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
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.
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