Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, 4 as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love 5 he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, 6 for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.
7 In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him 10 as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
11 In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, 12 so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. 13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, 14 which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians begins with a blessing that echoes Old Testament blessing formulas, which early Christians adopted. He acknowledges God as the source of all spiritual blessings—gifts given by the Holy Spirit. These blessings are rooted in Christ and are part of God’s divine plan for believers, established even before the creation of the world. God in His omniscience, foreknew believers in Christ from all eternity and granted them supernatural blessings so they could stand holy and blameless in His presence, a state achievable only through Christ. In His love and through grace, believers were predestined to be His adopted children through Jesus Christ (Gal 4:4-7). This is a gratuitous act on God’s part, ultimately bringing glory to His grace.
Through God’s superabundant grace and Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus paid the ransom for the forgiveness of believers’ sins with his blood. God, who possesses all wisdom and insight, has revealed to believers the mystery of His will in Christ. This revelation unfolds in the fullness of time, when God’s plan is to unite all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Through Christ, all believers, both Jewish and Gentile, were chosen by God to serve according to His will and live for the praise of His glory. Paul first acknowledges the graces given to Jewish believers and then extends these graces to the Gentile believers. Both groups have received the gift of revelation (the word of truth and the Gospel of salvation). Through their belief, they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is a foretaste and guarantee of eternal life and the final redemption, all of which serve to reveal and magnify God’s glory.
Heavenly Father, we praise You for every spiritual blessing You have bestowed upon us in Christ. Thank You for choosing us before the foundation of the world, redeeming us through His blood, and sealing us with the Holy Spirit. May our lives always reflect Your glory, as we await the fullness of Your divine plan. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible. Collier Books, 1965.
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