Not Only, But All
Dearly beloved of God, it would have been great if we had only been saved and reconciled to God. It would have been wonderful if we had just been given access to God as our Father by the spirit of sonship, but God our Father has blessed us in Christ with even more than this.
Ephesians 1:3 Working Translation: Copyright 2006 by Walter J. Cummins. All rights reserved.
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm,
God’s blessing us in Christ encompasses all that Jesus Christ accomplished in his death, resurrection, ascension, and seating in the heavenly realm. God planned and determined ahead of time that we were to be united with Christ in his accomplishments.
How closely are we associated with Christ? The Word of God says that we are “in Christ.” In Christ means “in connection with,” “in association with,” or “in union with.” In our union with Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.
God expresses our union with Christ as that we are members of the body of Christ, the fulness of him that fills all in all. Every member is complete in Christ Jesus; completely filled.
Ephesians 5:22-32 addresses the husband and wife. By comparison to their being joined together and becoming one flesh, so the members of the Church are united with Christ. “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” We are united with Christ as joint heirs, as members of his body, and being joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus by the gospel. I would say that is pretty close, wouldn’t you?
This blessing in Christ includes everything that is ours in Christ because of God’s great grace to us in him. It involves our sonship with all the rights, privileges, and ability that is ours as the children of God. It encompasses the inheritance that is ours in Christ and which we will partake of and enjoy in the coming ages. It is all and in all of us, dearly beloved.
God our Father has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.
In this three dimensional world, God has blessed us in Christ with a fourth dimension. He wants all His saints to comprehend what is the width and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ, which exceeds knowledge, so that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. Our Father wants us to evidence, to experience the fullness of that which we received in Christ Jesus as a living reality.
God’s blessing in Christ transcends any human blessing the mind of man could conceive. God conceived the blessing with which He blessed us with in Christ. He planned for it. He purposed it. He accomplished the purpose of the ages that He purposed in Christ Jesus the Lord.
God blessed us in Christ where Christ sits at His right side in glory in the heavenly realm. He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.
Dearly beloved of God, may we grow in our comprehension of the love of God for us in Christ Jesus, and in His purpose in Christ concerning us. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
“Unto Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever. Amen.”