Eph 1:3
Blessed
be
the
God
and
Father
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
, who
hath blessed
us
with
all
spiritual
blessings
in
heavenly
places
in
Christ:
KJV
Eph 1:3-4
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
(from "The Everlasting Gospel", Copyright © 2000 by
Freed-Hardeman University. All rights reserved.)
Comments:
"Blessed is the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ"
Hallelujah praise Jehovah, the father of our saviour. We can't sing enough
praise, or work enough works to pay Him back for what He has done for us.
His incredible gift to us is beyond compare. "For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life," (John
3:16). "In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through him. Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins," (1
John 4:9-10)
"our Lord
Jesus Christ"
All judgment has been given to Jesus Christ, (John
5:27). He has been put in authority over everything in creation
and in heaven, (Col 1:16-17).
The sinless life He lived and the blood He shed is the only thing that can save
us from eternal separation from God, (Rom
5:9). He is indeed our Lord and Saviour.
"who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places"
The combination of words "heavenly places"
are found only in the book of Ephesians. Heavenly places are mentioned 4
times by Paul in this letter and nowhere else in any of his preserved writings.
Eph 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:20
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his
own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus:
Eph 3:10
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Eph 1:20 is easy to understand since we know that God the Father is in heaven
right now, (Matt 6:9), and we know
from other scripture that Jesus is on His right hand, (Heb
1:3). The powers in heavenly places mentioned in Eph
3:10, could easily be in reference to the angels who desire to look into the
plans of God, (1 Peter 1:12).
Anyone believing that an angel is not a power should read about the angel that
stretched out a sword in his hand over Israel and destroyed 70,000 men as a
punishment to King David for numbering his army in disobedience to the will of
God, (1 Chron 21:14-17).
If that account doesn't give one pause for reflection, perhaps the angel
that destroyed 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian king, Sennacherib's army at the
gates of Jerusalem, in their sleep, in one night, (Isa 37:36), will convince us
of the power of at least one of the angels. Two angels were sent to
destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, (Gen 19: 1-25). We don't know how many people
perished in that overthrow, but we do know that: "...
Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain,
and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace,"
(Gen 19:27-28).
If heavenly places are not on earth, then what are the spiritual blessings we
are blessed with in heavenly places?
God knows what we need and has promised that we would be cared for, (Matt 6:8, Matt 6:28-34).
God has promised us that we will never be tempted beyond what we can endure, (1 Cor 10:13).
Our names are written in the book of life, (Phil 4:3).
We know and are known of God, (Gal 4:9).
We are reconciled to God by the blood of Christ, (Eph 2:13-14).
God has not given us commandments to obey and forsaken us. He will take care of his own. If these are not blessings in heavenly places, then what would be?
"in
Christ"
These spiritual blessings in heavenly places are only for those who are "in
Christ." If we are not "in Christ," then we do not have any spiritual
blessings. We have no assurance that our needs will be met, either in the
flesh or hereafter. There is no promise to limit satan to any kind of
temptation whatsoever. Our names would not be written in the book of life.
We are not known of God, and we have no peace and reconciliation with God, and
no hope for salvation.
Matt 7:23
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Rev 20:15
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire."
Since it is vitally important for our eternal well being to be "in Christ", then the question begs to be asked, how does one get oneself "in Christ?" It is interesting to note that there is only way "into Christ" specifically mentioned in scripture.
Gal 3:27
"For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
Rom 6:3
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death?"
Baptism into Christ is an absolute essentiality for there to be any spiritual blessings whatsoever, either here on earth or in heavenly places. There are simply no spiritual blessings outside of Christ. This includes our eternal salvation.
Eph 2:12
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope, and without God in the world:"