Ephesians 1:4
New International Version
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

New Living Translation
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

English Standard Version
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Berean Standard Bible
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love

Berean Literal Bible
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world for us to be holy and blameless before Him, in love

King James Bible
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

New King James Version
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

New American Standard Bible
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

NASB 1995
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

NASB 1977
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love

Legacy Standard Bible
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love,

Amplified Bible
just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love

Christian Standard Bible
For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love

American Standard Version
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Just as he chose us beforehand in him from before the foundation of the universe, that we shall be holy and without spot before him, and he ordained us beforehand in love for himself.

Contemporary English Version
Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people.

Douay-Rheims Bible
As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.

English Revised Version
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence.

Good News Translation
Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love

International Standard Version
just as he chose us in the Messiah before the creation of the universe to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love

Literal Standard Version
according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love,

Majority Standard Bible
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love

New American Bible
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love

NET Bible
For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

New Revised Standard Version
just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

New Heart English Bible
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;

Webster's Bible Translation
According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Weymouth New Testament
even as, in His love, He chose us as His own in Christ before the creation of the world, that we might be holy and without blemish in His presence.

World English Bible
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,

Young's Literal Translation
according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Spiritual Blessings
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 4For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,…

Cross References
Leviticus 19:2
"Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

Leviticus 20:7
Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

2 Samuel 22:24
And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.

Matthew 25:34
Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Ephesians 4:2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,


Treasury of Scripture

According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

as.

Deuteronomy 7:6,7
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth…

Psalm 135:4
For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Isaiah 41:8,9
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend…

before.

Matthew 25:34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

John 17:24
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Acts 15:18
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

that.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Luke 1:74,75
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, …

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

without.

Ephesians 5:27
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

1 Corinthians 1:8
Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:15
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

love.

Ephesians 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Ephesians 4:2,15,16
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; …

Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

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Ephesians 1
1. After Paul's salutation,
3. and thanksgiving for the Ephesians,
4. he treats of our election,
6. and adoption by grace;
11. which is the true and proper fountain of man's salvation.
13. And because the height of this mystery cannot be easily attained unto,
16. he prays that they may come to the full knowledge and possession thereof in Christ.














(4) According as (i.e., inasmuch as) he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.--Again it should be, He chose us for Himself. The eternal election of God is inseparably connected with the blessing of the Spirit. This passage stands alone in St. Paul's Epistles in its use of this word "chosen" in connection with God's eternal purpose, "before the foundation of the world"--a phrase only applied elsewhere to the eternal communion of the Son with the Father (John 17:24), and to the foreordaining of His sacrifice in the divine counsels (1Peter 1:20). The word "chosen" itself is used by our Lord of His choice of the Apostles (John 6:70; John 13:18; John 15:16-19); but in one case with the significant addition, "one of you is a devil," showing that the election was not final. It is similarly used in the Acts (Acts 1:2; Acts 1:24; Acts 6:5; Acts 15:7; Acts 15:22; Acts 15:25) of His choice or the choice of the Apostles; and once (Acts 13:7) of the national election of Israel. In 1Corinthians 1:27-28 (the only other place where it is used by St. Paul), and in James 2:5 it refers to choice of men by God's calling in this world. Clearly in all these cases it is applied to the election of men to privilege by an act of God's mercy here. In this passage, on the contrary, the whole reference is to the election "in Christ," by the foreknowledge of God, of those who should hereafter be made His members. From this examination of Scriptural usage it is clear that the visible election to privilege is constantly and invariably urged upon men; the election in God's eternal counsels only dwelt upon in passages which (like this or Romans 9, 11) have to ascend in thought to the fountain-head of all being in God's mysterious will. It will be observed that even here it clearly refers to all members of the Church, without distinction. . . . Verse 4. - Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world; literally, he chose us out, or selected us (ἐξελέξατο) for himself (middle voice). The Father chose the heirs of salvation, selected those who were to be quickened from the dead (Ephesians 2:1) and saved, they chose them in Christ - in connection with his work and office as Mediator, giving them to him to be re-decreed (John 17:11, 12); not after man was created, nor after man had fallen, but "before the foundation of the world." We are here face to face with a profound mystery. Before even the world was founded, mankind presented themselves to God as lost; the work of redemption was planned and its details arranged from all eternity. Before such a mystery it becomes us to put the shoes from off our feet, and bow reverently before him whose "judgments are unsearchable and his ways past finding out." That we should be holy and without blame before him in love. This is obviously the design of God's electing act; ε1FC0;ναι ἡμᾶς cannot denote the ground, but the purpose, of the choice. God did not choose some because he foresaw their holiness, but in order that they might become "holy and without blame." These two terms denote the positive and negative sides of purity: holy - possessed of all the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23); without blame, or blemish - marked by no stain or imperfection (see Ephesians 5:27). The terms do not denote justification, but a condition of sanctification which implies justification already bestowed, but goes beyond it; our justification is a step towards our complete final sanctification. This renewal being "before him," must be such as to bear the scrutiny of his eye; therefore not external or superficial merely, but reaching to the very heart and center of our nature (1 Samuel 16:7). The expression further denotes how it is of the very nature and glory of the new life to be spent in God's presence, our souls flourishing in the precious sunshine which ever beams out there from. For, when thus renewed, we do not fly from his presence like Adam (Genesis 3:8), but delight in it (Psalm 42:1; Psalm 63:1). Fear is changed to love (1 John 4:18); the loving relation between us and God is restored. It has been much disputed whether the words ἐν ἀγάπῃ ought to be construed with the fourth verse or with προορίσας in the fifth. The weight of authority seems in favor of the latter; but we prefer the construction which is given both in the Authorized and the Revised Version, first, because if ἐν ἐγάπῃ qualified προορίσας, it would come more naturally after it; and second, because the scope of the passage, the train of the apostle's thought, seems to require us to keep ἐν ἀγάπῃ in ver. 4. We never could come to be holy and without blemish before God unless the loving relations between us were restored (comp. Ephesians 3:17, "Rooted and grounded in love"). The spirit of love, trust, admiration, directed to God helps our complete sanctification - changes us into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
καθὼς (kathōs)
Adverb
Strong's 2531: According to the manner in which, in the degree that, just as, as. From kata and hos; just as, that.

He chose
ἐξελέξατο (exelexato)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1586: To pick out for myself, choose, elect, select. Middle voice from ek and lego; to select.

us
ἡμᾶς (hēmas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Him
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

before
πρὸ (pro)
Preposition
Strong's 4253: A primary preposition; 'fore', i.e. In front of, prior to.

[the] foundation
καταβολῆς (katabolēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2602: From kataballo; a deposition, i.e. Founding; figuratively, conception.

of [the] world
κόσμου (kosmou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2889: Probably from the base of komizo; orderly arrangement, i.e. Decoration; by implication, the world (morally).

to be
εἶναι (einai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

holy
ἁγίους (hagious)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 40: Set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred. From hagos; sacred.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

blameless
ἀμώμους (amōmous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 299: Blameless, without blemish, unblemished, faultless. Unblemished.

in His presence.
κατενώπιον (katenōpion)
Preposition
Strong's 2714: Before the face of, over against. From kata and enopion; directly in front of.

In
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

love
ἀγάπῃ (agapē)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 26: From agapao; love, i.e. Affection or benevolence; specially a love-feast.


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NT Letters: Ephesians 1:4 Even as he chose us in him (Ephes. Eph. Ep)
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