My Father, I thank You for every blessing You’ve given me in Christ. You are worthy of my praise.
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