*1:1 I take it that Paul is claiming to be Christ's apostle to them, so he is writing with specific apostolic authority. Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality (demonstrably so), omit ‘at Ephesus’ [such is the basis for the nasty footnotes in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.].

†1:1 Paul defines what he means by “saints”.

‡1:2 The alternation between “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” appears to be stylistic, without doctrinal implication.

§1:3 The full name of Jehovah the Son is now ‘The Lord Jesus Christ’. Where ‘Lord’ occurs without the definite article or a possessive pronoun I often render ‘Sovereign’.

*1:3 “In the heavenly realms” appears to be a synonym for Heaven; the blessings are there, ready to be distributed.

†1:3 The blessings are only for those who are in Christ. Unbelievers may receive some spinoff benefits.

‡1:4 Here the pronoun refers to the Father, not ‘Christ’. Below, whenever the referent changes I will indicate this by [F] or [S], which will be good until the next change.

§1:4 This one is difficult for our poor little finite minds to handle. If I was chosen before Creation, then I am part of a PLAN that antedates that Creation, just like the slain Lamb (1 Peter 1:19-20). So He knows who I am and calls me by name (John 10:3). When faced with a ‘God-thing’ that exceeds our understanding, we can either accept or reject—I choose to accept [there are consequences]. And let's not forget to give thanks.

*1:4 The syntax is ambiguous: does “in love” go with the preceding clause, or the following one? If the preceding, then it would be our love for Him; if the following, His love for us. When the Text is ambiguous I like to allow for both possibilities, which is why I place a comma before and after. Since both are true, why not teach both?

†1:7 Without the shed blood of God's Lamb there is no redemption.

‡1:8 I take it that many people, as they contemplate the mess the world is in, doubt that the Creator [if He exists] knew what He was doing. One day we will agree that the design is marvelous.

§1:10 The reference is not so much to chronological time as to occasions or epochs. Believe it or not, human history is being “administered”.

*1:10 “On the heavens”—that is what the Text says. I take the reference to be to beings and things that are not an integral part of Heaven, temporary appendages—of course any beings and things on the earth are not an integral part of Heaven either. They all will jointly be subordinated to the Christ.

†1:12 This is the main point of the whole exercise—the praise of His glory! (Isaiah 43:7.)

‡1:13 A majority of the Greek manuscripts, including the best line of transmission, have “we”, rather than the familiar ‘you’. Being unexpected, many scribes may have made the change (of one letter) almost without thinking. The Gospel of Christ is ‘the true Word’.

§1:14 We receive “the release of the possession” in Glory. From the beginning of the epistle both the Father and the Son have been referred to repeatedly—here the Holy Spirit is introduced.

*1:14 Verses 3-14 form a single sentence in the Greek Text, which is why I translate the same way.

†1:17 To be the ‘Father’ of glory is to be the Source of all true glory.

‡1:17 Revelation provides us with true information, and wisdom shows us what to do with it.

§1:17 I finally settled on ‘real knowledge’ as the best way to render επιγνωσις, the heightened form of γνωσις, ‘knowledge’. Real knowledge is more than mere intellectual knowledge, or even true theoretical knowledge—it involves experience. The Text goes on to say, “the eyes of your heart having been enlightened”. Real knowledge changes your ‘heart’, who you are.

*1:18 Paul wants us to know three things, that I have indicated with a number before ‘what’.

†1:18 His calling gives us true hope.

‡1:18 We normally concentrate on ‘our’ inheritance, what we are going to get. More important is God's inheritance, what He is going to get.

§1:19 “Into us”—that is what the Text says. Note that ‘believing’ is in the present tense. Please see the note at 3:20 below.

*1:21 It is generally understood that the reference is to the angelic hierarchy. The two thirds that remained faithful to God were never a problem, so presumably the special point is that Christ defeated Satan, with his one third, and is now (as the God/man, the second Adam) seated ‘far above’ that enemy. Please see the note at 2:6 below.

†1:22 Would it not be wonderful if the Church recognized that Headship in practice! Where εκκλησια refers to the whole body of Christ, as here, I render ‘Church’; where it refers to a local assembly I render ‘congregation’.

‡1:23 Just as a wife complements her husband (when things are like they are supposed to be), God's purpose is that the Bride complement the Groom (even if we don't understand why Someone who “fills everything in every way” needs complementing).