EPHESIANS 1:3-14
2. Spiritual blessings are the very opposite of temporal blessings. They are the blessings of the inner man, the blessings
of the immortal. But of all blessings, they are the most glorious and satisfying. They are the blessings that erase the loneli-
ness, alienation, and purposelessness of man. They are the blessings that give man an over-abundance of life.
3. Spiritual blessings are vastly superior to material blessings. They are permanent and perfect and eternal, lasting for-
ever. They are of the very same nature as God Himself. Spiritual blessings exist and can be experienced both upon earth (the
physical dimension of being) and in heaven (the spiritual dimension of being).
4. Spiritual blessings are found only in Christ. Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand
of God the Father. He is in heaven, surrounded by all the heavenly atmosphere and blessings. All heavenly blessings are His;
He is Lord and Possesser of all blessings. Therefore, if a person is to experience the spiritual blessings, he must be in Christ.
If a person is in Christ, then he sits in heaven with Christ. How is this possible? When a person believes in Christ, truly be-
lieves, God takes his faith and counts it as righteousness. God counts the person to be the same as Christ, righteous and ac-
ceptable. In God’s mind faith in Christ makes a person just like Christ: holy and righteous and acceptable for heaven. There-
fore, when a person believes in Christ, God’s mind sees the person in Christ; God sees the person identified with Christ,
seated in heaven. And being seated in heaven, the person can experience all the blessings of heaven. Simply stated, to be in
Christ means to believe in God’s Son so much that God becomes elated—elated so much that He counts the person to be just
like Christ: acceptable and worthy to be blessed with all the blessings of heaven. (See note and DEEPER STUDY # 1—
Justification—Gal.2:15-16 for more discussion.)
5. God dealt with man in material blessings first because man had to learn several things.
a. An earthly inheritance does not last. It is subject to being lost or stolen. We either watch our material
possessions deteriorate or else we leave our material possessions behind for others.
b. An earthly nation and material inheritance cannot bring peace and security. Peace and security are of the
spirit. Earthly nations and material things are of the earth, of a corruptible nature. Thus nations and
material things do not solve the spiritual struggle that man senses within his own being. Neither can nations
and material things erase the spiritual divisions between men and between man and God.
c. Man has within his inner being a basic selfishness and greed. Man finds a tendency, an unregulated urge,
that desires and seeks the material and hoards the corruptible to the neglect of the spiritual.
d. Man must undergo a basic change of character to be freed of this urge, this tendency that causes so much
bondage, disruption, and division within one’s self and between men. Man must be born again, made into a
new creation, created into a new man—spiritually, permanently, perfectly, eternally. And such a spiritual
creation must be performed by Someone much greater than himself. Man must be recreated by the hand of
God Himself.
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(1:4) Holy—Blameless: the first blessing—God has chosen us to be holy and blameless. This is a wonderful verse. Just
imagine! God determined before the world was ever created that He would have a people...
• who would be “in Him,” that is, in His Son, Jesus Christ.
• who would be “holy and without blame.”
• who would live “before Him in love”—forever and ever.
This means a most wonderful thing; God wants us to be with Him. God does not want us separated from Him, gripped by
sin and shame, sorrow and pain, death and hell. God wants us to live forever and ever with Him. In fact, note that God has
determined that some will live with Him and Christ. He has “chosen us”—chosen believers—to live with Him. No amount of
rebellion and rejection, cursing and denial of Him will stop His purpose and plan. God will have a people who will live with
Him, and He will continue to choose us until He has the number He has purposed.
Now, note the great blessing of God: that we should be holy and without blame before Him.
1. The word “holy” (hagious) means to be set apart and consecrated to God. It is the same word that is used for “saint”
in verse one (see note, Saint—Eph.1:1-2 for discussion).
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor.7:1).
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness”
(Eph.4:24).
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb.12:14).
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [behavior];
because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pt.1:15-16).
“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all
holy conversation [behavior] and godliness” (2 Pt.3:11).
2. The word “blameless” (amomous) means to be free from sin, dirt, and filth; to be above reproach and without ble-
mish; to be without fault and defilement.
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Ph.2:15).
“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he recon-ciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in his sight” (Col.1:21-22).
“To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Th.3:13).
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and
body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Th.5:23).
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