Ephesians 1:3–14, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Ephesians 1:3–14
Praise for God's Saving Purpose in Christ
Every spiritual blessing is located in Christ, not in your rank over other people.
Chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, gathered, and sealed: this is a hymn of mercy. Election here explains why the church exists. It is not a license for contempt toward outsiders, and it is not a private trophy. The blessing moves toward a people who live for the praise of God's glory.
If "chosen" makes you look down on anyone, you have left the text. Live as someone marked by the Spirit, not as someone scrambling for an inner circle.
Jew and Gentile are drawn into one inheritance without erasing Israel.
God's purpose in Christ is to sum up all things, and the gospel gathers those who were near and those who were far. That gathering does not cancel God's faithfulness to Israel or turn Jewish life into a disposable first draft.
Praise God for mercy that includes you. Do not turn the blessing into a story that sneers at the people of the promise.
How this should shape us
If a sermon, podcast, or social post uses "chosen" to rank Christians above neighbors, stop and bless God instead. Election is a reason for praise, not a modern status badge, and it never authorizes contempt for Jews or for anyone outside your circle.
Teach it back
Explain Ephesians 1:3–14 in your own words. Include what came before, why this section appears here, the main movement, and one interpretation the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Interpreters disagree over whether ‘in love’ completes verse 4 or introduces verse 5, and they place the plural choosing-and-predestining language within different individual and corporate accounts of election. The strongest common conclusions are that God's action is in Christ, adoption is its stated destination, holiness is its purpose, and praise of grace is its goal; the paragraph does not settle every later theological system by itself.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: The exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Ephesians 1:3–14.
eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 1; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and sentence relationships used to check the passage.
Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Eph.txt, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:3–14.
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants checked for this passage.
NET Bible, Ephesians 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Ephesians 1:3–14.
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, older interpretive options, and passage boundaries tested against primary evidence and newer research.
T. K. Abbott, Ephesians, pp. 3–24.
Supports: A cross-check of Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for reader-facing word notes.
STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:3–14.
Supports: A current whole-letter check on the passage's argument, major theological claims, scriptural background, and place in Ephesians.
S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, open commentary, section treating Ephesians 1:3–14.
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Ephesians 1:3–14.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 1; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and sentence relationships used to check the passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Eph.txt, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:3–14.
Open the Ephesians Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Ephesians with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Material translation choices, syntax notes, and textual variants checked for this passage.
Exact location: NET Bible, Ephesians 1, translator and textual notes attached to the verses in Ephesians 1:3–14.
Open NET Ephesians 1 ↗public domain critical commentary
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians
T. K. Abbott
T. & T. Clark, 1897
Supports: Verse-level Greek, syntax, older interpretive options, and passage boundaries tested against primary evidence and newer research.
Exact location: T. K. Abbott, Ephesians, pp. 3–24.
Open source ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: A cross-check of Greek forms and reasonable lexical range for reader-facing word notes.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data repository, TAGNT and Greek lexical records, Ephesians 1, verses within Ephesians 1:3–14.
Open source ↗modern open commentary
Ephesians
S. M. Baugh
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2022
Supports: A current whole-letter check on the passage's argument, major theological claims, scriptural background, and place in Ephesians.
Exact location: S. M. Baugh, Ephesians, open commentary, section treating Ephesians 1:3–14.
Open source ↗