Every Spiritual Blessing?

By Justin Jeppesen

Imagine if I told you that, right now, you were completely debt-free with unlimited expendable income. You have won your dream house, complete with your dream car(s) in the garage, and have secured assets in the stock market that are guaranteed to always be up and to the right. You are completely free to pursue any desire, hobby, or passion, as you have all the necessary resources at your disposal.

How would you respond?

For most of us, our emotions would soar! Excitement, relief, disbelief, and maybe even tears of joy would flood our hearts. Yet, in that same moment, we are reminded of Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:3:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

Every. Spiritual. Blessing.

If we’re honest, we often value material blessings over spiritual ones. We treasure what is seen more than what is unseen. But Paul reminds the Ephesian believers, and us, that the spiritual riches found in Christ far surpass any earthly reward.

The Setting: A City Obsessed with Wealth

Ephesus was a wealthy port city and considered the “gateway to Asia.” It was the home of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Its people gloried in their prosperity and fame. Yet, when Paul brought the gospel to this city, it turned everything upside down. Acts 19 records that the word of the Lord “continued to increase and prevail mightily.” So powerful was this awakening that many who practiced sorcery burned their magic books in public, a combined value of 50,000 pieces of silver! The gospel disrupted their economy and reordered their values. People who once placed their hope in wealth were awakened to the riches of grace in Christ.

It’s to this transformed yet tempted audience that Paul writes. Overwhelmed by the abundance of God’s blessing, he pens one long, Spirit-inspired sentence, 250 words in the original Greek, that overflows with worship. Ten times he repeats the phrase, “in Christ” or “in Him.” The result is a sweeping vision of the believer’s identity that spans eternity past, the present moment, and eternity future, each anchored in the triune God.

1. The Father’s Electing Love (Ephesians 1:4–6)

The past blessing of being chosen.

Before the foundation of the world, before time began, before you or I could ever earn or prove anything, God chose us. Paul writes:

“Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ.”

God’s choice wasn’t motivated by merit but by love. His divine election doesn’t cancel our freedom, but rather completes it. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “God chose me before I was born, for He surely would not have chosen me after.”

This truth dismantles any illusion that we can earn God’s favor. Christ’s love is not based on our behavior but on His character. He loves you not to the degree that you are like Christ, but to the degree that you are in Christ, which is 100% of the time.

Christ’s love is not based on our behavior but on His character. He loves you not to the degree that you are like Christ, but to the degree that you are in Christ, which is 100% of the time.

And the result? Adoption. We are no longer spiritual orphans trying to prove our worth, we are sons and daughters fully embraced in God’s family. Adoption always comes with a cost, and God paid it in full through His Son.

Paul reminds us: “…to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.”

Our new family name is Beloved. What a miracle of mercy! The purpose of our choosing is not pride but praise. The Father’s electing love leads us to worship with gratitude, awe, and belonging.

2. The Son’s Redeeming Grace (Ephesians 1:7–12)

The present blessing of forgiveness and purpose.

If the Father’s love chose us, the Son’s blood redeemed us.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.”

Redemption means deliverance by payment of a price. In the ancient world, it was a term used to purchase a slave’s freedom. Jesus’ blood became the currency of our redemption, the ultimate expression of our worth in His eyes.

Jesus’ blood became the currency of our redemption, the ultimate expression of our worth in His eyes.

Notice the word lavished. God doesn’t measure His grace in teaspoons; He pours it out by the oceanful. His forgiveness isn’t partial or probationary, it’s full and perfectly complete. He not only forgives what we’ve done but reshapes who we are. As theologian John Stott wrote, “Grace is not something God gives; it is God giving Himself to us.”

But redemption isn’t only about rescue, it’s also about renewal. Paul reveals that God’s grace came “in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will.” What is that mystery? That in the fullness of time, God would unite all things in Christ. The gospel doesn’t just reconcile us to God—it unites us with one another. The work of Jesus restores the broken unity of creation itself.

And within this family of faith, we receive an inheritance.

“In Him we have obtained an inheritance… so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory.”

The beauty of this phrase is that it can also mean “we have been made God’s inheritance.” In other words, not only do we receive the riches of His grace, but we are also His treasure. The God who owns the universe looks at you and says, “Mine.”

No wonder Paul can’t stop praising! The Father’s love has chosen us, the Son’s grace has redeemed us, and every blessing is drawing us into the crescendo of His glory.

3. The Spirit’s Sealing Presence (Ephesians 1:13–14)

The future blessing of assurance and hope.

Paul concludes by looking ahead:

“In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.”

The moment we heard and believed the gospel, God marked us with His seal—the Holy Spirit. In the ancient world, a seal meant ownership, authenticity, and security. The Spirit’s presence in our lives declares, “This one belongs to Me.”

Paul uses another word here, guarantee. It’s the same word used for a down payment. The Spirit is God’s first installment of heaven in our hearts. He is both the promise and the preview of all that is to come.

Just as an engagement ring points to the wedding, the Spirit’s indwelling points to the day when we will see Christ face to face. Every time we experience His comfort, conviction, or courage, we taste the fullness of our future inheritance.

And Paul ends where he began, with praise! “To the praise of His glory.” Three times in this passage, he repeats this refrain (vv. 6, 12, 14). The Father’s love, the Son’s grace, and the Spirit’s seal all flow into one ultimate purpose: the praise of God’s glory.

Living from the Overflow

If we’re honest, we often wake up feeling spiritually poor. We scroll through social media and envy the highlights of others’ lives. We measure ourselves by grades, income, or relationships. Yet Ephesians 1 reminds us that in Christ, we are already unimaginably rich.

You don’t need to strive for blessing; you already have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

You don’t need to prove your worth; you were chosen before the foundation of the world.

You don’t need to fear the future; you are sealed by the Spirit for an eternal inheritance.

You don’t need to strive for blessing; you already have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. You don’t need to prove your worth; you were chosen before the foundation of the world. You don’t need to fear the future; you are sealed by the Spirit for an eternal inheritance.

So today, lift your eyes. Live from the overflow of what is already true of you in Christ. Let the Father’s electing love steady your heart. Let the Son’s redeeming grace free your soul. Let the Spirit’s sealing presence fill your life with confident praise.

And as you do, your life will echo the great anthem of Ephesians 1…

“To the praise of His glory!”