Day 169 – Monday, August 25, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Ephesians 1

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Greeting

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, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• On a personal note, the book of Ephesians is my favorite book of the Bible. It is a microcosm of the Bible, with three chapters of theology and three chapters of practical guidelines for living.
• Paul opened the gospel with a typical greeting, offering a self-identification (return address), a greeting to the saints in Ephesus (address), and a blessing of grace and peace.

Redemption in Christ

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.

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. 

(Ephesians 1:3–14, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul then blessed God the Father and Jesus Christ, thanking them for all spiritual blessings.
• He spoke of predestination to holiness and adoption for those who believe.
• Paul credited our salvation to the blood of Jesus, and the rich grace He extended to us.
• Paul pointed to the eventual gathering (rapture) of all the saints in the fullness of time. He spoke of the great inheritance we look forward to in heaven.
• Our faith in Christ aroused by the gospel message brought us near to God and sealed us by the Holy Spirit. We should praise God in His glory!

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

¹⁵ Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. 

(Ephesians 1:15–23, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• The final section in this chapter is Paul praising the faith of the Ephesians, offering constant prayer for them.
• Paul wrote of the spiritual enlightenment that came to the believers that gave them the hope of salvation. This power was displayed when God raised Jesus from the dead.
• Christ now sits at the right hand of God, far above all other powers and above every other name for eternity.
• Jesus is Lord, and all things are under His feet (a sign of authority). He is head of the church, and we are His body. We fill the earth with His presence. Let us do just that!

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.