Ephesains 1: 3 – 14
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.
We have every Spiritual Blessing in Christ:
• We have been chosen in Him
• He has made us Holy and blameless in His sight
• We have been adopted as His sons
• We are His pleasure and part of His will
• We have been given Redemption through His blood
• Which includes Forgivness of Sins
• We have the incomparable riches of God’s Grace
• We have His Wisdom and understanding lavished on us
• He has made known His will to us
• We are under Him
• He has worked out everything
• We are included with Christ
• Marked with a seal; the Holy Spirit!
• We are His inheritance.
Do we grasp what is ours in Christ?
Do we see that each of these statements are past tense. It has already happened. It was ours before we even knowingly became His. The Christian life is the process of becoming what you already are in Christ.
Lets look at the difference between the polliwog and a child. A polliwog is born as a shapeless mass with a tail. After a while it sprouts some legs. Eventually it takes the form of a frog or a toad. But when a human baby is born it comes with all the necessary parts--they just need to grow. The same thing is true of a Christian. When you were born into the family of God, you were not a spiritual polliwog. You were complete. You have all the parts of a Christian; you simply need to grow.
When God saves a person, that work is total and complete. He stands perfect before God. The rest of his life is just a matter of growing so his practice will match his position. Christian maturity is like a baby learning to use all the parts they were given at birth.
Instead of seeking more favor with God or trying to be more “perfect” for heaven, we should thank God, who has " qualified you[a] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. " (Col. 1:12). We are already perfected for heaven. Nothing we do will make God love us more than He already does.
When we know what we have in Christ as it clearly states in Ephesians 1:3-14, that ought to change the way we live. People will not have a desire to live righteously unless they understand who they are. The mature Christian understands his privileges, possessions, and resources so he can live consistently with who he is in Christ.
Do you know what you have?
