I was reading Ephesians chapter 1 in my devotions the other day. I wanted to share it with you today because it was such a life-giving passage for me. Paul begins his epistle to the Ephesus church by declaring, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 1:3, NKJV). The expressions “As I read it, the phrase “every spiritual blessing” leapt off the page at me.
Before You Continue...
Do you know what is your soul number? Take this quick quiz to find out! Get a personalized numerology report, and discover how you can unlock your fullest spiritual potential. Start the quiz now!
The Greek word eulogia, which meaning “benefit,” is the word for “blessing.” Paul wasn't only talking about lovely concepts when he mentioned spiritual blessings. When he lived in and through them, they were realities that came with actual rewards. In the end, we live in and through them as we do in Christ, but it's helpful to unpack what that entails. In verses 4-19, Paul goes on to discuss 15 different spiritual blessings that we receive when we live in Christ. I invite you to read the entire scripture passage in its entirety. Let's have a look at the 15 Spiritual Blessings that Paul bestows on you…
1. Selected Prior to the Creation of the World (v.4)
Knowing that you were chosen before the earth was created means that your life counts. Your existence isn't a result of natural selection or an accident. Before He ever said, “I'm thinking about your future,” God was already thinking about it “Let the light shine.”
2. Blameless and Holy (v.4)
You are holy and blameless in Christ. This indicates that, despite your flaws, you are qualified to serve and worship Him. When you approach God, He delights you and cheerfully moves through your life to impact others, not because of your own righteousness, but because of Christ's righteousness that has been imputed or attributed to you.
3. He Loves You (v.4)
You are standing in agape, or unconditional love, in Christ. It's not something you can earn. In Christ, you are loved unconditionally today. Have you gotten it yet? Today, make the following confession: “Jesus, I accept your unfailing love.”
4. Adoption is predestined (v.5)
In Christ, God has predetermined to call you His own. You have been chosen to be His son or daughter. You are a member of His household. He is your biological father. When parents decide to adopt a child, they often go through a selection process to choose who they will adopt and who they will not. God decided to adopt you as one of His offspring a long time ago after going through His decision-making process.
5. Belonging to the Beloved (v.6)
You have not been turned down. You are not a misfit. You are not undeserving of praise. In Christ, the Creator of the Universe accepts you. In Christ, you have been reconciled in your relationship with God and are agreeable to Him. You may not be in good health in all of your relationships right now, but there is nothing standing between you and God today if you are in Christ.
6. His Blood as a Means of Redemption (v.7)
You were a slave to sin and eternal death before Christ. You couldn't get out of it by buying or working your way out of it. The precious blood of Jesus paid the price for your freedom. Jesus was not enslaved in any way. Jesus had already been set free. In either case, Jesus paid for your freedom.
7. Sins Forgiveness (v.7)
You have morally turned your back on God in your life. In your heart, you have willfully rebelled against His law. You have often disregarded His wisdom, believing yourself to be the wiser. You are pardoned today in Christ.
8. The Gifts of His Grace Abundantly Abundantly Abundantly Abundantly Abundantly Abund (v.7-8)
Grace entails “An undeserved favor.” The term “abound” refers to a situation in “to possess in large quantities.” In Christ, an abundance of undeserved favor is flowing into your life like a river that will last from here to eternity's deepest depths.
9. He has revealed the mystery of His will to you (v.9)
God has revealed His answer to us in a fallen world of conflict, misery, and disease; a sinful world where horrible things happen to good people. In Christ, He encapsulated every answer to every aspect of the human situation and delivered it to us.
Obtaining an Eternal Inheritance is number ten (v.11)
Heaven is described in Revelation 21:4 as follows: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, sorrow, or crying. There will be no more suffering because the old things have passed away.
11. Heard the Holy Spirit's Word (v.13)
God's truth shines brightly in the dark. We don't have to go it alone. We aren't in the dark about anything. We've heard His wonderful news and figured out how to live.
12. Promise-sealed by the Holy Spirit (v.13)
The Holy Spirit's Promise, which was promised by Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Joel, John the Baptist, and Jesus, has been fulfilled in Christ today!
13. You're aware of His Calling's Optimism (v.18)
His call on your life is the basket into which you can place all of your eggs. It's a mooring. It's made of stone. It will never be for naught.
14. You are His Inheritance's Riches (v.18)
Jesus sees you as extremely valuable. God gives you back to Jesus as His heritage, just as Christ brought you back to God. In Christ, you are valued; in Christ, you are the righteousness of God. You are His everlasting recompense, which He treasures.
