“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
The apostle Paul begins his epistle to the church in Ephesus with a section of thanksgiving to God for blessings enjoyed by those in Christ Jesus. God is worthy of our gratitude, for He is our great Benefactor. The introduction to Paul’s consideration of these blessings in Christ gives insight into the essence of the church, and of the blessedness of her members.
- The gratitude Paul expresses toward God is for “every spiritual blessing.” God is deserving of our praise and thankfulness in all things, including blessings of a physical nature. However, the Christian is not necessarily always one who enjoys physical prosperity. The focus of Paul, as should be for all Christians, is on the spiritual! We, too, must learn to focus on, appreciate, and delight in the things above, where Christ is seated (cf. Colossians 3:1-4).
- The spiritual blessings, naturally, are found “in the heavenly places.” The “heavenly places” are spiritual places. Christians are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), raised from being dead in sin to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). This is obviously yet to be consummated. The Holy Spirit is the “guarantee of our inheritance” (v. 14). Until the realization of such “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We should be encouraged to continue steadfastly by laying up treasure in heaven until our hope is realized, knowing that such is certain!
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