The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 that God has blessed all people who are one with Christ “with every spiritual blessing in the heavens”.

What are these blessings from God? Are they the typical Thanksgiving blessings we often count up? We can say yes, but Paul gives a rapid-fire list that goes both deeper and beyond these common blessings given to most people.

Let’s count these blessings together.

Chosen to be Holy and Blameless

If you’re reading this carefully, you should pick up on the fact that, if some people are chosen to be blameless, than everyone else has blame for something. It is true, and it is called sin. Look back on the last week, or even yesterday, and I’m sure you will find something you did that hurt someone, or you cut a corner and did a job poorly. Call it what you want, but you have blame from these things. Sin is an unarguable reality for each one of us. You might not like the word, but you cannot hide from it.

And, thankfully, you do not have to. No longer are your wrongs loaded up on your back and counted up on your record. For God chose you to be holy, separated from what you would otherwise deserve, and set apart for love.

Adopted as sons (and daughters)

You are separated from the sinful world, and adopted into the family of God! The King of all, who created all and sustains all life (Colossians 1:16-17). What a blessing. And it is an even richer blessing because, as you see in the end of this verse, this adoption was done “according to God’s good pleasure”. God was happy to do this! He wanted you, and now you are his.

In ancient Rome, at the time this letter was written, the son received the full inheritance of the father. So yes, it is true that men and women, boys and girls, may all be adopted into the family of God as children. But the significance here is that for each of us, we receive what the son would have received in this ancient Roman family - everything. “Every spiritual blessing”. It’s all yours.

Forgiven and Redeemed

When you have hurt or wronged someone you deeply care about, how good does it feel to hear them say these words: “I forgive you”.

In Jesus, there is forgiveness for all trespasses. We’ve been warned in the Bible and we’ve been given consciences, yet these we all ignore. We are to blame for crawling under the fence and going off where we were not supposed to go. We bear the consequences here. And still, we are forgiven. God does not hold our arrogance and disobedience against us.

When you redeem a coupon, you hand it over to buy back what that piece of paper was worth. To Jesus, we are worth the price of his own blood. He was not arrested against his will, but of his own authority, laid down his life to secure our forgiveness by taking our sins and trespasses and blame upon himself (John 10:11, 17-18).

Jesus’ pockets are overflowing with grace. He can’t stuff it all in his wallet. He is rich with grace, and he shows us as he forgives us.

He Let us in on His Plan

I really think this is one of the most amazing things God does. What chance does a mortal have of understanding the mind and the plans of a great immortal being? Absolutely none. But our God is not a cold, impersonal, far-off deity. Our God says, “Come here - look at this!” He makes his plans known to us.

And what is his plan? All the sin, all the brokenness, all the damage this created world has borne — God is going to bring it all back together through Jesus. He’s going to make it all again, just like new.

It’s all Guaranteed

There is no human being who can truly say that. No one who can say, “Follow me. My plan is guaranteed to work. I guarantee you victory. I guarantee you change. I guarantee you happiness, wealth, or peace.”

But everything God sets out to do ends up working out exactly as he planned. “The LORD of Armies himself has planned it; therefore, who can stand in its way?” (Isaiah 14:27). If God has promised you an inheritance amid every spiritual blessing, you can know for certain that you and these promises are in his hand. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either ignorant, or a liar.

We Have the Holy Spirit

When an ancient king sent out a letter or an edict, he would seal it with his official court seal. This would display the validity of what was inside the letter, as the seal was completely unique. God’s seal is the Holy Spirit. Completely unique and trustworthy, the Holy Spirit seals us to avoid tampering from the enemy, and to give us a taste of all that will be ours one day.

Conclusion

If you’ve read this post, you have read many Bible verses. You have read of sin and blame and forgiveness and redemption. You have read of promises and guarantees and the Holy Spirit given to us as down payment.

But do you believe it? This Thanksgiving, can you thank God for the deep and rich blessing of being adopted into his family by the work of his Son? Or will you stand in the cold, outside the warm fires of his love?

