Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: The doxologies in the letters imply real sense of grace experienced by the writers and their readers (1 Peter 1:3). Ephesians 1:3 set forth summarily the Gospel of the grace of God: the father's work of love, Ephesians 1:3 (choosing us to holiness, Ephesians 1:4; to sonship, Ephesians 1:5; to acceptance, E...

3._Blessed _(108) _be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. _The lofty terms in which he extolls the grace of God toward the Ephesians, are intended to rouse their hearts to gratitude, to set them all on flame, to fill them even to overflowing with this thought. They who perceive in themselves discoveries of the Divine goodness, so full and absolutely perfect, and who make them the subject of earnest meditation, will never embrace new doctrines, by which the very grace which they feel so powerfully in themselves is thrown into the shade. The design of the apostle, therefore, in asserting the riches of divine grace toward the Ephesians, was to protect them against having their faith shaken by the false apostles, as if their calling were doubtful, or salvation were to be sought in some other way. He shews, at the same time, that the full certainty of future happiness rests on the re...

3-8 Spiritual and heavenly blessings are the best blessings; with which we cannot be miserable, and without which we cannot but be so. This was from the choice of them in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that they should be made holy by separation from sin, being set apart to God, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, in consequence of their election in Christ. All who are chosen to happiness as the end, are chosen to holiness as the means. In love they were predestinated, or fore-ordained, to be adopted as children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and to be openly admitted to the privileges of that high relation to himself. The reconciled and adopted believer, the pardoned sinner, gives all the praise of his salvation to his gracious Father. His love appointed this method of redemption, spared not his own Son, and brought believers to hear and embrace this salvation. It was ric...

Verse Ephesians 1:3. _BLESSED BE THE GOD_] 2 Corinthians 1:3, where the same form is used. _WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS_] With the pure _doctrines_ of the Gospel, and the _abundant gifts_ and _graces_ of the Holy Ghost, justifying, sanctifying, and building us up on our most holy faith. _IN HEAVENLY PLACES_] εν τοις επουρανιοις. _In heavenly things_, such as those mentioned above; they were not yet in _heavenly_ _places_, but they had abundance of _heavenly things_ to prepare them for heavenly places. Some think the word should be understood as signifying _blessings_ of the most _exalted_ or _excellent_ kind, such as are _spiritual_ in opposition to those that are earthly

BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST - This commences a sentence which continues to the close of Ephesians 1:12. The length of the periods in the writings of Paul, is one cause of the obscurity of his style, and renders an explanation often difficult. The meaning of this phrase is, that God has laid a foundation for gratitude for what he has done. The ground or reason of the praise here referred to, is that which is stated in the following verses. The leading thing on which the apostle dwells is God’s eternal purpose - his everlasting counsel in regard to the salvation of man. Paul breaks out into the exclamation that God is worthy of praise for such a plan, and that his eternal purposes, now manifest to people, give exalted views of the character and glory of God. Most persons suppose the contrary. They feel that the plans of God are dark,

EXPOSITION EPHESIANS 1:1, EPHESIANS 1:2 ADDRESS AND SALUTATION. EPHESIANS 1:1 PAUL AN APOSTLE OF CHRIST JESUS. Paul's one but all-sufficient claim on the Ephesians is his relation to Christ: he is Christ's apostle, not only as sent forth by him, but also as belonging to him; elsewhere his servant or bondman. He makes no claim to their attention on the ground of his great experience in the gospel, his profound study of it, or even his gifts, but rests simply on his being Christ's apostle; thus recognizing Christ as the only Head of the Church, and source

BLESSED BE THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,.... God, the first person in the Trinity, is the God of Christ, as Christ is man and Mediator; he chose and appointed him to be the Mediator, and made a covenant with him as such; he formed and prepared an human nature for him, and anointed it with the Holy Ghost above measure, and supported it under all his trials and sufferings, and at last glorified it: and Christ, as man, prayed to him as his God, believed, hoped, and trusted in him as such, and loved him as in such a relation to him, and cheerfully obeyed his commands. And the same is the Father of Christ, as Christ is God; as such he is the Son of God; not by creation, as angels and Adam, nor by adoption, as saints, but by natural generation; he being the only begotten of the Father, his own proper Son, of the same nature and perfections with him, and equal to him. Now to "ble...

In this chapter, we see what Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has to say about the possessions and privileges of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:1. _Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ._ Brethren and sisters in Christ, this is a benediction for you as well as for the saints at Ephesus; it is for all «the faithful in Christ Jesus.» May you all have grace without measure, and may you all have «the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,» to «keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus»! Grace and peace are both to be had by believing in Jesus. Ephesians 1:3

IN HEAVENLY PLACES Literally, the heavenlies. The same Greek word is used in (John 3:12) where "things" is added. In both places, the word signifies that which is heavenly in contradistinction to that which is earthy. In Ephesians, "places" is especially misleading. "The heavenlies" may be defined as the sphere of the believer's spiritual experience as identified with Christ in... NATURE; (2 Peter 1:4); LIFE; (Colossians 3:4); (1 John 5:12); RELATIONSHIPS; (John 20:17); ...

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE MASTERWORK OF GOD (1-3) 1. The Godhead at Work CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The introduction (Ephesians 1:1)_ 2. The great doxology (Ephesians 1:3) 3. The work of the Father (Ephesians 1:4) 4. The work of the Son (Ephesians 1:7) 5. The work of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) 6. The parenthetical prayer to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory (Ephesians 1:15)