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  Opening the Book of Ephesians & chapter 1

  Posted by Tamara Franchuk on December 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM

  Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul while he was imprisoned — which already tells us something powerful. This letter wasn’t written from comfort, control, or convenience. It was written from confinement… yet it speaks more about freedom, authority, inheritance, and spiritual position than almost any other book in the New Testament.

  Here’s the good news:
  Ephesians is less about what you do and more about who you are because of Christ.

  Paul isn’t correcting bad behavior here. He’s establishing identity first, because behavior always flows from belief. If you don’t know who you are, you’ll spend your life striving, overworking, over-explaining, and overcompensating.

  Sound familiar?

  Ephesians answers three big questions every busy girl wrestles with:

  • Who am I really?

  • What do I have access to?

  • How am I supposed to live from this place?

  The structure of the book matters:

  • Chapters 1–3: Who you are in Christ (identity & position)

  • Chapters 4–6: How you live from that identity (practice & power)

  So today, we start where God always starts: before effort, before hustle, before fixing — with identity.

  Ephesians Chapter 1 — Chosen, Seated, Secure

  Chapter 1 is one long, uninterrupted declaration of truth. Paul is pulling back the curtain and saying, “Let me tell you what God already decided about you.”

  Here’s what rises to the surface:

  1. You were chosen before you showed up

  Paul says we were chosen before the foundation of the world.
  Not after you got it together.
  Not after you proved yourself.
  Not after you were productive enough.

  Busy girl, your calling didn’t start when you said yes — it started when God did.

  2. You were adopted, not hired

  This chapter makes it clear: you are not a contractor in God’s kingdom. You’re family. Adoption means permanence. You belong — even on days you feel messy, tired, or unsure.

  You don’t earn inheritance. You receive it.

  3. You are already blessed — not chasing blessing

  Paul uses past tense language: you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.
  Not “will be.” Not “someday.”

  This shifts everything. You’re not running toward provision — you’re learning how to steward what’s already been deposited.

  4. Your redemption was intentional and costly

  Chapter 1 grounds redemption in grace, not guilt. Your forgiveness wasn’t an emotional decision — it was a strategic one. God counted the cost and still said yes.

  Kick guilt to the curb. It’s not humility — it’s amnesia.

  5. You’ve been sealed and secured

  Paul ends the chapter reminding us that the Holy Spirit is a seal and a guarantee. This is heaven saying, “She’s mine — and I’m not changing my mind.”

  No fear-based faith here. No walking on eggshells.
  You are kept.

  Why This Matters for us — Right Now

   If you skip Chapter 1, you’ll turn Christianity into performance. Religious activity! 
  But if you sit in it — really sit in it — you’ll start building your life, your business, your family, and your faith from rest instead of pressure.

  Paul is teaching us this simple but life-altering truth:

  You don’t work for identity.
  You work from identity.

  And that changes everything.

  As we move through Ephesians, don’t rush to application yet.
  Let identity settle. Let truth correct old narratives. Let heaven reintroduce you to yourself. 🙌

  You are more than what you do.
  You’re built stronger than you think.
  And God has already made His decision about you.

  Before we move on though, I really feel like we need to pause and reflect on the word adoption! In modern, western culture we have a very different understanding of this word. let’s do a deep dive.

  The word Paul uses for adoption comes from the Greek huiothesia — literally meaning “to place as a son.”
  Not to care for, not to rescue, not to temporarily cover — but to formally and legally position someone as a rightful heir.

  This matters.

  Adoption in the Roman world (which Paul is writing into) was not primarily about infants. It was often about adults.

  A Roman man would adopt someone:

  • to secure an heir

  • to transfer authority

  • to pass on a name, legacy, and estate

  And once adoption happened, it was irrevocable.

  Let that sink in.🙌 🗝️

  What Adoption Did in the Roman World

  When someone was adopted:

  1. Their old family ties were legally severed
     Debts? Canceled.
     Obligations? Removed.
     Previous identity? No longer binding.

  2. They received a new name
     They carried the authority and reputation of the adopting family.

  3. They gained full inheritance rights
     Not partial. Not secondary. Not “step-status.”

  4. They were permanently secured
     Adoption could not be undone — even by the father.

  So when Paul says we were adopted through Christ, he is saying something radical:

  You are not on probation with God.
  You are not a guest.
  You are not a tolerated outsider.

  You have been legally repositioned.

  Adoption Is About Position, Not Emotion

  Salvation speaks to rescue.
  Redemption speaks to payment.
  Adoption speaks to placement.

  Adoption answers the question:

  “Where do I belong now — and what do I have access to?”

  This is why Paul places adoption in Ephesians chapter 1, before he ever talks about behavior, unity, or spiritual warfare.

  You cannot walk in authority if you don’t know where you stand.

  Adoption vs. Orphan Thinking

  Many believers are saved but still live like orphans.

  Orphan thinking sounds like:

  • “I have to earn God’s approval.”

  • “If I mess up, I’ll lose my place.”

  • “I don’t really belong here.”

  • “I have to compete for attention.”

  But adoption declares:

  • You are wanted

  • You are chosen

  • You are secure

  • You are trusted with inheritance

  Busy girl, adoption means God didn’t just pull you out of something —
  He placed you into something.

  Why Paul Emphasizes Adoption in Ephesians

  Paul is writing to believers who are:

  • navigating spiritual opposition

  • learning to live differently

  • trying to understand power, authority, and unity ( all like us….)

  So he starts here:

  “Before you try to live like the family — know that you ARE the family.”

  Adoption is the foundation for:

  • confidence in prayer

  • authority over fear

  • freedom from striving

  • unity with other believers

  • peace in identity

  You don’t fight for a seat at the table.
  You were adopted into the house.

  Adoption means God didn’t just forgive you —

  He positioned you, secured you, and entrusted you with His name.

  Let it settle.
  Let it correct old narratives.
  Let it reframe how you show up.

  Now we’re ready to keep reading Ephesians — not as outsiders trying to qualify, but as daughters who already belong.

  How did chapter one hit you? Let’s chat ….

  Tamara Franchuk replied 1 hour, 34 minutes ago 1 Member · 0 Replies

  • Adoption vs. orphans
  • bible study
  • Ephesians
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