Ephesians Chapter 1 – A Commentary & Bible Study (Verse by Verse)
Sometimes when I open the book of Ephesians, especially chapter 1, I feel this warm kinda swirl in my heart, like stepping into a room where someone already lit a candle earlier, and the scent stayed behind. You know that soft, sweet smell that almost feels like memory? That's what Ephesians 1 is like for me. It’s Paul writing from prison, can you imagine? A cold wall behind him, maybe the scrape of metal chains every time he moved. And yet—he writes about blessings, heavenly places, grace overflowing like someone turned on a tap and forgot to close it.
So today, I wanna walk slowly through Ephesians chapter 1. Verse by verse. Sometimes stopping too long, sometimes rushing a bit, sometimes just rambling like people do when something touches deep inside.
Not perfect. Not polished. But real.
Ephesians 1:1 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…”
I always loved how Paul starts his letters. Strong but also humble. He’s not bragging. More like, “Hey, I didn’t sign up for this job, God kinda dragged me in.” Have you ever felt that? Like something you weren’t expecting becomes the very thing God pushes you into?
When Paul says “by the will of God,” it’s like he’s saying, Look, don’t blame me, I’m just doing what He told me.
And he's writing to “the saints.” Regular people. Folks like you, me, the neighbor who sometimes shouts too loud, the old lady who always sits near the window in church. Saints not because they’re perfect, but because He called them.
And that always comforts me. God calls messy people.
Ephesians 1:2 – “Grace to you and peace…”
I love this greeting, really I do. Grace and peace. Not just peace. Not just grace. Paul mixes them like sugar in tea.
Grace first, because we need that before peace can even come.
Sometimes I try to sit quietly to feel peace, but my mind runs around like a wild puppy. Grace settles it. Grace says, “Hey, breathe. You’re forgiven.” After that, peace walks in kinda shyly.
Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be… who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…”
This verse feels like Paul just bursts open. No warm-up. Just boom, there it is.
“Every spiritual blessing.” Not some. Not half. Not “still processing.”
He says God already blessed us.
I don’t always feel blessed. Sometimes I feel tired or confused or left out of things everyone else seems to know. But Paul says the blessings exist even before we feel them.
It’s kinda like the sun behind thick clouds—you don’t see it, but it’s still cooking away, glowing like crazy.
Ephesians 1:4 – “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”
This one gets me every time. Before oceans, before trees, before coffee beans (thank You Lord for those), before God said “Let there be light,” He already had your name in His heart.
Chosen. Wanted. Not an accident.
Some people grow up hearing “you were a mistake” or “we didn’t expect you,” but Ephesians 1:4 smashes that like glass on a stone floor. God always knew you. He wanted you before the world had shape.
It’s a bit mind-melting, but also warm.
Ephesians 1:5 – “Predestined us to adoption…”
Adoption. Not hired. Not caged. Adopted.
Every time I read this, I remember a moment when I was a kid sitting in my cousin’s house. She had this old golden retriever that wasn't actually theirs—they had adopted him after he was abandoned. And that dog acted like he knew he was rescued. He stayed close, head on your knee, always grateful. That’s how adoption feels. Like we didn’t bring anything useful, but God said, “Come here, you’re mine now.”
Predestined means He planned the relationship. Not random. Not luck.
Ephesians 1:6 – “To the praise of His glorious grace…”
Everything God did for us—He did it to show His grace. Sometimes I think we underestimate grace. It's not just forgiveness. It’s God bending low, scooping us up, giving us something we could never earn—acceptance, warmth, love.
Paul keeps bringing it up because grace is the theme song of this chapter.
Ephesians 1:7 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood…”
Redemption feels like a heavy word. Kinda metallic sounding. But Paul connects it to blood. Jesus’ blood, which is… personal, messy, warm, alive.
Sometimes people treat salvation like paperwork—sign here, tick this box. But Paul reminds us: it cost something. Real blood, real pain. Real love.
Forgiveness is not cheap. But we get it free.
We’re forgiven according to the riches of His grace. Not the scraps. Not leftovers.
Ephesians 1:8 – “Which He lavished upon us…”
Lavished. Such a fancy word, but also soft. Like someone pouring way too much syrup on pancakes because they want you to actually enjoy breakfast.
God doesn’t give us grace with a teaspoon. He pours buckets.
Some days I think, “God probably tired of my same mistakes.” But then I look at that word—lavished. Overwhelming, overflowing, excessive.
God is not stingy with kindness.
Ephesians 1:9 – “He made known to us the mystery of His will…”
Life is full of mysteries. Why things hurt. Why people leave. Why rain smells good but wet socks smell like death. But God revealed the biggest mystery: His plan to bring everything back to Himself through Christ.
Paul writes like someone who’s seen behind the curtain. Not everything, but enough to know that God is weaving a huge plan.
