🛡️WEB · Ephesians 1:6
What does Ephesians 1:6 mean?
"to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,"
— Ephesians 1:6 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;
having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,
to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
Explanation
Ephesians 1:6 sits in the middle of a long, soaring sentence at the opening of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, where he praises God for the spiritual blessings believers have received in Christ. This particular verse states the purpose behind God's saving actions: everything God has done — choosing, predestining, adopting — happens "to the praise of the glory of his grace." In plain language, Paul is saying that God's grace is so magnificent, so overflowing, that it deserves praise and glory, and God has poured it out generously and freely on those who belong to him. The phrase "he freely gave us favor in the Beloved" means that God has graciously bestowed his favor on believers, and this favor comes to them specifically because they are united with Jesus Christ, who is called here "the Beloved" — a title emphasizing the Father's deep love for the Son.
The letter was written by the apostle Paul, likely from prison in Rome, to the church in Ephesus (and probably circulated among other churches in Asia Minor as well). Paul writes to remind these largely Gentile believers of the incredible spiritual riches they now possess through Christ, since they had previously been outsiders to God's covenant promises. The opening chapter functions almost like a hymn or doxology, blessing God the Father for choosing believers before the foundation of the world, blessing Christ for redeeming them through his blood, and blessing the Holy Spirit for sealing them as God's own possession. Verse 6 caps off the first movement of this praise, focused on the Father's electing grace.
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