Ephesians 1:1–14 Bible Study Notes
(avg. read time: 7–14 mins.)
The last Bible study I led in my time in Kentucky was about the book of Ephesians. It is not a book I currently have many plans to write about outside of this Substack, save for its theology of resurrection in one of my planned books. But I thought it might be an interesting contribution to my larger project for this year to use my Bible study notes as a basis for a nine-part series of posts (since my Bible study was eight parts and I also include a sermon that grew out of it). The format for this series, except for the sermon entry, will be that I first present my translation of the text (including alternative translations), followed by observations about certain features in each section of text, and concluding with answers to questions that tended to guide the summary portions of my Bible studies: What does this text say about God the Father? What does this text say about God the Son? What does this text say about God the Holy Spirit? What does this text say to or about the people of God?
Translation
Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Praised/Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing/blessing of the Spirit in the heavenly realms in Christ, 4 even as he elected us in him before the foundation of the world, for us to be saints/holy and blameless in his presence, in love 5 having predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ to/for him, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has favored/gifted us in the Beloved One, 7 in whom we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished on us, with all wisdom and understanding 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in him 10 for a household order/economy in the fullness of the times, to sum up/recapitulate all things under one head in Christ, both the heavenly things and the earthly things in him, 11 in whom we also we were appointed an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of the one who works out all things according to the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to have hoped in Christ, should be for his glorious praise, 13 in whom also, once you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, once you had faith, were sealed by the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a down payment/pledge of our inheritance, for the redemption of his own possession, to the praise of his glory.
Observations
Though the city has been abandoned since the tenth century, Ephesus was at this time the largest port city of Asia Minor. It was located where the Cayster River met the Aegean Sea. Ephesus was home to one of the wonders of the ancient world: the temple of Artemis, which is at the center of the controversy in Acts 19:23–40. Though the Ephesians had originally dedicated the temple site to the goddess Cybele, Greek conquerors identified her with Artemis and the identification remained for centuries thereafter. Artemis became so closely associated with Ephesus that coins in honor of her Ephesian form have appeared in archaeological digs throughout modern-day Turkey. In addition, references to this cult have appeared as far west as France, as far north as Russia, and as far south as Israel. Aside from other pagan deities, the city also built temples to Julius Caesar, Augustus, Vespasian, and Hadrian.
Throughout this section of text, which consists of only two sentences (yes, all of vv. 3–14 is one sentence) Paul uses many different kinds of language that either has its source in the setting of the household or can still resonate in a household setting. Paul will address the more specific matters of what has come to be called “household codes” later in the letter, but it is noteworthy that from the beginning he establishes a conceptual framework in which the people of God belong to one household, the household in which God is Father (vv. 2–3). Of course, the applicability of referring to God as “Father” goes well beyond the household imagery, but it is particularly meaningful in such a setting. Obviously, if God is Father, the description implies children. While Jesus will be described as “Son” later in the letter (4:13), this is seemingly not one of Paul’s favored ways of referring to Jesus (he uses the term in reference to Jesus seven times in Romans, four times in Galatians, and six times in the rest of his letters combined). But the imagery is present here in the reference to our “adoption” (v. 5), as we are made the children in this household through God’s action in Jesus Christ. And even though Paul does not refer to Jesus as “Son” here, he does refer to him as the “Beloved One,” which still fits the household setting of a family. The language of “grace” (vv. 6–7) we have become so accustomed to using has the sense of “favor” or “gift” (as in the verb form in v. 6), both of which resonate in a household setting. The word from v. 10 that I have translated “household order” is where our word “economy” comes from (οἰκονομία). The source of the term comes from the ordering of a household, and in this context it refers to God’s plan of order for the whole cosmos, which is executed in Christ Jesus, “to sum up all things under one head in Christ, both the heavenly things and the earthly things in him” (v. 10). This is another way of describing the expectation of new creation that we have discussed at several points and will have further occasion for discussing at other times. And indeed, as with those other texts (esp. Rom 8), we are reminded that God has appointed this future reality as an inheritance for us (v. 11). And, of course, both the verbal and nominal forms of “inheritance” language here (vv. 11, 14) rather obviously fit a household context. Two other descriptions, both concerning ownership, fit with household language, as the reference to the Holy Spirit as the one by whom we were “sealed” (v. 13) implies a seal of ownership and authenticity, and the description of us as “his own possession” (v. 14) likewise clearly indicates that we belong to God as part of his household (as the notion of household includes the family, livestock, possessions, and so on, including servants and slaves in applicable cases).
