Ephesians 1:1–14 (NKJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2
In this brief passage, Paul greets the church in Ephesus with a blessing of grace and peace from the Father and the Son. This is again a typical greeting within the church during the time of Paul the Apostle. This letter, although addressed here to the saints in Ephesus, is thought to have been a circular letter, intended to be distributed and passed throughout all the churches of Asia Minor. It contains a very defined content, with the first three chapters addressing matters of doctrine and the latter three chapters addressing practical Christian living. It is therefore the gospel in microcosm, a primer for believers so that they may know the basic doctrine and practice prescribed in the Church of God.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-14
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
In this next section, Paul addresses several points related to salvation and predestination:
- God’s Grace Is Extended to All (1-2)
- It Is Definitely God’s Will That All Be Saved (3-6)
- Christ Died For Us to Wash Away Our Sins Through His Blood (7-8)
- At God’s Heart Is the Desire To Gather Us All Unto Him in the Fullness of Time (9-10)
- It Will Bring Glory to God to See His Predestination of Our Lives Fulfilled in Our Salvation and Entrance to Heaven, Our Eternal Inheritance (11-12)
- God Desires to Partner or Work With Us in Obtaining Salvation. In That Partnership, God Does the Saving, We Simply Believe. Once We Do Our Meager Part, God Gives us the Down Payment, The Earnest of the Holy Spirit to Seal the Deal, If You Will (13-14)
God has prepared for all time a pathway to salvation for mankind. He is our source for forgiveness and entry into the family of God. God wants His creation to experience redemption. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to be saved. Bless the Lord for His generous provision of salvation. Bless the Lord for His grace and mercy. Be thankful for His gift of love and life. God is our source, our strength our all. He has redeemed us. Our only rational response is to receive and worship. Accept God’s plan for your life and live!
Devoted To You 
