EP 193: Already Blessed: Our Spiritual Blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Inside: So often my gaze is inward and not upward. Ephesians 1 reminds me of all that’s already mine in Christ.
I’ve been camping in the book of Ephesians lately. Reading it repeatedly, slowly working through it, and taking time to ponder the rich truths packed into this short letter.
This letter is such a good reminder to us of all that is already ours when we belong to Christ.
Before we go any further, let’s read Ephesians 1:3–14 together. It’s a longer passage, but it’s worth reading slowly—maybe even more than once—because there is so much here to take in.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 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, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
11 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, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Paul opens this passage with praise to God and then reminds believers of all the spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ.
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Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ
As we move through these verses, notice the beautiful work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God the Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, and in love He adopted us into His family. So now in Christ we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of our sins. When we heard the gospel and believed, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
None of this is something we earned, and we couldn’t work our way into these blessings by trying harder to be a better Christian. They are only ours because of Jesus, and they come to us fully by grace.
I love that Paul starts his letter here. Later in the letter he tells us how to walk and how to love one another. He tells us how to live in our homes and how to stand firm in the faith. But before he gets to any of that, he reminds us of who we are in Christ and what God has already done for us. The Christian life doesn’t start with us trying to somehow make ourselves acceptable to God. It begins with His grace toward us in Christ. If you are in Christ, these blessings are already yours right now.
What Does It Mean to Be Blessed in Christ?
That word blessed can be confusing sometimes because we use it for so many things. I may say I’m blessed when my family is healthy and our bills are paid, or when the Lord answers a prayer the way I hoped He would. Every one of those good gifts is from Him, and we should be so grateful and give Him thanks and praise for them. But that isn’t all Paul means by blessed here.
When Paul says God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, he’s pointing us to something much deeper and much more lasting than us just having a good day.
Our health and finances can change in a moment, and relationships can get hard. Our plans don’t always work out how we desire them to. But none of those things can take away what God has done for us in Christ. When Paul opens this letter with praise, I think it’s because his eyes aren’t on his circumstances, but they’re looking upward and remembering what God has done. So often my gaze is inward and not upward.
Remembering What Is Already Ours in Christ
I can find myself focusing on all the ways I don’t measure up or dwelling on my failings and my sin and my mistakes. I can begin to look at the challenging circumstances or relationships in my life and wish they were different, and it’s in those moments I need to come back to Ephesians and remind myself of all that is true because I’m in Christ.
I am in Christ. I’m not just following Him or trying to be more like Him, but I’m in Him. Jesus’s standing with the Father is now our standing. We are fully blessed in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6).
And it’s almost like Paul knows we’re going to forget about all the blessings we have in Christ. In this passage alone he tells us 11 times: “in Christ,” “in him,” “in the Beloved.” This is where my mind needs to go when I’m having doubts and questions. But it is more than a reminder for forgetful people like me. It is Paul’s main point here that every blessing flows from being in Christ.
This is why we hear the reminder again and again to preach the gospel to ourselves, because we need to come back to the truth that my standing with God rests fully on what Jesus has done and not on whether or not I had a “good” day.
And if you’re reading today and you don’t know Christ, I want you to know that these blessings are found in Him alone. We have no goodness of our own to depend on. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sins. Turn from your sin and trust in Him and in His finished work on your behalf. He is a gracious and sufficient Savior.
To the Praise of His Glory
Paul also keeps bringing us back to the purpose of these blessings: “to the praise of his glory.”
When we remember what God has done for us, our hearts should be moved to worship. He has lavished His grace upon us, and the more I think about that, the more I want to praise Him. Paul doesn’t tell us about these blessings so we’ll spend more time thinking about ourselves. He wants our eyes on the One who gave them, so that we remember what God has done and praise Him for who He is.
Carrying the Truth of Ephesians 1 Into Our Everyday Lives
This part is a challenge for me because I know these truths in my head, but it’s not as easy for me to act on them in those moments when I’m anxious or feeling overwhelmed with all the things on my list for the day. It might be a conversation with a friend I’m just really not looking forward to having, or I may be feeling anxious about an upcoming interview to talk about the book. It’s not in my comfort zone to do that.
I have a choice in these kinds of moments, and I don’t always choose right immediately. I can sink into doubt about the interview and my capabilities, or I can pray and ask God to help me, prepare for it to the best of my abilities, and trust Him with the results.
I can play out in my mind all the ways the conversation I need to have with my friend can go wrong, or I can pray and ask the Lord to give me humility and wisdom to speak to her with much truth and grace.
This doesn’t make every hard thing go away, but it does help me see my circumstances in light of what is true because I’m in Christ.
There are things that feel hard and that I want to avoid, but I can’t avoid them because they are responsibilities the Lord has given me to take care of. These are the very things He is using to grow me spiritually. So before I spend the day with my eyes only on those things, I want to stop and remember what is already mine because I belong to Jesus. I have so much to thank Him for.
Which Spiritual Blessing Do You Need to Remember Today?
As you think about this passage, which of these truths does your heart most need today?
I’d encourage you to read Ephesians 1:3–14 again today, slowly. You might even write down each blessing Paul names and spend a few minutes thanking the Lord for each one.
Whatever today holds, my friend, if you belong to Christ, you are richly blessed in Him. May that lead our hearts to worship, and may it make us thankful women today.
Homemaking Matters explores how the gospel shapes our work at home and how the Lord uses our ordinary responsibilities, relationships, and interruptions in His sanctifying work.