"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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will -- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession -- to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:3-14, NIV).
"Praise be to the God..." as we read in verse 3. The New Living Translation states, "How we praise God..." After Job lost all his children and all his material possessions, he said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord BE PRAISED" (Job 1:21).
God is worthy to be praised -- to be lifted up, be glorified, be commended, be approved, and be applauded, in spite of what had happened, what is happening and what will happen to us, for He "has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ"!
He, as we read in the New Living Translation, "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ."
God "has blessed us..."
He is the God of blessings. He does not just punish, discipline, or avenge. He also blesses.
Though He brought many troubles to Job, allowed various sufferings and trials to happen to men, or sent the latest super typhoon -- "Reming" (International Name -- Durian) in our province (Albay, Philippines) last November 30 -- destroying houses and hundreds of lives caused by winds of more than 260 kph, with heavy rains, flooding the many areas and pushing down the volcanic debris from Mayon Volcano and covering many villages -- yet, He provided many blessings!
We read in Proverbs 3:33, "The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous."
In Genesis 5:2, we read that He blessed our first parents, "He created them male and female and blessed them..."
He blessed Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, "The Lord had said to Abram, ’Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’" (also Gen. 22:15-18).
And through Moses, God promised great blessing to the Israelites. We read in Deuteronomy 7:12-15, "If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you" (also Deut. 28:2-13; Ps. 115:12).
God also granted the request of Jabez to bless him, as we read in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ’I gave birth to him in pain.’ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ’Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request."
And let us not forget the blessings He showered on Job after the many sufferings in his life (Job 42:12-17).
Paul, however, pointed out in Ephesians that the saints, the faithful or those who belong to Christ has already received many blessings from God. And He blessed them "with EVERY spiritual blessing," or as translated in God’s Word of Freedom, "with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer."
We tend to believe that God’s blessings are only material, or physcial. But God’s Word teaches that He could bless us not only with material wealth, excellent health, or whatever concrete success.
Job realized greater blessing than his material blessings he received afterwards (see Job 42:1-6).
The Apostle Peter emphasized to the Jews in his time that blessing of God to them was not just physical. We read in Acts 3:24-26, "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ’Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."
We read verse 26 in the New Living Translation, "When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you people of Israel, TO BLESS YOU by turning each of you back from your sinful ways."
When we change our ways -- from selfish, self-willed, or sinful ways -- and begin to seek God first and recognise His rule in our life-- it is not just the result of our own human will, or good choice. God bleses us by working in us, enabling us to will and to do what pleases Him.
Let’s return to the 1st chapter of Ephesians. Note again the phrase which says that "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed US..."
There are those who are teaching the word "us" refers to every human being -- that God has blessed every human being with every spiritual blessing. Does the
Bible teach it, or does "us" refer to the "saints... the faithful in Christ Jesus" (verse 1) -- in other words, to every believer?
Let’s proceed and find out the "spiritual blessing" mentioned by Paul and decide also for ourselves, if the blessings could apply to every human being.
We read in verse 4, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight..."
The New Living Translation renders it, "Long ago, even before he made the wold, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes."
God has blessed us when He chose us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. We also read in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth."
Another blessing from God, as we read "...In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--"
We read verse 5 in the New Living Translaton, "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure."
It’s a blessing to be "predestined...to be adopted as his sons" -- not only to be adopted, but it’s His unchanging plan has always been to do it. We read also in verses 11-12, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory."
We also read in Romans 8:29, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son..." We read it in the New Living Translation, "For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son..."
Furthermore, we read in verse 30: "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."
We read another spiritual blessing given by God in verse 7 of Ephesians 1, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins..."
The New Living Translation renders it: "He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his son, and our sins are forgiven."
We need to realize we are enslaved by sin (Titus 3:3). On our own, we cannot free ourselves from it. But we read in Psalm 34:22, "The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him."
We also read in Hebrews 9:11-15, "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."
What a blessing to be forgiven and be freed from sin!
The next blessing God gave is mentioned in verse 8 and 9, as we read in God’s Word of Freedom: "He poured out his kindness by giving us every kind of wisdom and insight when he revealed the mystery of his plan to us."
According to Paul, "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."
Jesus Christ did not come to save only the Isarelites, or the Jews. We read in Galatians 3:26-29, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Let us note also Galatians 5:6, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision (Jews) not circumcisio9n (non-Jews) has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (also Gal. 6:15).
God also blessed us by providing us an inheritance. New King James Version renders verse 11, "...in whom also we have obtained an inheritance" We read in the New Living Translation, "...because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God."
Paul also wrote "the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse" (Col. 1:2) -- "...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (Col. 1:12).
Further, he wrote: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward..." (Col. 23-24.)
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritnace that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you."
Will this "inheritance" be given to every human being?
We read the very clear answer in Ephesians 5:5, "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person -- such a man is an idolater -- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
In verse 13 of Ephesians 1, we read another blessing from God: "In Him, you also after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -- having also believed..." (NAS.)
We read it in the Everyday Bible this way, "When you heard the true teaching -- the good News about your salvation -- you believe in Christ..."
The blessing we received from God is not just the opportunity to hear or listen about the truth, but He granted also the faith to believe in it (Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29).
In the New Living Translation we read verses 19-20, "I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for US WHO BELIEVE him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms."
God’s Word says in verse 19 that the "us" -- whom God has blessed "with every spiritual blessing" in verse 3 did not refer to every human being, but to us "WHO BELIEVE."
According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, "The same superhuman power was needed and exerted to make us believe, as was needed and exerted to raise Christ from the dead (verse 20)."
Realize the blessing from God when He enabled you to really believe in His Son!
And the final spiritual blessing we learn from our main text, "Having believed YOU WERE MARKED IN HIM WITH A SEAL, THE PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT."
The New Living Translation paraphrased it, "And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by GIVING YOU THE HOLY SPIRIT..."
We read verse 14 in the New Living Translation, "The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God."
Through the Holy Spirit, God Himself dwells in every believer. At this time, no greater blessing could transcend when the One who blesses is with you and will never leave you. He Himself is the Blessing of blessings. He will not depart from His children.
Do we have the Great Blessing?
PRAYER: What a Great God You are! You are not only All-Powerful, All-Knowing and All-Loving. Indeed we are so grateful for revealing Yourself to us that You are the God of All-blessing! We praise You, our Father of Blessing, for having You as our God. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
