Ephesians: God's Riches At Christ Expense

When we think about gifts, we often consider what we've given or received. But have you ever stopped to consider the greatest gift of all? In Ephesians 1:1-13, Paul takes us on a journey to understand the incredible gift of salvation that God has given us in Christ.
Before diving into practical matters of Christian living, Paul wants us to "drink deeply from doctrine" and see the wonder of God's salvation. In fact, verses 3-13 form one long sentence in the original Greek—202 words! It's as if Paul gets so caught up describing what God has done for us that he can't stop.

Paul wants us to see three key aspects of our salvation: the gift, the grace, and the goal.

"Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)
Paul begins by focusing on spiritual blessings. This doesn't mean physical or material blessings aren't important—we should certainly thank God for family, health, career, and daily provisions. But Paul wants us to recognize that our greatest need is spiritual.
Remember the story of the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through the roof to Jesus? Everyone expected Jesus to heal his physical condition, but instead, Jesus first said, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus knew that the man's greatest need wasn't physical healing but spiritual restoration.

These spiritual blessings aren't just future promises—we're already experiencing them now, although not yet fully. This is the "already but not yet" reality of the Christian life.
Think of it like being lost in the woods at night. When you finally see the light from your cabin in the distance, relief and peace come over you. Are you home yet? No. But you know you'll make it safely. That's how our spiritual blessings work—we're experiencing a taste of heaven now, even as we await the fullness to come.
What makes heaven "heaven" isn't just eternal life or reunion with loved ones. According to Revelation 21, heaven is about God dwelling with His people: "God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."

How do we receive these blessings? Paul's answer is simple yet profound: "in Christ." This phrase appears 11 times in this one long sentence. The world is divided into two groups—those who are in Christ and those who are outside of Christ.
Being united with Christ means:

• Everything Christ achieved is yours
• All death can do to you is get you to Jesus
• Christ's righteousness becomes your righteousness
• Your salvation is secure

As Jerry Bridges beautifully put it: "Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace."
We aren't united to Christ because we're good or have potential. It's entirely by grace through faith that we are saved and united with Christ.

Paul's one long sentence has one clear purpose: to lead us to praise. The Greek word used here gives us our English word "eulogy"—to speak well of someone, to ascribe worth to them.
Paul gives us reasons to praise each member of the Trinity:

Praise God the Father because:
- He gives every spiritual blessing
- He chose and pursued you
- He loved you before the foundation of the world
- He chose you for a purpose
- He adopts you into His family
- He chose you because it pleased Him
- He freely gives His glorious grace

Praise God the Son because:
- He died in our place
- He forgives our sins
- He gives us wisdom and understanding
- He will come again
- All authority belongs to Him
- We have indestructible hope in Him

Praise God the Holy Spirit because:
- We can hear and believe the Gospel
- Our salvation is sealed and secured
- We are heirs with God and co-heirs with Christ

Think about the thief on the cross who simply asked Jesus to remember him. When asked how he got to heaven, all he could say was, "The man on the middle cross said I could come."

This week, take time to reflect on this incredible gift of grace. Ask yourself:

• Do I truly understand that my salvation is entirely by grace, not by my own efforts?
• How does being "in Christ" alter my perspective on my daily struggles and challenges?
• What specific spiritual blessings am I experiencing right now that I can praise God for?
• How can I live differently knowing that I already have "every spiritual blessing" in Christ?

I challenge you to find a better gift than the gift of grace. Let this understanding lead you to praise God daily for who He is and what He's done for you. If you've been lukewarm or just going through the motions with Jesus, today is the day to move from darkness into light, from death into life in Christ.

Ask yourself:

• Where am I relying on my own strength rather than God's power?
• How consistently am I engaging with God's Word?
• In what areas of my life is Christ's light shining most clearly?
• Where might God be calling me to be more faithful in representing Him