Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)
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.
The basic truths of the faith are enough to set Paul to praising God and His plan. What follows are not “secrets of the faith” or information for a select few but are truths that were continually shared with those who had come to faith in Jesus.
First and foremost is that through faith in Jesus, those who follow Him are living in the midst of abundant blessings which proceed directly from God’s throne, and which are poured out freely on the people of His kingdom. Paul calls these “spiritual” blessings, not at all meaning that they are unreal, unavailable in the real world, or unable to be experienced until we get to heaven.
Instead, Paul knew that the spiritual dimension is the most concrete, most real dimension imaginable because God, the source of all physical reality, lives in that dimension. Every blessing that comes into a person’s physical life originates with God in the spiritual realm. These blessings all have here and now availability beyond our ability to comprehend, because they come from God’s limitless supply. And they are available in every area of life. These include:
- Presence. God promised that He would never leave or forsake His people (Deuteronomy 31:6). Jesus promised that He would be with His followers constantly (Matthew 28:20). And He also promised that the Holy Spirit would be present with them continually (John 14:16) and that, along with the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Jesus Himself would make their home within each believer (John 14:23). The powerful and constant presence of the entire Trinity in a believer’s life is a spiritual blessing that is available to all.
- Purity. The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin, marking every record of wrongs as “Paid in Full”. But that blood, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit also cleanses the heart from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), purifying the heart by faith (Acts 15:8-9), and enabling genuine holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16, 2 Peter 3:11). Only a pure heart, a great spiritual blessing, can produce a holy life.
- Power. Once a person’s heart is made pure, they can be entrusted with the power and authority that flows toward them from God’s throne. This divine power enables God’s people to literally do the things that Jesus did, and even greater things (John 14:12-15). His people also receive power to be a potent witness of Jesus (Acts 1:8), as demonstrated by Peter and the other apostles from the day of Pentecost onward.
- Passion and Purpose. These are great motivators and movers to action. The divinely given understanding that those who don’t know Jesus will ultimately perish has driven men and women into mission fields near and far for two thousand years. As these divine blessings of passion and purpose, often called “zeal” in the Scriptures, moved Jesus to action (John 2:17), so they move all God’s people to live and act in ways that grow His kingdom.
- Provision. Jesus always had everything that He needed every single day, and so did His followers (Luke 22:35). And He promised them that if they sought first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, that they would have all their physical needs met from God’s heavenly storehouse (Matthew 6:33). That divine blessing is still available to all who keep God first in their lives and hearts.
- Protection. This doesn’t mean that God’s people won’t suffer or die at some point. The first apostles demonstrated that clearly enough. But it does mean that we can move forward boldly and without fear, knowing that God will protect us until our kingdom work is completed, and then He will usher us safely into his presence, where we will live without pain, suffering or death forever (Acts 22:17-18, 23:11, 27:23-26; 2 Timothy 1:7, 2:11-12, 4:6-8; 2 Peter 1:10-11, 3:11-14).
All these spiritual blessings in Christ are freely available to everyone who trusts in Jesus, and who live and work wholeheartedly in God’s kingdom economy.
Father, with all these blessings being constantly poured into my life, how could I ever fall into hopelessness or discouragement? And how could I not be a powerful witness to Jesus as I walk through each of the days of my life? Forgive me, Lord, for the times that I have forgotten to look upward for these blessings so that I could walk in them, choosing instead to operate in my own pitiful strength and power. Help me to live every day in the fullness of these amazing blessings that You graciously pour out on Your people continually. Amen.