Ephesians 1:10 – “To unite all things in Him…”
Ah yes, the great reunion. Everything broken, scattered, lonely, distant—brought together.
Sometimes I look at the world and think, “Man, we are so torn apart.” Nations arguing. Families splitting. People misunderstanding each other. And yet God’s plan is unity, not in politics, not in culture, but in Christ.
He is the center piece.
Ephesians 1:11 – “In Him we have obtained an inheritance…”
I don’t know about you, but the idea of inheritance makes me think of old houses filled with dusty books and maybe a piano missing keys. But Paul says our inheritance is heavenly, eternal, undefiled.
God wrote your name into His will.
Before you were born. Before your parents met. Before Adam took his first breath.
Ephesians 1:12 – “To the praise of His glory.”
Paul repeats this a lot. Like someone humming the same tune because it truly stuck in their heart.
We exist to shine His glory. Not in a rigid, forced way. More like a candle naturally glows when lit. That’s your soul’s destiny.
Ephesians 1:13 – “You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
Sealed. Protected. Marked as His.
In ancient times, seals were serious business. A king’s seal meant authority, identity, ownership. God seals us with the Holy Spirit—not a stamp but a presence.
And the Spirit whispers inside us, “You belong. You’re safe. You’re Mine.”
Sometimes that whisper feels like a quiet warmth in the chest. Sometimes like a small nudge. Sometimes like peace in a moment that has no reason to feel peaceful.
Ephesians 1:14 – “The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance…”
Think of the Spirit as a down payment. A taste of heaven while we’re still on earth. The comfort, the conviction, the joy, the sudden moments where Scripture feels alive—all those are hints of the bigger life waiting for us.
Ephesians 1:15 – “I heard of your faith…”
Paul says he heard good news about them. That’s kinda wholesome. Imagine being in prison and hearing that the people you taught are still holding the faith like a torch that refuses to die out.
Their love for the saints also impressed him. Love is hard sometimes, but it’s how faith breathes.
Ephesians 1:16 – “I do not cease to give thanks for you…”
Paul prayed for them constantly. Not because he had a lot of free time (though prison probably gives you some). But because he cared deeply.
I think we underestimate the power of praying for others. It ties hearts together across distance.
Ephesians 1:17 – “That… God may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation…”
Paul wants them to see. To understand. To have spiritual wisdom, which is different from knowledge. Wisdom smells like humility, honesty, patience. Revelation feels like when a fog lifts and suddenly you see the path you were standing on all along.
Paul wants them to know God personally, deeply—not just info but intimacy.
Ephesians 1:18 – “The eyes of your heart enlightened…”
What a beautiful phrase. Eyes of the heart. Not the literal eyes that get itchy or blurred when we cry. But inner eyes. The ones that see meaning, purpose, value.
He wants them to know three things:
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The hope of His calling
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The riches of His glory
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The greatness of His power
Hope. Riches. Power.
All wrapped in Christ.
Ephesians 1:19 – “The immeasurable greatness of His power…”
Immeasurable. You can’t count it, weigh it, calculate it. God’s power isn’t like electricity that dims during a storm. It's steady, strong, alive.
And the same power He uses in us is the power that raised Jesus.
That blows my mind every time.
Ephesians 1:20 – “He raised Him from the dead…”
Paul roots everything in the resurrection. That moment when death blinked and lost. When the grave became temporary housing instead of a final destination.
Christ is seated in heavenly places, far above rulers and powers and everything else that tries to scare us.
Ephesians 1:21 – “Far above all rule and authority…”
This verse reminds me that no political leader, no spiritual force, no bad dream in the night, no fear or anxiety can outrank Jesus.
He’s above every name. Even the names whispered in fear.
Ephesians 1:22 – “He put all things under His feet…”
Christ is not struggling for control. He already won. Everything—problems, demons, rulers, kingdoms—are under His feet.
Like dust under a boot.
Ephesians 1:23 – “The church… His body…”
This final verse always feels like a hug. The church is Christ’s body. We’re connected to Him as a head is to a body. Not distant. Not strangers.
We’re part of Him.
And He fills everything.
Final Thoughts (A Bit Messy, But Honest)
Ephesians 1 is like stepping into a room filled with soft sunlight, warm blankets, and a sense that everything—every messy part of your life—is held together by someone way bigger and kinder than you ever imagined. Paul wrote this from a prison cell, but his words feel like they overflow with heaven.
Chosen. Adopted. Loved. Redeemed. Forgiven. Sealed. Blessed.
All past tense. Already done.
Sometimes I read this chapter and feel like the air itself gets thicker, almost like God is leaning close, saying, “You matter to Me. I knew you before the world. I planned good things for you before you breathed. You’re mine.”
And honestly… isn’t that what our tired hearts need sometimes?
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