Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the
will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace
and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise 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. Ephesians 1:1-3
Those
spiritual blessings in heavenly places which are ours in Christ may be divided
into three classes:
The
first is those which come to us immediately upon our believing unto salvation,
such as forgiveness, justification, regeneration, sonship to God and baptism
into the Body of Christ. In Christ we possess these even before we know that
they are ours!
The
second class is those riches which are ours by inheritance but which we cannot
enjoy in actuality until our Lord returns. These include ultimate mental and
moral perfection, the glorification of our bodies, the completion of the
restoration of the divine image in our redeemed personalities and the admission
into the very presence of God to experience forever the Beatific Vision. These
treasures are as surely ours as if we possessed them now!
The
third class consists of spiritual treasures which are ours by blood atonement
but which will not come to us unless we make a determined effort to possess
them. These are deliverance from the sins of the flesh, victory over self, the
constant flow of the Holy Spirit through our personalities, fruitfulness in
Christian service, awareness of the Presence of God, growth in grace, an
increasing consciousness of union with God and an unbroken spirit of worship.
These are to us what the Promised Land was to Israel, to be entered into as our
faith and courage mount.
No comments:
Post a Comment