Monday, March 3, 2014

opening Ephesians

Good morning friends,
Today we're starting a short tour through the Letter to the Ephesians. It's a great exploration of what it means that God saves us through grace alone. In our opening section Paul praises God for salvation and for the community to which he is writing. Note that as part of salvation, God also gives us gifts for life and ministry through Jesus Christ. 

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 1:1-10

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

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