If someone would to ask you what is so good about being a Christian, I hope your answer is not simply because that the church is a better place to socialise, a decent environment for your children to make friends or that Christianity offers you a set of moral principles and guidelines to be a better individual. Although benefits may well be acquired through regular church attendance, there should be far better answers that you can offer to the world whenever you are asked of your reason of the hope in Christ (1 Peter 3:15). What does being blessed in Christ really mean? Does it imply that Christians can \'claim\' anything they wish to have in life from God and that He is obligated to give to whoever asks of Him? Or, does it suggest that every Christian should be miraculously healed from cancer and every sort of disease upon professing their faith in Christ? Unfortunately, the Scripture does not guarantee material prosperity and perfect health as part and parcel of the gospel (or the “health and wealth” gospel) of Jesus Christ as some churches would propagandise.  Rather, the Scripture has promised spiritual blessings and benefits to each one who comes to trust Christ as his Lord and Saviour. We shall consider how Christians are really blessed based on Ephesians 1:1-6.

First, You are Bestowed with Heavenly Grace, Peace and Spiritual Blessings in Christ (vv. 1-3)

In his lengthy pastoral salutation and greeting, Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus reminding them that God\'s people are blessed in Christ with heavenly grace, peace and all spiritual blessings (vv. 1, 2). What is grace? The word \'Grace\' has a broad range of definitions. The term is frequently used to refer to Salvific grace as in Ephesians 2:8, which, when it is used in such a way, the word implies the act done from a \'spirit of good will\' rather than as a response to an obligation.  It is usually equated to the English word \'favour\' or \'unmerited favour\' of God. Nevertheless, in Paul\'s opening greeting to the church at Ephesus and his other epistles, the term is used in another sense – ascribing to God\'s spiritual blessings in general given to His people in Christ as in Ephesians 1:2, and other opening salutations of Apostle Paul and other New Testament writers, such as Peter. Albert Barnes says, "…it seems to be a word including all those blessings that are applicable to Christians in common; denoting an ardent wish that all the mercies and favors of God for time and eternity, blended under the general name grace, may be conferred on them…"

Then, what does \'peace\' mean? Peace is also a term used pervasively, but is more cut-and-dry in its definition. First, the term peace does not only refer to an absence of open hostilities between two parties, but in the salvific sense, also refers to the same between God and man (Colossians 3:6), without intermediary reconciliation of Christ (Romans 5:10). Christians are blessed for being saved by grace through faith in Christ. As the result, Christians can have peace with God and from God (Ephesians 1:2) in Christ because he is no longer under the wrath of God (Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6), but reconciled to God in Christ (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 1:20, 21) so that he can always come boldly before His throne of grace obtaining mercy and grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Second, the term peace can also refer to the divine serenity or tranquility given to God\'s people in times of troubles, trials, temptations and persecutions (Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 29:11; John 14:27, 16:33; Philemon 4:7).  This may be the intention of Paul or Peter when he used the word in His opening salutations.

Aside from being endowed with God\'s divine grace and peace with and in Him, God\'s people are also bestowed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (v.3). Note that this verse describes to us both the kind of blessings and the location of those blessings. These are spiritual blessings that are eternal and incorruptible, which are infinitely and gloriously far better than material and physical blessings, which are temporal (Revelation 18:11-19) and corruptible (Matthew 6:19; James 5:2). These spiritual blessings are ours in the heavenly places in Christ (v.3b) and are higher (Ephesians 1:3), better (Hebrews 11:4), and more secure (Matthew 6:20) than earthly and tangible blessings. Spurgeon says, "To have God for our portion is blessed, infinitely more blessed than to own broad acres of land. God hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value." Are you blessed in Christ? Are you saved by grace, restored to God with peace, and in peace in times of troubles and trials? If you are a Christian, the answer should be an emphatic yes; but are you thankful for it? Sadly, so often God\'s people only thank God when they are blessed with physical, temporal and earthly blessings, but fail to rejoice with grateful hearts when they were saved and bestowed with all heavenly blessings which are infinitely far better than anything they could ever ask for in this life.

Pastor David Weng

*Editor’s note: Article to be continued next week.

More Lively Hope

© Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
14 Bedford Square, Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia 5041