15. His Power's Unparalleled Magnificence (v.19-20)
According to Paul, the exceeding grandeur of His power is directed toward those who believe. What kind of clout does this have? It's the same force that brought Christ back to life! The same power that overcame sin, death, and hell is at work here. This same power is available to you now in Christ!
What are the spiritual blessing in the heavenly places?
However, before getting into the many benefits found in Christ, we would be remiss if we did not state up front exactly what one must do to get there. Only two verses directly indicate how we can enter Christ, while one verse depicts the same thing from a different perspective. Paul informed his Roman contemporaries, “Do you realize that those of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were also baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3) He wrote to the Galatians, “For everyone who has been baptized in Christ has put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). I Corinthians 12:13, which indicates that we are baptized into His body, is the third passage mentioned. Being baptized into Christ is the only way to enter the kingdom of God. To misunderstand that, you'll need assistance.
When it comes to knowing where one has to go in order to be saved, one must first know what he needs to be saved from. The ark that Noah built was the best location to be if you wanted to be saved from the flood of Noah's day. By being in that area, eight souls were saved (I Pet. 3:20). If one wishes to be redeemed from the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23), or from eternal destruction, one must be in Christ Jesus, who is the source of all spiritual blessings. Timothy was instructed by Paul that he “…suffered everything for the elect's sakes, so that they, too, might inherit eternal life through Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 2:10). According to the apostle John, “And this is the record: God has given us eternal life, which we have in his Son” (I John 5:11). The text we mentioned from the book of Romans also reveals that our salvation is in Christ, but the words are not spoken. They were baptized into Christ and into His death, Paul said, and then he added, “As a result, we are baptized into death with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we may also walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4). Take note of when the newness of life began, at the time of baptism into Christ. The Corinthians were told by Paul, “As a result, if anybody is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away, and all things have become new” (II Cor. 5:17). It is self-evident that one must be baptized into Christ in order to be saved, for salvation is found there. And, once again, one would need assistance to misunderstand that. However, we must recognize that there is a lot of assistance accessible in the area of misunderstanding.
Now let us look at some of the other blessings that can be found “in” Jesus Christ We might easily fill the rest of our space with specific blessings that the exact words used to describe them are employed to describe. In the book of Ephesians, for example, after the declaration that “Paul wrote that “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places” are in Christ (Eph. 1:3), that we are chosen in Him (Eph. 1:4), that we have redemption by His blood (Eph. 1:7), and that sins are forgiven in Him (Eph. 1:8). (Eph. 1:7). He also remarked that we have received an inheritance via Christ (Eph. 1:11). Going through the New Testament and making a list of all the blessings we have “In Christ” would take up all of our available space and then some.
With the remaining space, let us focus on one particular blessing that is frequently missed by the world at large. People who profess to be Christians but have never been baptized into Christ can be found all around our country. Many people have been baptized, but not in the way that the baptism that brings us into Christ requires. To be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, one must believe the gospel, repent of their sins, confess Christ as the Son of God, and confess Christ as the Son of God. The Lord then accepts that person into His body, the church (Acts 2:41, 47). Many people who haven't done so still pray to God with their heads bowed. Prayer is a blessing that is conferred upon people who are in Christ Jesus, dear friends and brethren. Those who accept Christ have the ability to become God's sons (John 1:12). This demonstrates that mankind as a whole is not God's child. Paul declared to the Philippians that they were God's sons (Phil. 2:15). We are unable to pray “When God isn't our Father, we say “our Father.” According to the previously blind guy, “He was not an inspired speaker when he said, “God heareth not sinners” (John 9:31). He was Peter, and he wrote, “For the Lord's eyes are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their petitions; but the Lord's face is set against those who do evil” (I Pet. 3:12). The blessing of prayer is one of the many magnificent blessings that God has bestowed upon us via His precious Son. Thank God for that, since it is your birthright.
What are the spiritual gifts of the spirit?
The New Testament has a number of listings of spiritual gifts, the majority of which are found in the Pauline epistles. Although each list is distinct, there is some overlap.
The charismata were prophesied in the Book of Joel (2:28) and promised by Christ (Mark 16:1718), according to Christians. This promise was realized on Pentecost Day and as the church spread around the world. Paul devoted much of his First Epistle to the Corinthians (chapters 1214) to spiritual gifts in order to rectify misuse surrounding spiritual talents in Corinth.
