Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph
1:3).
The usual opinion of blessings and being blest is that gifts are given.
But in looking through the concordances and lexicon we were unable to find
that meaning attached to the words.
Blessed (be) God. This is another way of saying Praise God. The word
blessed is a verbal adjective and is never used of man, but always of God.
It means to speak well of, to praise. Then the desire of the apostle is
that God should be well spoken of, or praised in His creation. But such
a state of affairs does not exist. In the heavens is one who is a slanderer.
He came down to earth and told that which was not true about God to our
first parents. And he has tried in every way to defame the name of God and
to misrepresent His person since that time. He has a great following of
angels to assist him in these efforts. And on the earth are plenty of men
who will follow this example and from day to day they think only evil and
curse God. But a time is coming when all such mouths will be stopped, in
both heaven and earth and there will not be one left but those who honor
and adore Him. So we, with the apostle, should pray for the day to come
in which God again will be praised and glorified.
Who hath blessed us. This is another form of the same verb and is
used of men. He has then spoken well of us. Where? In the heavenly places.
But we must hesitate here. There is something we could overlook. We are
praised or spoken well of in Christ. Just as we are accepted in Him, so
we are spoken well of in Him. But He is the one that was accepted and praised.
We must not forget that for a moment. All good things are in Christ.
Now this knowledge that we are spoken well of in heavenly places helps to
explain what is said in 3:10, To the intent
that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known
by the church the manifold wisdom of God. These beings in the heavenlies
have heard about us, they have heard good about us, but only as we are in
Christ, and it all tells of the manifold wisdom of God.
With all spiritual blessings. Or it might read,
with every blessing that is spiritual. Now blessings also come from
the same root and means good words about us. But these good things that
are told about us are all spiritual. They are in the realm of the spirit.
They do not include the diamonds and automobiles that we may own down here,
but what we are in Christ. We are accepted in Him, seated with Him, joint-heirs
with Him, and the like. These statements are spiritual blessings.
Now you can go through Ephesians and read of all the good things we are and
have in Christ. Count your blessings. May God be praised in all creation
for His speaking well of us in the heavenlies in and thru and with His Son,
our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
