Spiritual Blessings Are Found in Christ

Ephesians 1:3-6: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ. {4} For he chose us in him before the creation of the
world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love {5} he predestined
us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will-- {6} to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves."

Among all the great passages of Scripture, this is one of the greatest.
Its importance can never be overstated. It deals with God’s plan for the
world, His eternal plan; it deals with the great blessings of God which
He pours out upon those who trust His Son Jesus Christ are united to Him
in baptism:

What does the word "blessing" mean to you? It really carries the idea of
reward or happiness. To be blessed is to be happy or rewarded.

Certainly all of us in this life desire to be blessed, but where do we
seek those blessings? Do we seek them in the things of this world or from
sources other than the ultimate source of all blessing—Jesus Christ?

The apostle Paul wrote in 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."

This expression of praise and thanksgiving from Paul contains not only
the reason for the praise, but also the statement of a very comprehensive
fact: God’s grace was not bestowed in vain in Paul’s case—his heart was
responsive in gratitude to the grace of God, and his life bore bountiful
and obedient testimony to its unfailing quantity and quality.

No one appreciated the grace of God more than did the apostle Paul. No
one can walk with God without a similar feeling and a similar obedience.

"If David of old, living in the moonlight age under a less glorious
covenant, the Mosaical covenant, could say, "O, that men would give
thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the
children of men!" how much more should the thanksgiving of Christians,
who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, swell up in the heart and find
expression with the mouth in song, in prayer, in conversation, and in
everyday life."

Paul makes no mistake in naming the source of these blessings: "Blessed
be God..."—God is the source. And the apostle Paul was conscious of the
ever-watchful care of the heavenly Father and of his absolute dependence
upon him. In his sermon on Mars Hill in the city of Athens, Greece, he
said, "In his name [God] we live, and move, and have our being."

What about the quantity of blessings that are received? Ephesians 1:3
declares the quantity of those blessings, when Paul says, "Who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessings..."

Every blessing in the heavenly sphere, or the heavenly realm—that is, in
the church, the spiritual realm. There is absolutely no spiritual
blessing left outside of Jesus Christ. It also tells us that no spiritual
blessings may be received outside of Christ. They are all in Christ—none
is left out.

What about the quality of these blessings? They are spiritual blessings
sent to nourish the inner man and to develop the new creature—blessings
for the spirit, for the soul.

Blessings for the spiritual man may be enjoyed by the sinner as well as
the saint. He sends the rain on the just and the unjust, Matthew 5:45
declares, but only to those who are in Jesus Christ are the blessings of
the heavenly places given—that is, spiritual blessings.

Where does this verse, Ephesians 1:3, tell us these blessings are
received? In Christ, meaning, in Christ’s body, the church. His body is
the church, as Paul declares it, in Ephesians 1:22,23: "And He put all
things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the
church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

The same inspired writer said to the church at Corinth, "For by one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body...(1 Corinthians 12:13).

To the church at Rome, he wrote, "Or do you not know that as many of us
as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just
as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life."(Romans 6:3,4).

Now, listen carefully and see when and where this new life begins: "...as
many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27).
This not only tells how we get into Christ, but also when faith saves us,
or when we become children of God by faith.

The faith that saves is the faith that truly obeys. In Hebrews 5:9, the
writer there declared of Jesus: "He became the author of eternal
salvation to all them that obey him."

Where are these spiritual blessings received? In Christ—meaning in his
body, his spiritual body, the church. The scriptures clearly declare it.

And there are so many blessings given to those who are in Christ! All
could not be named, they are so bountiful. But among them, one is that
our prayers are answered. What a great blessing that it!

Of course, the conditions of acceptable prayer must be met—praying in His
name, according to His will, in faith, and with unselfishness. But, when
we meet these conditions, we have the assurance our prayers are answered.
That is one of the great blessings in Christ.

Another is newness of life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul said that "...in
Christ...old things are passed away...all things are become new." We are
new creatures, new creatures in Christ Jesus.

