Eph 1:4-8 | TNotes | STEP | 1:4 God’s people are holy and without fault in his eyes because they trust in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for their sins (see 1:7 ; 5:25-27 ; Col 1:22 ; Titus 3:5-7 ; Jude 1:24 ).

1:4 ^a God’s people are holy and without fault in his eyes because they trust in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for their sins (see 1:7 ^b; 5:25-27 ^c; Col 1:22 ^d; Titus 3:5-7 ^e; Jude 1:24 ^f).
1:5 ^g God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family: By his sovereign initiative, God embraces and blesses as his children those who trust in Christ. They become heirs to all the promises God has made to his people (see 1:11 ^h, 14 ⁱ; 2:19 ^j; Rom 8:15-17 ^k, 29-30 ^l; Gal 4:5 ^m).
1:6 ⁿ Believers praise God, who has richly blessed them with his forgiving grace.

• his dear Son: Literally the beloved, a Messianic title for Jesus; see Matt 3:17 ^o; 17:5 ^p; Col 1:13 ^q.
1:7 ^r he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son: Believers, who were once prisoners of sin, are free from God’s judgment and from bondage to sin because of Christ’s sacrificial death (see 1:14 ^s; 4:30 ^t; Rom 3:24 ^u; 1 Cor 6:20 ^v; Col 1:14 ^w; cp. Matt 26:28 ^x; Mark 10:45 ^y; Heb 9:11-12 ^z, 26 ^aa; 1 Pet 1:18-19 ^ab).
Summary for Eph 1:8-10: 1:8-10 ^ac Wisdom and understanding come from the revelation of God’s mysterious will regarding Christ. In Paul’s writings, mysterious will (traditionally mystery) often refers to a divine truth formerly hidden but now revealed in the Good News (see 3:9 ^ad). Here it refers to how God will bring everything together under the authority of Christ, so that he may be universally recognized and respected as Lord (see Phil 2:9-11 ^ae; Col 1:16-20 ^af, 26-27 ^ag; 2:2 ^ah, 19 ^ai; 4:3 ^aj). Ephesians focuses specifically on the inclusion of Gentiles as well as Jews in God’s redeemed people (see Eph 3:3-6 ^ak; 6:19 ^al; cp. Rom 16:25-26 ^am).