In the next post, we will look at why God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavens. We will look at the only real response for a heart that actually thinks about these things and meditates on them and believes them to be real, not just one day in the future, but right here and right now.

When you read that question, what do you think of?

What does the world need?

I’m not talking about the earth itself, but the people who live in it. Men and women, boys and girls, young and old, rich and poor.

In addition to our podcasts (which are coming back!), The Joyful Pursuit is beginning a blog. The goal is to encourage people through teaching and reflecting on the Bible. We believe the Bible is the true and lasting word of God. I can also attest that it is much more relevant to 21st century life than some would think. So, whether you are familiar with it or not, we encourage you to join us in studying the most influential book in human history, beginning with one of its most prominent works: Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Read the beginning of the letter, Ephesians chapter 1 verses 1-2:

So, do you have an answer for our first question? What does the world need?

I propose that the answer is found right here in Paul’s greeting.

The world today needs grace and peace.

Grace and Peace

The word used for grace is the ancient Greek word, charis. It means favour, or kindness. What is it to ask someone for a favour? It is to ask for help, especially when it is not deserved. It is a gift.

Before he wrote letters to encourage the Church, Paul carried letters from officials authorizing him to destroy the Church. He later described himself then as a violent man (1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 13), referring to his murdering and imprisoning those who spoke up about their faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus.

Paul did not give grace, for he did not know it.

Until he met Jesus. Literally. While he was on his way to imprison Christians, Jesus appeared to Paul and changed his life forever. Suddenly, Paul knew, not just in his head but in his heart, the meaning of the old Hebrew word shalom: wholeness. Or, as Paul writes it in Greek in his introduction to this letter, peace. The Greek word for peace used here comes from a word meaning “to join, or tie together into a whole; to set at one.”

Joined to what? A better question would be, joined to who? For Paul and the Christians in Ephesus and modern-day Turkiye (and all Christians today), peace means you are joined to Jesus. The same Jesus who stopped Paul in his tracks is the same one who Paul became tied up with forever. In fact, when Paul wrote this letter, he was tied up. Paul wrote this letter from prison in Rome. Just think of the 180-degree turn Paul’s life took when he received grace and peace from Jesus. A violent, headstrong man who imprisoned Christians, now a loving, humble man imprisoned as a Christian.

The Uncertainty of Rome

Approximately 400 years after Paul wrote Ephesians from prison, the Goths would sack Rome and the empire would never be the same. People were shook. Days and years go by, and we find ourselves in 2025. People are shook. We face uncertainty, violence, hatred, and a world pulled tight by tension, ready to snap. Many people would tell you the world today needs many different things. But at the heart of it, our world needs the grace of the Lord Jesus.

In light of the sin around us and the sins we commit, we need a favour: someone to help us out of our cycle. We need someone to step in and meet us, just like Paul, and stop us from carrying on any longer. The world needs to meet Jesus.

Have you experienced the 180-degree life-turn that Paul did? Do you have unrest inside? Maybe, in some way, are you beginning to realize there are problems and hurts within you and around you that you cannot fix or heal on your own?

How does peace sound to you? As Paul will write in Ephesians chapter 2, Jesus is our peace. He died on the cross. He paid the price for our sin with his life. He made us one with God, the Father of all. Grace and peace are yours for the taking in Jesus.

Grace to You, and Peace

This is not an exhaustive study. That’s not the purpose of this blog. There are probably a dozen more encouragements for Christians, and just as many questions that someone who does not believe in Jesus might have. I encourage you: read Ephesians. Write down your questions. And ask yourself if grace and peace are anywhere in your life.

Jesus is not far off.

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Resources

• Spurgeon, Charles: Ephesians: A Trusted Commentary

• Bruce, F.F.: The Epistle to the Ephesians: A Verse by Verse Exposition

• A great song examining the realities of grace and peace in our lives

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