And, of course, the great blessing of forgiveness of sins is in Christ.
In Ephesians 1:7, Paul said, "In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

This is superior to the old law, the old covenant under which there was
remembrance of sins every year. But in Christ there is absolute
forgiveness.

Also, we have fellowship one with another in Christ; "But if we walk in
the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin"(1 John 1:7).

Fellowship with one another and fellowship with Christ are ours if we
walk in the light.

Finally, we have the greatest hope ever offered to mankind—the hope of
eternal life, given only to us in Christ. And only those who are in
Christ have the hope of eternal life. All others cannot share that hope.

In Titus 1:2, Paul wrote, "In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot
lie, promised before time began"—promised to those who would follow him,
becoming obedient to him through Jesus Christ—the hope of eternal life,
where there will be freedom from pain and sorrow, no more tears, and no
more death.

Oh, it is a blessed thing to be in Christ and to continue in Jesus
Christ! "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."

1. (1:4) Holy—Blameless: the first blessing—God has chosen us to be holy
and blameless. This is a wonderful verse. Just imagine! God determined
before the world was ever created that He would have a people...
·    who would be "in Him," that is, in His Son, Jesus Christ.
·    who would be "holy and without blame."
·    who would live "before Him in love"—forever and ever.
    1.    The word "holy" (hagious) means to be set apart and consecrated to
God.
    2.    The word "blameless" (amomous) means to be free from sin, dirt, and
filth; to be above reproach and without blemish; to be without fault and
defilement.

(Recount story of the young person who is NOT a good athlete and the
feelings of always being chosen LAST on the sandlot…compared to the time
when his best friend chose first and he was chosen FIRST!)

(1:5-6) Adoption—Predestination—Foreordained: the second blessing—God has
adopted us as children. How unbelievable—what a glorious privilege to be
adopted as a child of God! And note:
Þ    It was predestinated, that is, foreordained (proorisas).
Þ    It was the pleasure of God to adopt us—the good pleasure of His will.
And it was His purpose to adopt us, and His purpose and His pleasure and
His will were all good.
    2.    The word "adoption" means to place as a son
    3.    Adoption is by Jesus Christ and by Him alone. God accepts us because
we believe and trust His Son Jesus Christ.
    4.    God’s purpose in adoption is that we might live forever—live to the
praise of the glory of His grace.

In his Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament, Kenneth
Wuest says that the word "adoption" is a combination of two words that
are translated "son" and "to place." Thus, according to Wuest, adoption
means, "to place as a son." Wuest continues:
"It (adoption) was a term used in Roman legal practice. It referred
to a legal action by which a person takes into his family a child not his
own, with the purpose of treating him as and giving him all the
privileges of an own son. The custom was not common among the Jews, but
was so among the Romans, with whom an adopted child is legally entitled
to all rights and privileges of a natural-born child. This custom,
well-known in the Roman empire, is used in the N. T. as an illustration
of the act of God giving a believing sinner, who is not His natural
child, a position as His adult son in the family. This is legal act and
position, and not the same as regeneration and a place in the family as a
born-child of God." (Kenneth Wuest, Studies in the Vocabulary of the
Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1955) 78-79 )

There was a ripple of excitement all through the orphanage, for a
great lady had come to take little Jane home with her. The girl herself
was bewildered with the thought. "Do you want to go with me and be my
child?" the lady asked in gentle tones. "I don't know," said Jane
timidly. "But I'm going to give you beautiful clothes and a lot of
things, a room of your own with beautiful bed and table and chairs."
After a moment's silence, the little one said anxiously: "But what am I
to do for all this?" The lady burst into tears. "Only to love me, and be
my child," she said as she folded the little girl in her arms.
God adopts us, protects us, and give us an inheritance in glory. All
He asks in return is that we should love Him, and be His children
--Children's Record

Last modified: July 10, 2008