THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL

Passage: Ephesians 1:1-10

Key verse: 10

NIV

1 Paul, an apostle(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(B)

To God’s holy people(C) in Ephesus,[a](D) the faithful(E) in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(F)

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,(G) who has blessed us in the heavenly realms(H) with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us(I) in him before the creation of the world(J) to be holy and blameless(K) in his sight. In love(L) 5 he[b] predestined(M) us for adoption to sonship[c](N) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure(O) and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace,(P) which he has freely given us in the One he loves.(Q) 7 In him we have redemption(R) through his blood,(S) the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches(T) of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery(U) of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed(V) in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment(W)—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.(X)

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Footnotes
  1. Ephesians 1:1 Some early manuscripts do not have in Ephesus.
  2. Ephesians 1:5 Or sight in love. 5 He
  3. 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.
  4. Ephesians 1:9 Or us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Greeting

1 Paul, (A)an apostle of Christ Jesus (B)by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and (C)are faithful[a] in Christ Jesus:

2 (D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 (E)Blessed be (F)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (G)in the heavenly places, 4 (H)even as he (I)chose us in him (J)before the foundation of the world, that we should be (K)holy and blameless before him. In love 5 (L)he predestined us[b] for (M)adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, (N)according to the purpose of his will, 6 (O)to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in (P)the Beloved. 7 (Q)In him we have (R)redemption (S)through his blood, (T)the forgiveness of our trespasses, (U)according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 (V)making known[c] to us the mystery of his will, (W)according to his purpose, which he (X)set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for (Y)the fullness of time, (Z)to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

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Footnotes
  1. Ephesians 1:1 Some manuscripts saints who are also faithful (omitting in Ephesus)
  2. Ephesians 1:5 Or before him in love, 5having predestined us
  3. Ephesians 1:9 Or he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known…
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS

The Epistle to the Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul during his imprisonment in Rome (6

-61 A.D.). Ephesus was an important trade center and the leading city of Asia Minor. Paul had spent three years of his third missionary journey there, and from this ministry, not only the church in Ephesus, but also the seven churches of Asia Minor took root and grew. It was here that Paul caught the vision for reaching the whole Gentile world through Rome, the center of the Empire (Acts 19:1

,21).

In this Epistle Paul does not deal with the kind of practical problems of faith and life that he addresses in 1 Corinthians. Rather, he writes about Jesus Christ and about the 'mystery of the gospel'--God's great purpose of world redemption through Jesus. The mystery of the gospel is that God loves the whole world, and Jesus died to save Gentiles as well as Jews. So the church must be a missionary community, always reaching out to the non-Christian world to bring all kinds of people to a saving knowledge of Christ and into true unity in the body of Christ. We must welcome one another in love, maintain spiritual order in our fellowship, and be fully equipped with spiritual armor and weapons to do battle with our adversary, the devil. Paul calls himself an ambassador in chains, imprisoned because of his declaration of this mystery of the gospel, and he asks for prayer that he may fearlessly proclaim the gospel.

1. Spiritual blessings in Christ (1-8)

Paul was an apostle-missionary by the will of God. God also chose the Ephesian saints and us in Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight. He redeemed us by the blood of Jesus and forgave our sins by his free grace. We don't deserve to be called children of God, but by grace he adopted us as his children. Now, we no longer have to live self-centered, meaningless lives. We can live for God's glory as God's own children.

2. The mystery of his will (9-1

)

God has a great plan for his world. He created a beautiful, good world for his own glory. But because of man's sin, the blessed world became a cursed world. God's plan for the fullness of time is to restore all creation. So he sent Christ to die for the sins of all mankind. When men believe the gospel, their sins are forgiven and God's kingdom comes into their hearts. Someday Christ will come again; he will restore creation order, and God's kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer: Father, your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

One Word: All things united in Christ