Every once in a while,Paul kinda let's go & makes these huge
explanations of who & what we are, & how God feels about us.
This section in his letter to the young church in Ephesus is just one of those kind of outbursts.
Read it slowly - there's a lot in here...
Ephesians 1
3 All
praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms
because we are
united with Christ.
4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
5 God
decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to
himself through Jesus Christ.
This is what he wanted to do, and it gave
him great pleasure.
6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ,
a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.
10 And
this is the plan:
At the right time he will bring everything together
under the authority of Christ;
everything in heaven and on earth.
11 Furthermore,
because we are united with Christ,
we have received an inheritance from
God,
for he chose us in advance,
and he makes everything work out
according to his plan.
12 God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.
13 And
now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God
saves you.
And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his
own by giving you the Holy Spirit,
whom he promised long ago.
14 The
Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he
promised
and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this
so we would praise and glorify him.
No comments:
Post a Comment