Since one of Paul’s major emphases in this letter is in how God has brought together Jew and gentile in one household, it is also noteworthy how much of the language he applies to the Church comes from OT language applied to Israel. Indirectly, the “blessing” language is reminiscent of the initiation of the relationship of God and Abram in Gen 12:2–3. Here, “blessing” is central to God’s promise to Abram and his descendants in terms of blessing him and his descendants, making them a blessing, and blessing others through them. Additionally, Paul describes him and his fellow Christians—both Jews and gentiles—as chosen and predestined (e.g., Deut 4:37; 7:8), being made children of God (e.g., Deut 14:1), redeemed to be God’s possession (e.g., Exod 6:8; 19:5; Isa 41:14), and he writes of them as receiving an inheritance as Israel was promised (e.g., Deut 4:21).
One final point to note about the opening overall before we attend to some of the details is a frequent kind of prepositional phrase. There are thirteen instances of describing the reality “in him/Christ.” These phrases are also surrounded by many purpose statements that signify the Father’s direction of that reality, since Christ is the executor of his will. The saints are “in” Christ Jesus (v. 1), as it is in union with him that they are who they are. The saints receive blessings “in” Christ (v. 3). Believers are said to be elected/chosen “in him” before the foundation of the world (v. 4); this once again signifies that they are who they are by virtue of their union with Christ. God has shown us his grace/favor by enacting it “in” the Beloved One (v. 6). It is “in” him that we have redemption by his blood (v. 7). God has made known the mystery of his will that he purposed “in him” (v. 9). His will is to sum up or recapitulate all things under one head “in Christ” (v. 10), that is both the heavenly things and the earthly things are to be summed up “in him” (v. 10). It is “in” him that we were appointed an inheritance in that purpose (v. 11). Paul refers to himself and others (namely, Jews) who were the first to have hoped “in Christ” (v. 12). It was “in” that we heard the word of truth that is the gospel of our salvation (v. 13). And it is “in” him that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit of the promise.
Ephesians 1:7 is a reference to the death of Jesus. We see here that his blood was the price of redemption, a statement which in its Jewish roots primarily referred to the exodus when referencing divine action (cf. Exod 6:6; 15:13; Deut 9:26; 13:5; 15:15; 21:8; 24:18; 2 Sam 7:23 // 1 Chron 17:21; Neh 1:10; Pss 74:2; 77:15; 78:35, 42–43; 106:10; Isa 51:10; 63:9, 16; Mic 6:4). In a subtle manner, we can thus see a new exodus undertone here. At the same time, the sense of redemption as paying a debt price also appears here. The debt comes from a self-imposed exile in which humans have refused to pay God the honor and glory he is due as Creator by accepting his Lordship and living in accordance with his will (i.e., as a citizen of the kingdom). This sedition creates debt through violation of parameters of the relationship and a brokenness in relation to God which now must be set right.
Jesus’s death enables a purchase of forgiveness for those people who are in him. The forgiveness offered here is itself a remission of debt, an expunging of the violation, a restoration of position, and an enabling of new life, a process illustrated numerous times, including in this verse, to be costly. Still, God, in the ineffable richness of his grace, takes the cost upon himself in the crucifixion and enables those who participate in it through submission to Jesus to receive his forgiveness (i.e., to be reconciled). I have expounded on such ideas in more detail in my sermon series, as well as the fact that forgiveness of sins was an eschatological hope (cf. Deut 30; Isa 27:9; 33:24; 40; 44:21–28; 52:13–53:12; 55:5–7; Jer 31:31–34; 33:6–26; 50:20; Ezek 16:60–63; 36:25–28; 37:23–28; Dan 9:9, 15–19, 24; Mic 7:18–20; Zech 13–14)
The death of Jesus on the cross not only enabled redemption, forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation between God and humans; it also broke down the barrier between Jews and gentiles. As part of the foundation of the kingdom of God, the cross reaches out universally and brings all together under one God and one Lord. Indeed, this statement echoes one of the main points of Ephesians, which is introduced most vividly in 1:10. Indeed, Eph 4:1–4 particularly involves instruction to work out the unity of the Spirit, which is an inauguration of the eschatological reality of uniting all things in heaven and on earth under the Lordship of Jesus (Eph 1:8–10).
