“In the beginning, God…”
But what happened before the beginning?

Ephesians opens not with creation, law, or human response—but with eternity. Before the first sunrise, before the first word of Scripture, there was the eternal purpose of God. Paul begins this letter by pulling back the curtain on that divine plan, leading us into one of the most discussed and often misunderstood doctrines in Scripture: predestination.

Yet Paul’s goal is not debate—it is worship.

Before Paul gives commands, corrections, or expectations, he lifts our eyes to praise. Before he tells believers how to live, he reminds them who they already are in Christ. This is how true transformation begins: not with striving for identity, but living from it.

Bible Study for tonight:

Paul introduces himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” His authority is not earned—it is given. He serves and writes by the divine initiative, not by ambition, gifting, or reputation.

And he addresses his readers as “saints.” Not spiritual elites, but ordinary believers made holy by grace. Every Christian is a saint—not because of their record, but because of their Redeemer.

His greeting is deliberate: grace first, then peace.

Grace comes before peace because peace flows from grace.
Grace is what God gives freely.
Peace is what every restless heart is searching for.

We cannot experience lasting peace until we rest fully in grace. Peace is not achieved by effort, but received through trust.

Paul declares something astonishing: “In Christ, we are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

Not some.
Not most.
Not future only.
Every spiritual blessing.

These blessings are not bound by circumstance, success, or feeling. They are spiritual in nature and heavenly in source. This means they cannot be lost to time, stolen by suffering, or undone by uncertainty.

If blessings are heavenly, they cannot be measured by earthly success. The Christian’s treasure is secure not because life is stable, but because Christ reigns.

Sometimes we look for blessing in changing situations when blessing has already been given in an unchanging Savior.

Before the foundation of the world, God set His loving purpose upon His Son.
Christ is the One foreknown.
Christ is the One chosen.
Christ is the One appointed to redeem and reconcile all things.

The Father’s eternal plan has never been centered on isolated individuals—it has always been centered on Jesus.

Here lies the beauty of the gospel:
When we come to Christ by faith, we are united to the One who was chosen before time began.
We are not chosen instead of Christ.
We are chosen in Christ.

Predestination, then, is not a cold decree about exclusion. It is a warm and gracious declaration of what God purposed to accomplish through His Son—that all who are found in Him would be adopted, forgiven, and made holy in love.

God predestined the destiny of those united to Christ:

Salvation does not begin with us choosing God.
It begins with God choosing Christ—and graciously welcoming us into Him.

This truth humbles our pride, steadies our faith, and fills our worship with awe. Election is never meant to turn saints into spectators but worshipers who marvel at mercy.

In Christ, redemption comes through blood, and forgiveness flows from grace. And this grace is not measured out sparingly—it is lavished.

God does not save reluctantly. He doesn’t hold back love until we deserve it. The cross reveals the sheer overflow of divine compassion. Through Christ, God unveils the great mystery of His will: that one day all things—heaven and earth, broken and redeemed—will be gathered together in Him.

History is not random.
Your story is not accidental.
God’s plan has always been purposeful, weaving even your failures and sorrows into His redemptive tapestry.

In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance—a share in the everlasting kingdom and the glorious future of the Son Himself.

God is working all things according to His will, not ours. Salvation is not ultimately about our comfort, but about His glory.

That does not diminish our lives; it gives them weight and meaning. Every decision, trial, and joy now participates in something greater than itself—the unfolding of God’s eternal purpose.

The believer’s inheritance is not fragile. It cannot fade, spoil, or be taken. Earthly wealth ends in loss, but heavenly treasure deepens in joy.

When you heard the gospel and believed, God sealed you with the promised Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not a temporary feeling or passing emotion—He is God’s own guarantee.

A seal means ownership, authenticity, and security. Through the Spirit, God marks every believer as His own and promises to bring His work to completion. What God begins, He will finish.

Salvation is not fragile.
It is secure.
Because the seal is divine, so is the confidence.

Paul closes this opening chapter with prayer—not asking for new blessings, but for awakened eyes.

He prays that believers would know—deeply, experientially—

This is resurrection power—the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him above every rule, authority, and name.

Christ reigns.
We are in Christ.
And therefore, we live from victory, not toward it.

Faith depends not on acquiring blessings, but on recognizing what already belongs to us in Him.

Ephesians does not begin with strategy.
It begins with identity.

Before there was a church in Ephesus, before there were leaders, gatherings, or plans, there was a people chosen in Christ, redeemed by grace, and sealed by the Spirit. The Church was not built by momentum—it was formed by God’s eternal purpose.

That matters for us right now.

This study is not just about learning theology. It is about becoming a people who know who they are in Christ. As we pray, discern, and take steps toward planting a church, we are not starting something new—we are stepping into something God has already purposed.

The same God who planned redemption before the foundation of the world is the God who builds His Church today.

This study exists to:

We are not rushing to build.
We are learning to abide.

If God is pleased to gather a people from this season—rooted in grace, united in Christ, and sealed by the Spirit—then the Church will not be something we create, but something God births among us.

So we study.
We pray.
We listen.
We walk together.

And we trust that the One who chose Christ before the beginning will be faithful to finish what He has already begun.

Ephesians does not begin with strategy.
It begins with identity.

Before there was a church in Ephesus, before there were leaders, gatherings, or plans, there was a people chosen in Christ, redeemed by grace, and sealed by the Spirit. The Church was not built by momentum—it was formed by God’s eternal purpose.

That matters for us right now.

This study is not just about learning theology. It is about becoming a people who know who they are in Christ. As we pray, discern, and take steps toward planting a church, we are not starting something new—we are stepping into something God has already purposed.

The same God who planned redemption before the foundation of the world is the God who builds His Church today.

This study exists to:

We are not rushing to build.
We are learning to abide. (Do you struggle with that - I do)

If God is pleased to gather a people from this season—rooted in grace, united in Christ, and sealed by the Spirit—then the Church will not be something we create, but something God births among us.

So we study.
We pray.
We listen.
We walk together.

And we trust that the One who chose Christ before the beginning will be faithful to finish what He has already begun.