THE WEEKS OF JAN. 25 - MAR. 8, 2026
A STUDY
IN THE
BOOK OF EPHESIANS
1Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
3Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
7However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
8That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
9Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.
10And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
13This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
15Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
16He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
17With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
18Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
19They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.
21Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,
22throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
23Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
24Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
25So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
26And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
29Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
32Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians is a letter written by Paul to a church he started. He spent a total of three years there. We read in Acts 19 about the extraordinary things God did there through his apostolic ministry. The people in the city of Ephesus were worshipers of the goddess Diana (Artemis). When the people repented, they brought their witchcraft items and burned them. God performed extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and oppressed, and their diseases left them and evil spirits came out of them (Acts 19:11–12).
Chapter 2 begins with a description of our condition before we came to Christ. It starts with the words “dead in trespasses and sins.”
By using the word “dead,” Paul leaves us in a completely hopeless state—because, without divine intervention, you don’t come back from being dead.
Verses 1–3 and verses 11–12 provide further description of the utter hopelessness of our spiritual condition.
But in verse 4, Paul starts with two powerful words: “But God…” God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us—even when we were dead in our sins—made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
One of the major truths of the first three chapters of this letter is that we are “in Christ” —— a phrase (or its equivalent, like “in Him”) used about 36–40 times in Ephesians alone and 136 times in Paul’s writings. We are not just forgiven sinners; because of God’s grace, we now have a new identity and a new position: in Christ.
Verse 6 says we were raised up together with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Verse 7 tells us that in the ages to come, throughout eternity, He will continue to show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Verses 8–9 are some of the most well-known verses on how we are saved:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
It’s important to see the words “gift of God.” Redemption is a gift from God received by faith—not the result of works, but of grace. Grace and works are opposites. If salvation is of grace, it cannot be of works. If it’s of works, it cannot be of grace (see Romans 11:6).
Verse 10 says we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In other words, we are new creatures (or a new creation), created for good works—not by good works.
In verses 14–22, Paul says that God made believing Jews and believing Gentiles one new man in Christ. We are no longer strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. We are being built together as a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.
Some important background information about Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Paul started the church in Ephesus and spent three year more than in any other city on his missionary journeys. (Acts 20:31) Which means the letter contains some deeper truths along with some of the basics of the faith.
The first section of the book, (chapters 1-3) is characterized by the word “Sit”, and describes who we are in Christ, our identity.
The second section of the book (chapters 4-6) is characterized by the word “walk” and describes how we should walk out the Christian life.
The third section is the shortest and covers 6:10-20 and is characterized by the word “stand” and describes our warfare with demonic powers.
Here’s an important truth; we are three parts: spirit, soul, body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
If asked to describe your body you’d be able to do it
If asked to describe your soul you could do that also?
But if asked to describe your spirit you couldn’t do it, because it takes a revelation from scripture to know who you are spiritually.
This is why toward the end of chapter one, Paul prays, asking God to give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Most knowledge comes to us through the five physical senses, so that what is true is based upon what you feel, taste, see, hear, smell.
Spiritual knowledge is perceived by the spirit and comes to us by revelation, so that what is true is based upon Scripture.
In verse 3 Paul says we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. This is true of us in Christ NOW even if it doesn’t seem true.
Then he goes on to describe some of the spiritual blessings we have already been blessed with.
Verse 4 says we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
Verse 5 predestined to the adoption as son
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.
Verse 6 made us accepted in the beloved, or highly favored.
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
The Greek word accepted is used twice in the New Testament, here and when the angel told Mary she was highly favored or accepted.
Verse 7 says we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
Verse 8-9 tells about His grace abounding toward us in all wisdom and prudence, revealing to us the mystery of His will.
Verse 10-11 we have obtained an inheritance
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.
Verse 13 says we were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.
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.
Verse 14 tells us that the Holy Spirit was given as the earnest of our inheritance to bring us into all of the purchased redemption.
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.
Verses 16-20 is a prayer that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to pray for the church. This prayer is that the church would grasp what’s been made available to them and that they would come to understand the demonstration of power toward them and their authority over the enemy because they are in Christ and He is head of the church over all things.
I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Pray this prayer, Ephesians 1:16-20, for yourself every day this week.