In Ephesians Paul writes, "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" (Eph 1:3). From there he spends 12 verses listing some of those blessings. But ... isn't it interesting? He says God "has blessed us." Not "will bless us." Already accomplished. With what? "every spiritual blessing." Wait ... really? I'm not sure I'm experiencing every spiritual blessing.
How do we make sense of this? It isn't obscure. He has done it. He's not going to. And it's every blessing, not just some. So how is that true? Well, we do know that He sent His Son (John 3:16). Jesus said, "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Mat 5:45). Paul said, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4). Lots of blessings, and already present.
Ultimately, He has blessed us -- past tense -- with every spiritual blessing ... in Christ. Christ is that blessing that encompasses them all. He is in us (Col 1:27). He is the fulfillment of all God's promises (2 Cor 1:20). And we understand, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). Thus, the "every spiritual blessing" is, ultimately, "in Christ" and already a done thing. Meditate on that a while.
2 comments:
Every blessing has been accomplished for us, we simply have to wait for us to feel the effects of those blessings because we are sin-sick brutes.
You are right, Stan--the matchless spiritual blessing of my being in Christ and Christ being in me is another instance of “I scarce can take it in.” I am sure I will not realize its full measure until I am in the Lord’s presence, but how wonderful to learn from the Apostle Paul that immediately upon believing in Christ, the Lord granted me adoption, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, grace, an inheritance, the Holy Spirit’s seal, and more! As you say, so much upon which to meditate.
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