Ephesians 1 Devotional

Chosen Before the World Began

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”Ephesians 1:7 (BSB)

Ephesians 1 opens with one long burst of praise. Before Paul gives a single instruction, he lists what God has already done. He chose his people in Christ before the world was made (1:4), adopted them as his children (1:5), redeemed and forgave them through Christ's blood (1:7), and sealed them with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of the inheritance still to come (1:13-14). Every verb belongs to God, and all of it is to the praise of his grace.

Then Paul turns that praise into prayer. He asks that the Ephesians would see what is already theirs: the hope of God's calling, the riches of his inheritance, and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him far above every authority (1:18-20). Paul does not pray that they would receive more blessing. He prays that they would know the blessing already given. Before you ask what you must do for God today, it is worth hearing first what he has done for you in Christ.

To think about: Which of the blessings Paul lists in this chapter do you find hardest to believe is really yours in Christ?