God speaks well of us, blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and does all of that in Christ!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)
The Apostle Paul used the phrase “in Christ” more than 160 times in his letters. He used “in Christ” and its variations at least 35 times in Ephesians. The concept is an important one to understand who we are and what we have as followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek words are en Christo. The root meaning of the preposition en is “within, in the sphere of.” In the context of Ephesians 1:3, it means that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing within the sphere of Christ. Our blessings come from our having an intimate relationship with Christ. It is because of Christ that God speaks well of us. It is because of Christ that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Christians have an extraordinary relationship with the living God. We live “in” Him and He lives “in” us! God places His Holy Spirit “in” us and the Spirit places us “in” Christ. One commentator wrote: “This mystic relation is likened to the air that is in us and yet we are in it.” We could not exist if air was not in us and we were not in air. The same is true spiritually. We have spiritual life because we are “in” Christ and He is “in” us.
Here are several things God did for YOU “in Christ.” (Taken from the many writings of the Apostle Paul)
- Chose you
- Redeemed you
- Reconciled you
- Forgave you
- Blessed you
- Gave you faith
- Gave you peace
- Made you holy
- Made you alive
- Sanctified you
- Loved you
- Justified you
- Gave you freedom
- Gave you eternal life
- Seated you in the heavenly realms
- Made you a part of His Spiritual Family
- Showed you His kindness
- Gave you His grace
- Taught you
Being “in” Christ means we’re safe! Christ is all around us. He surrounds us with His love and grace. Christ is our safe harbor. He protects us. No one or no thing can get to us unless it first goes through Christ and he allows it. We are “in” Him. It is a very safe and kind place to live.
One of my favorite verses along that line of thinking is Philippians 4:6-7.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
The Greek rendering is that God places an elite guard around our emotions and thoughts and protects us within the safe sphere of Christ. That “guard” is strong around us and nothing can pentetrate it. Our part is not to be anxious about anything, but to pray believing in God’s protection and provision. God gives us His peace, a peace that goes beyond anything we can grasp and understand. His peace guards our emotions and our thoughts “in” Christ Jesus.
All blessings flow from our relationship with Christ. Protection and peace come from our position of being “in Christ.” Christians are eternally “in” Christ, but many of us get into trouble when we forget that and try to deal with life on our own, outside His protection. That’s like running out of air and forgetting to inhale the air that’s around us. We are in Christ! He is all around us. We are “in” Him and He is “in” us. Breathe deeply! You are safe. You are protected. You are in Christ!
Blessings!
Mark McGee
GraceLife Blog 