Ephesians 1
Greetings from Paul
1This 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,
2May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Spiritual Blessings
3All 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.
5God 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.
6So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
9God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.
10And 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,
12God’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
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,
19I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21Now 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. 22God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.