January 5, 2025

Scripture

Ephesians 1:3-14 ESV Spiritual Blessings in Christ

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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to his purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 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, so that Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Reflection

The soundtrack for this scripture is certainly the hymn Blessed Assurance and the first verse sums it up:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine

Heir of salvation, purchase of God

Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood

In this letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul is sharing God’s revelation of His will for us through the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, by means of a blessing for/of God, or a berakan in Hebrew, meaning blessing Him with praise. We are told of God’s promise to us to never forsake us, and adopt us into His family that was made long before the foundations of the earth were ever laid. God in His omnipotence knew every one of us and the outcome of creation before it was even created. In this He predestined the world for love and His love for all humanity. This is the promise that all people will be grafted into His family as chosen, Jew and gentile alike. This message of joy and great hope is that we are all enshrined in the family of God, and the predestination of those who hear and believe in Christ into the promised world of salvation. Even though we are still sinners here on earth, this promise from God is the surest thing believers have in their lives. As it is said in Las Vegas, the house never loses. God is the house, and the game is rigged. He already has bought and paid for us with the blood of His only son, Jesus. In this He consecrated us, or as translated from the Greek word Hagios in the original text, He has set us aside for His use and we were all created for a purpose. We need to keep this ever present in our minds as we strive to live like He wants us to do and answer when He calls.

We are reminded in this letter of God’s ultimate and fully sovereign authority, and that nothing happens anywhere in all creation that is not through Him. This is a stark reminder that he has showered us with his unfailing love and has saved us through His grace alone, and there is nothing we can do to earn it. As faith is even a gift, when we hear the truth and trust the truth that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, we can’t even take credit for that! The mystery here comes in the fact that we are not slaves in our belief, and yet we are already gifted with future redemption and a full inheritance of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Let that sink in for a minute…EVERY SPRITUAL BLESSING IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES!!! What an inheritance!...something I can’t even begin to imagine with my limited human mind, but how exciting!

The joy of this scripture is that our Heavenly Father also becomes Abba Father to all people, as He adopts us into His family. He has called us to be His, even before the universe was made. He has marked us with His seal through the Holy Spirit, and redeemed us through the blood of His beloved son, Jesus. He has PROMISED us eternal life with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! ALL PRAISE AND GLORY TO OUR LOVING FATHER IN HEAVEN!

Prayer

Abba Father, we cannot even begin to thank You enough for the love and mercy You continually show us, Your fallen family of sinners. We know that it cost You EVERYTHING to redeem us through the blood of Your beloved son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Because of this, we will stand blameless and faultless before You, with no work on our part. Only the purest gift of Your grace and love brings us into Your chosen family, with a full inheritance of eternal life and spiritual blessing beyond measure. For this unbreakable promise that You have demonstrated to us through the work of Your son, Jesus, on the cross, we give You praise and all glory and are eternally grateful. In Your Son Jesus Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen

Christopher Lofstuen