Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Ephesians 1:3
Will you
imagine with me for a moment that one of the wealthiest people in the world,
say Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, in an attempt to help the disadvantaged children
of a particular region, started a school. As you can imagine, there would be
many who would want to receive the benefit of attending such a school supported
by such a benefactor. To have such a school, some guidelines would have to be
established. There would have to be age, economic, and other considerations taken
into account for one to be admitted and to receive the benefits of being
enrolled in the school. We all accept that to receive the benefits of such a
school one must be admitted into the school.
The LORD
has provided us a home for those who will obey the Gospel. He wants to bless
each with spiritual blessings. There is a specific location and source of all
spiritual blessings. It is God who has blessed us in Christ. Paul repeatedly
reminds the Christians in Ephesus that the only place that can receive spiritual
blessings is in Christ. There are no spiritual blessings outside of Christ.
Sure, the sun rises on the evil and the good, and the rain falls on the just
and the unjust (cf. Mt. 5:45), but that is not the same as spiritual blessings
that are realized in Christ. If a school is built in an impoverished land,
surely that society will benefit from educated children who can help the future
of that society. In the same way, Christians, just by their presence in society,
will improve it by the fruit that we produce. Those benefits pale in comparison
to the spiritual blessings Christ offers.
The
location of being in Christ is the place where we receive the spiritual
blessings in Christ. That location is where God has deposited us in His church.
(cf. Acts 2:41-42;47). If you would like to receive the benefit of Christ, you
must do as all Christians have done. Will you obey the Gospel and receive all
the spiritual blessings that await you in Christ?
Grace and
Peace,
Ryan
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