What are the theological and practical implications of the riches and spiritual blessings that Paul describes in Ephesians. By understanding the context of the term blessing in biblical themes, we can rediscover the Christian view of riches and blessings in the life of the Spirit, beyond our expectation, and in the fullness of our inheritance in Christ.
3 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, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. —Ephesians 1:3-23
In Old Testament usage, to be blessed by God meant to receive benefits from God such as possessions, prosperity, or power. The term is used over 40 times in the New Testament, and though many times it is used when people ‘praise’ God or Jesus.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. —Luke 1:64
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. —James 3:9-10
9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” —Matthew 21:9
To invoke God’s enabling power
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed —Luke 2:34
It is also used, as in the present context, where God is the subject who ‘provides benefits’ to the recipients
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. —Matthew 25:34
Blessing can convey the idea of ‘benefits’ both in the OT and in the NT.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. —Isaiah 44:3
14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. —Galatians 3:14
When life doesn’t feel
or lavish, we can find it difficult to hear that God has blessed us with
“spiritual blessing.” Should we conclude that God doesn’t care about our physical needs or circumstances in the real world?
Paul understood that our participation in the kingdom of God on earth is mediated through the Spirit of God.
The Spirit is how we experience
, kill sin, and grasp our adoption into God’s family. In all of this, the Spirit comes to us as the ‘
’ of the kingdom’s blessings, the ‘guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it’.
- A great example of all of this can be found in reading Romans Chp. 8
There are seasons of both ‘abundance and need’ - but in the Spirit we have all the blessings that enable us to live in contentment.
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. —Philippians 4:12-13
- PEACE – closely related to contentment
o We often think of Peace as the absence of trouble but it is the word SHALOAM –
- Means everything which makes for man’s highest good.
- It is independent of outward experiences
- We see this all the time
- Man with EVERYTHING, The riches of the world, homes, influence, power, but miserable and without peace
- Man with Nothing, starving, maybe even about to be martyred with not a comfort in the world yet; perfect peace
“The explanation is that there is only one source of peace in all the world, and that is doing the will of God. When we are doing something which we know we ought not to do or are evading something that we know we ought to do, there is always a haunting dispeace at the back of ourminds; but if we are doing something very difficult, even something we do not want to do, so long as we know that it is the right thing there is a certain contentment in our hearts. “In his will is our peace.” —William Barclay - Means everything which makes for man’s highest good.
The Spirit empowers us to live
and
HOLY - The word always has the idea of difference and separation4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. —Ephesians 1:4-6
o Temple is holy because it is different from other buildings
o Priest is holy because he is different from ordinary men
o God is supremely holy because he is different from men
o Sabbath is holy because it is different from other days
o God has chosen and called us as CHRISTIANS to be different from other men.
Remember that the difference we are called to is not one that takes us out of the world BUT, instead it is to make us
the world
BLAMELESS – This is a sacrificial word
Which we know we are incapable of. And Paul continues in verses 7-9 to point to the fact that we have been given this blessing that is MORE THAN ENOUGH to cover us.o Sacrifices that were without blemish
o Only your best was offered to God
o Amamus thinks of the whole man as an offering to God. Every part of our life, work, pleasure, sport, home life, personal relationships and making them all so that they can be offered to God.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ —Ephesians 1:7-9
Grace gives believers many blessings and forms our identity. This is seen as a rich treasure of benefits. It is about more than simply getting to heaven; it is about what we have and will have as a result:
- the walk with God,
- the fellowship of the saints and
- the reconciliation and peace that come with consummation.
- This inheritance is his and yet its benefits for us come graciously from him as we share in it.
- The verse alludes to having awareness of this whole package. This is God’s inheritance because his people are his possession and they are the beneficiaries of that relationship. It is an honour to belong to God and to receive what he gives as a result.
- This is where the core of a stable personal identity in Christ comes from: we belong to the Creator God and are precious to him.
Life in the Spirit gives us contentment
- In seasons of depression and inward spiritual desert as well as in seasons of feeling good and victory;
- In seasons of material struggles in our finances and health as well as in seasons of financial peace and relative health.
- Paul points to the Holy Spirit as the guarantor of our inheritance. The Holy Spirit is our companion in the Christian life. It’s a life worth living, and far beyond our expectations.