Ephesians 1:5

Easy To Read Version

And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what God wanted to do. That pleased him.

Cross References

Jeremiah 3:19

“I, the Lord, said to myself,\par ‘I want to treat you like my own children.\par I want to give you a pleasant land,\par a land more beautiful\par than any other nation.’\par I thought that you would call me ‘Father.’\par I thought that you would always follow me.\par

Jeremiah 3:4

But now you are calling me, ‘Father.’\par You said,\par ‘You have been my friend\par since I was a child.’\par

Daniel 4:35

People on earth are not truly important.\par God does what he wants\par with the powers of heaven\par and the people on earth.\par No one can stop his powerful hand!\par No one can question the things he does!\par

Hosea 1:10

“\{In the future,\} the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the sea. You can’t measure the sand or count it. Then it will happen that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said to them, ‘You are the children of the living God.’

Matthew 1:25

But Joseph had no sexual union with Mary until she gave birth to the son. And Joseph named the son Jesus.

Matthew 11:26

Yes, Father, you did this because this is what you really wanted to do.

Luke 10:21

Then the Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [190]} made Jesus feel very happy. Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. I praise you because you have hidden these things from the wise and smart people. But you have shown these things to people that are like little children. Yes, Father, you did this because this is what you really wanted to do.

Luke 11:32

On the judgment day, you people that live now will also be compared with the people from Nineveh, {\cf2\super [207]} and they will be witnesses to show that you are wrong (guilty). Why? Because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, \{but you refuse to change\}!

Luke 12:32

“Don’t fear, little flock (group). Your Father (God) wants to give you the kingdom.

John 1:12

Some people did accept him. They believed in him. He gave something to those people who believed. He gave them the right to become children of God.

John 11:52

Yes, Jesus would die for the Jewish people. But Jesus would also die for God’s other children that were scattered \{in all the world\}. He would die to bring them all together and make them one people.

John 20:17

Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me. I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers (followers) and tell them this: ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father. I am going back to my God and your God.’”

Acts 13:48

When the non-Jewish people heard Paul say this, they were happy. They gave honor to the message {\cf2\super [278]} of the Lord. And many of the people believed the message. These were the people chosen to have life forever.

Romans 8:23

Not only the world, but we also have been waiting with pain inside us. We have the Spirit {\cf2\super [67]} as the first part of God’s promise. So we are waiting for God to finish making us his own children. I mean we are waiting for our bodies to be made free.

1 Corinthians 1:1

Greetings from Paul. I was called (chosen) to be an apostle {\cf2\super [1]} of Christ Jesus. I was called because that is what God wanted.

1 Corinthians 1:21

This is what God with his wisdom wanted: The world did not know God through the world’s own wisdom. So God used the message {\cf2\super [8]} that sounds foolish to save the people that believe it.

2 Corinthians 6:18

“I will be your father,\par and you will be my sons and daughters,\par says the Lord All-Powerful.”\par \i (2 Samuel 7:8,14)\i0 \par

Ephesians 1:11

In Christ we were chosen \{to be God’s people\}. God had already planned for us to be his people, because that is what God wanted. And God is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.

Ephesians 1:9

let us know his secret plan. This was what God wanted. And he planned to do it through Christ.

Philippians 2:13

Yes, God is working in you. God helps you want to do the things that please him. And he gives you the power to do these things.

Colossians 1:19

God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:11

That is why we always pray for you. We ask our God to help you live the good way that he called you to live. The goodness you have makes you want to do good. And the faith you have makes you work. We pray that with his power God will help you do these things more and more.

Hebrews 2:4

God also proved it by using wonders, great signs, and many kinds of miracles. {\cf2\super [7]} And he proved it by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [8]} He gave those gifts the way he wanted.

1 John 3:1

The Father (God) has loved us so much! This shows how much he loved us: We are called children of God. And we really are God’s children. But the people in the world (people who don’t believe) don’t understand that we are God’s children, because they have not known him (God).

Revelation 21:7

Any person that wins the victory will receive all this. And I will be his God, and he will be my son.