God’s cosmic will is something Paul says is enacted “in the fullness of the times” (v. 10). I think N. T. Wright has well summarized the significance of this in his Paul and the Faithfulness of God: “Just as God’s plan for space and matter was to unite it all, everything in heaven and on earth, in the Messiah (Ephesians 1.10), so (perhaps) God’s plan for time itself was to bring everything to a head in the Messiah. The great ‘now’ of the gospel, in other words, is the fresh reality for which the antecedent signpost was the sabbath.” (N. T. Wright, PFG, 555)
As I mentioned before, the language of “sealing” denoted ownership and authenticity. The imagery is also crucial for Rev 7, where it serves as the positive contrast to the mark of the beast. Both texts probably have some like to Ezek 9:4 and the sealing of the people that occurs there.
As I have discussed elsewhere, the presence and action of the Holy Spirit was a matter of eschatological expectation in the OT. It is unclear what precisely Paul refers to when he refers to “the promise of the Spirit.” That is, it is unclear if he has a specific text in mind or if he is referring to the promised reality in general. This would be in keeping with the tendency of referring to the fulfillment of Scripture in general terms. In any case, the texts that helped form this expectation include Isa 44:1–5; Ezek 36:25–27; 37:1–14; and Joel 2:28–32. Furthermore, some promises link the Spirit with an anointed one (as the term “Christ” means): Isa 11:1–10; 42:1–4; 48:16 (cf. 49:1–7, which seems to have the same speaker); 61.
The down payment or pledge establishes a contractual obligation and guarantees its fulfillment. The Spirit is himself the down payment that guarantees all the future blessings of the Spirit, including of the age to come, in which our bodies will be made fitting temples of the Holy Spirit. What is our inheritance but the promises of God, as summed up in v. 10? And how do we receive that inheritance except by being “in him” who unifies all things in himself?
Finally, verses 12–14 involve a subtle shift from the “we” who were first (the Jews), to the “you” who heard and had faith, to the “we”, inclusive of the second person, who inherit. This is the first hint we get of Paul’s larger theme of the union of Jews and gentiles. We will get into more detail on it in the next chapter.
Reflection Questions
What does this text say about God the Father?
He is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the one who dispenses all blessings. God is worthy of all praise and glory. God chose/elected us before the foundation of the world to be in his presence as holy ones in Christ. That is, he created us to be made like him. He predestined us for adoption in Christ in love. Christ is the executor of his will. He has gifted us his favor in Christ. He has lavished us with his grace with all wisdom and understanding. He has made known to us the mystery of his will. His plan encompasses history and eschatology. His plan is to recapitulate all things in Christ. He gave us the Holy Spirit for the redemption of his own possession.
What does this text say about God the Son?
He is Lord and Messiah, God’s Son. He is the one who defines our existence, the one we are “in.” He is the executor of God’s will. He enabled us to be adopted as God’s children. He is God’s Beloved. He has redeemed us by his blood and brought us forgiveness of transgressions. He is the one in whom all things are summed up/recapitulated. He came in the fullness of time.
What does this text say about God the Holy Spirit?
He is the one through whom God blesses us. We have been sealed by him, the one who has long been promised. That is to say, we are identified as God’s possession by the Holy Spirit. He is a down payment of our inheritance and of God’s consummative redemptive work.
What does this text say to or about the people of God?
We are saints. We are defined by faithfulness in Jesus. We have been given the blessings of the Holy Spirit. We have been chosen by God for God’s purposes. We live in love. We have been adopted as God’s children. We have been redeemed. We have been forgiven our transgressions. We have been appointed an inheritance in Christ and his new creation. Our hope is in Christ. We are to live for God’s praise. We are defined in relation to the gospel of our salvation. We have received the Holy Spirit for our redemption. The Holy Spirit marks us as God’s people and possession. Our redemption is a past, present, and future reality, not simply a one-time event.