Articles
All Spiritual Blessings In Christ
"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). What a great blessing to know that we have the spiritual blessings we desperately need. All spiritual blessings are in Christ, God's Son and our Savior. God gives only good gifts, and there is no greater gift than Christ. God gave His Son for us. He intends for each of us to be in a right relationship with Him and His Son; then we enjoy the spiritual blessings of Christ. While we are blessed materially, the blessings of Christ are spiritual in nature. They have to do with the saving of our souls. Again, we are not surprised. He clothes the grass of the field and feeds the birds in the sky. We must thank Him for His "unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15).
When we enter a spiritual relationship with Christ, we are "new creatures" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is possible by the death and resurrection of Christ. We come to be a part of His spiritual body when we accept and obey His will. We leave behind old relationships, exchanging them for our new relationship in Christ. We have been born anew (John 3:3-5). Now there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). We no longer stand condemned; we are now justified. The guilt and stain of sin are now gone.
Paul says that redemption is in Christ. Redemption takes us to the auction block of sin. We are slaves to sin, lost and without the ability to affect our own release. Thank God the price has been paid. Jesus shed His blood. We have been freed or emancipated from sin (Romans 6:17-18). The very lifeblood of Jesus was poured out in death. Now we can be forgiven. We are loosed from the binding nature and consequences of sin. The amazing thing is that despite how we have acted, God does only good for us (Romans 5:6-8). It was the "good pleasure of His will" for His Son to die. It is His continued will that we continue in obedience to our Savior.
If the spiritual blessings we need are in Christ, then we must ask: How do we get into Christ? The Bible answer is simple: We believe and obey the gospel of God's Son, being baptized into Him (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3-4). In Christ, we are in His spiritual body, His church. Christ, not the church, is the Savior. In Christ we are in the saved relationship made possible by His blood. Have you obeyed Christ? Are you enjoying the spiritual blessings He makes possible? Why not!
