On their second journey Paul and company wanted to go to Asia, in particular the provincial capital of Ephesus, since it was such a strategic and important city in the Roman Empire (only surpassed by Rome and Alexandria). They tried to come in from the south and were forbidden to do so by the Holy Spirit. They also tried to come in from the north and were again denied. Paul meets Priscilla and Aquila (who had been in Ephesus) in Corinth and ultimately sails for Ephesus with them.
Upon his arrival in Ephesus, Paul meets a curious group of people. As disciples of John the Baptist, they were not quite Jews but also not quite Messianic. Paul teaches them about Christ, baptizes them and they receive the Holy Spirit. Interestingly enough, this group still exists today although they were removed from Southern Iraq to Australia during the Gulf War.
There were two prominent religions in Ephesus. As a provincial capital, emperor worship was popular. The other was folk religion with demons, cult-like practices and magic. (Ephesus was the home of the Temple of Artemis – one of the wonders of the ancient world).
Ephesians 1:3 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; NHEB
Since verses 3-14 are just one long sentence in Greek, many Bible translations will try to break it out into separate sentences while others will just present it as one long run-on sentence (Our high English teachers would be appalled at such disregard for proper sentence structure). The discussion from verses 3-14 is as systematic and comprehensive a discussion of what we have received through faith as you will see in the Bible.
We bless God because God blesses us. To be blessed is to be given a gift therefore when we bless God, we are saying “thanks”. He has chosen us to be holy and blameless before Him and we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. Christ is the conduit for these spiritual blessings.
2Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; NHEB
1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, NHEB
The wording is very similar in all three texts. Both Peter and Paul are using a standard Jewish prayer form which was familiar language to many in the church at the time. The format follows the 18 Benedictions (or Blessings) that are part of Jewish daily prayers. These prayers are wide ranging and come from the mindset that everything they have and everything that they are comes from God so that their lives are filled with gratitude. Paul has taken this Jewish form of prayer and baptized it.
A couple of things stand out in this verse. The first is the nature of the blessings. In the Old Testament, the blessings appear to be more material in nature, i.e., it is the things of this world. For example, the Abraham covenant is prosperity, long life, children and land.
Genesis 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” NHEB
Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk before me, and be blameless. 2 I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell facedown, and God talked with him, saying, 4 “As for me, look, my covenant is with you. You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you. Kings will come out of you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8 I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” NHEB
This can get taken out of context as we see in in the prosperity preaching that promises good health, material sufficiency, abundance and success. For Abraham, there is an expectation that he will obey God as part of this covenant but this will come about as a result of his faith and not through works. (See: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-covenant-of-abraham ). Interestingly enough, part of Abraham’s blessing was to be a blessing to other people which points to something beyond a material blessing. He also didn’t live to see the blessing fulfilled.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith? 31“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 32 For the unbelievers seek after all these things, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. NHEB
Jesus isn’t unconcerned about our material welfare but He wants to put the focus on the spiritual side of things.
This verse in Ephesians is the beginning of a discussion regarding who Jesus is. Is He God? Is he created by God? As Athanasius points out, if Jesus is not God then what He does on the cross is simply an example of faithfulness. That is, if Jesus is not God then He is just a martyr.
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Look, new things have come. 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. NHEB
The cross isn’t God doing something to Jesus – it is God doing something to Himself as the Son is not external to the Father.
Hosea 11:1 “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 2 They called to them, so they went from them. They sacrificed to the Baals, and burned incense to engraved images. 3 Yet I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them by his arms; but they didn’t know that I healed them. 4 I drew them with cords of a man, with ties of love; and I was to them like those who lift up the yoke on their necks; and I bent down to him and I fed him. 5 “They won’t return into the land of Egypt; but the Assyrian will be their king, because they refused to repent. 6 The sword will fall on their cities, and will destroy the bars of their gates, and will put an end to their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn from me. Though they call to the Most High, he certainly won’t exalt them. 8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within me, my compassion is aroused. 9 I will not execute the fierceness of my anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of you; and I will not come in wrath. WEB
In Hosea, we see God’s struggle between grace and holiness. Hosea marries a prostitute who will often go back into that life. He then must rescue her and bring her back. In the early verses of chapter 11, we see that the people have been blessed but because of their faithlessness, they now deserve wrath. God’s tenderness turns to anger and finally to mercy. This is a description of what God is doing on the cross.
The key to Ephesians 1:3 is the word “Lord”. In both the Greek and Jewish mindset, this indicates divinity so Paul is telling us that there is something divine about Jesus. (This term would also be used in emperor worship). Bottom line is that Jesus isn’t just some guy off the street.