Two Greek phrases are translated as “spiritual gifts” in 1 Corinthians 12. The word pneumatika (“spirituals” or “things of the Spirit”) appears in verse 1. The word charisma is used in verse 4. The word comes from the Greek word charis, which meaning “grace.” The terms diakonia (translated “administrations,” “ministries,” or “service”) and energemata (“operations” or “inworkings”) are used in verses 5 and 6 to describe the nature of spiritual gifts. The term “manifestation (phanerosis) of the Spirit” is used in verse 7.
Christians interpret spiritual gifts as enablements or capacities conferred by God on individuals, based on these scriptural texts. These cannot be earned or merited because they are freely supplied by God. These are activities or manifestations of the Holy Spirit, not of the gifted person, even though they are carried out via persons. They are to be used for the benefit of others, and they are given to the church as a whole rather than to individual members. The gifts are distributed in a variety of ways; no single person will have all of them. The church is edified (built up), exhorted (encouraged), and comforted through spiritual gifts.
Many think that there are as many gifts as there are needs in the church of Christ, despite the fact that Paul did not mention all of the Spirit's gifts. The gifts have been categorized in the past based on their similarities and differences with other gifts. Some categorize them into three groups based on Old Testament offices. Any gift that involves teaching, encouraging, or rebuking others is considered “prophetic.” Mercy and concern for the poor are examples of “priestly” gifts, as is intercession before God. Gifts involving church management or government are referred to as “kingly.” Others classify them as “gifts of knowledge” (words of wisdom, word of knowledge, differentiating between spirits), “gifts of speech” (tongues, interpretation, prophecy), and “gifts of power” (tongues, interpretation, prophecy) (faith, healing, miracles). The gifts have also been divided into those that promote the church's inner growth (apostle, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, teaching, word of wisdom/knowledge, helps, and administration) and those that promote the church's outer development (apostle, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, teaching, word of wisdom/knowledge, helps, and administration) (faith, miracles, healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues).
What is the great blessing of God?
Christians insist that we are Abraham's children even if we don't do Abraham's works. “Abraham's blessings are mine,” we sing over and over. “In the morning and in the evening, I am blessed; Abraham's blessings are mine.” However, we have not gotten wealthy as a result of our appropriation of Abraham's benefits. Something is amiss because Christians should be the wealthiest people on the planet today.
“I will bless you and make your name large, and you shall be a blessing,” God said to Abraham. (Genesis 12:2, NASB) Following that, we discover that “Abram was extremely wealthy in livestock, silver, and gold.” (Genesis 13:2, NASB) Was that the end of the promise he'd made to him?
What is the greatest gift that God has given to the world?
Giving gifts is a way of expressing love. “This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven,” the First Epistle of John explains (4:10, Good News Translation).
We could argue that God's gift of Christ Jesus is the greatest gift ever given to humanity. God, who is divine Love itself, loves us so much that He sent Jesus to awaken us to our true identity as God's beloved sons and daughters and to show us how to live it. This is definitely something to rejoice over!
Jesus referred to himself as the Son of God, implying that he is the entire expression of divine Love's reforming and healing power. He also referred to himself as the Son of Man, referring to his appearance in human form as a result of his virgin birth, which we commemorate throughout the Christmas season.
Jesus encountered every kind of opposition while carrying out his Christ-identity on Earth. And there was plenty of it to go around! Nonetheless, he adored us – all of us. Jesus restored human character, healed sicknesses, and reversed destructive material forces by his authentic representation of divine Love's omnipotent power. He accomplished all of this to demonstrate God's love for humanity and to demonstrate that God is completely capable of meeting everyone's human needs.
All of Jesus' teachings, including the Lord's Prayer, the Sermon on the Mount, and instructional parables – as well as his miraculous healing miracles assist us in recognizing and living our own spiritual identity and following Jesus' example as Christian healers.
What are the 3 realms of heaven?
There are three degrees of glory (alternatively, kingdoms of glory) in Mormon theology and cosmology, which are the final, eternal resting place for practically all who lived on earth once they are raised from the spirit realm.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the biggest denomination in the Latter-day Saint movement, believe that the apostle Paul briefly outlined these degrees of glory in 1 Corinthians 15:40-42 and 2 Corinthians 12:2. Joseph Smith elaborated on Paul's descriptions, based mostly on a vision he had with Sidney Rigdon in 1832, which is recorded in D&C Section 76. According to this vision, everyone will be resurrected and allocated to one of three degrees of splendor at the Final Judgment: heavenly, terrestrial, or telestial kingdoms. A small number of people who commit the unpardonable sin will be sent to outer darkness with Satan, where they will be called “sons of Perdition,” rather than receiving a kingdom of glory.