Ephesians 1.3-6
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
The opening section of Ephesians (1:3–2:10) describes the new life God has given us in Christ. This section divides naturally into two halves, the first consisting of praise and the second of prayer. In the ‘praise’ half Paul praises God that he has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (1:3–14), while in the ‘prayer’ half he asks that God will open our eyes to understand the fullness of this blessing (1:15–2:10).
Let’s look at 1:3-6. This passage is a summation of the spiritual blessings which are our possession in Christ. These verses are God-centered. The core message is that the Christian life—the entire universe—exists for God’s purpose and praise. If you read ahead in Chapter 1 you will note that the blessings we receive are the work of the trinity. You will also notice that in every instance that the work of the trinity is to the praise of God’s glory.
- Verses 3-6 is the Father choosing us “to the praise of his glorious grace.” This is a past view. It is what the Father has done.
- Verses 7-12 is the Son redeeming us “for the praise of his glory.” This is a present view. It is what Jesus the Son is doing.
- Verses 13-14 is the Spirit sealing us “to the praise of his glory.” This is a future view. It is what the Holy Spirit will do.
The amazing statement is in verse 3, where Paul tells us that we have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. What an incredible truth! Through our relationship with Christ we have been given every spiritual blessing; that is, everything that we need in order to live a vibrant, productive Christian life.
Describing the blessings as “spiritual” refers to the origin of the resources: the Holy Spirit. It means that the Spirit empowers us to live and work in a distinctly Christian way. That includes how we think, act, collaborate with people, and do our every day jobs. The notion that “spiritual” only refers to the non-physical, non-material world is not biblical. God is the author of the physical creation and the laws that govern it, and the spiritual blessings that he bestows upon us equip us to do productive and fruitful work in the cause-and-effect world in which we live.
Our need, then, is not to receive something more from God, but to do something more with what God has already given us. The key to an effective, high-impact Christian life is not more blessings; it is learning to take hold of and apply the blessings that we already have by virtue of our relationship with Christ.
The Lord’s message to us is this: “I bless you so that you can bless others.” God did not design us simply to be a recipient of his blessings. He designed us to be a conduit. In other words, God does not just give blessings to you; he gives blessings to others through you. The blessings you have are not primarily for you; they are for other people. You are the conduit. You are the agent of delivery.
Read Genesis 12.1-3, and you will see that this plan began with Abraham. “I will bless you,” the Lord says to Abraham, “and you will be a blessing. . . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12.2-3).
I think one of the primary reasons we do not experience the fullness of God’s blessings in our lives is because we often seek God’s blessings to benefit ourselves, and we do not think of others. But it is when we die to self and live to serve Christ and others that the Lord releases the fullness of his power in us.
“The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23.11-12)
The Lord calls us to be stewards. The spiritual blessings actually belong to him, and he gives them to us so we will use them to serve others. We are not owners of his blessings; we are stewards. Ephesians 1 makes it clear that we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
The question is: What are we doing with those blessings?
