When you hear the word blessed, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? More money? A bigger house? A nicer car? An easier season of life? Good health? Those tend to be the kinds of things we think of when we think of blessing. Things we can see, touch and measure.

When the apostle Paul talks about blessing in Ephesians he flips the world’s definition completely on it’s head. In Ephesians 1, Paul doesn’t point us to blessings we can touch or measure. He points us to the spiritual blessings we already have in Christ.

Take a couple minutes to read Ephesians 1:1-14.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithfulin Christ Jesus:

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined usfor adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making knownto us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.

¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guaranteeof our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,to the praise of his glory. (ESV)

One thing to note in this passage is how often Paul uses the words “blessed” and “blessing”. In verses 3-6 they appear a total of four times. It’s always a good idea to take note of a word you see repeated multiple times in a verse or passage.

The New Bible Dictionary explains the word “blessed”, when it is applied to God in scripture, carries the sense of praise. When “blessed” is used of humanity, it describes a state of happiness – a deep, settled well-being.

(The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, pp 142–143)

And we see both of these uses here in verse 3.

Paul begins by saying,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because this blessing is addressed to God then we know that Paul is blessing God with praise and worship. Then, in the very same verse, Paul then talks about our blessings.

“who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Because it is now applied to humanity it is describing a state of deep, lasting happiness that is not based on circumstances, but based on our spiritual blessings in Christ.

Another place in scripture we see the word “blessed” multiple times is in Matthew 5 where Jesus gives us the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons^[a] of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

None of these are material blessings. In fact, many of these describe situations the world would not consider to be a blessing. And yet Jesus says they are blessed. And the word “blessed” that we see here is used for humanity so we know that it is describing a state of happiness, a deep and settled well-being. You could replace the word “blessed” these verses with the word “happy”.

So what are these spiritual blessings Paul is talking  in Ephesians 1?

In Christ,

we are chosen.

We are adopted.

We are redeemed.

We are forgiven.

We are given an inheritance.

And we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

These blessings are not fragile. They don’t depend on us. They don’t disappear when life gets hard.

Spiritual blessing is not about material wealth, physical health or comfort. It’s about belonging to God and our souls being safe and secure in him. We have reason to be truly and deeply happy. The material blessings of this world aren’t guaranteed and they will not last. But our blessings in Christ are safe, secure and eternal. We are blessed beyond measure.

Scripture never promises us comfort, wealth, or ease. Jesus actually promises us that in this life we will have trouble in John 16:33.

What it does promise is something far better. Spiritual blessings and an inheritance that are eternal and secure in Christ.

When you think about being blessed, what are you measuring it by? Your circumstances? Or your position in Christ? Because even in seasons of loss, uncertainty, or suffering, if you are in Christ, you are deeply and eternally blessed.