Ephesians
1: 3-14 ~ 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. Even before he made the world, God
loved us and chose us in Christ to be
holy and without fault in his eyes. 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. So we praise
God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his
dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our
freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8He has showered
his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God
has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to
fulfill his own good pleasure. 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. 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.
God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the
first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 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. 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.
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