BiblicalInsights.net

“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 apostle Paul uses two different words for blessed in this passage.  The first word, blessed, comes from the Greek word, eulogetos, which is used of God only and means blessed or praise.  This is the expression of praise from the human heart that has been touched by God’s infinite goodness.  The second word, blessed, is from the Greek word, eulogia, meaning a benefit bestowed.  Paul has in mind all of the spiritual blessings that are in Christ. Our praise for God arises in answer to the spiritual blessings received from God.
Spiritual Blessings.
1.  All spiritual blessings are in heavenly places in Christ.  All means “without exception” or “every single one.”  Consequently, there are no spiritual blessings “outside” of Christ.  We experience temporal blessings outside of Christ.  The sunshine and the rain fall on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45).  However, we do not experience spiritual blessings outside of Christ.
2.  Who is “outside” of Christ and who is “in Christ?”  These questions are important.  Paul gives the answer in Eph. 2:12-13; 4:17-20 and Gal. 3:26-29 and Eph. 4:5).  To be “outside” of Christ is to be dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1); to walk according the course of this world in the lusts of the flesh (Eph. 2:2-3); to be children of disobedience to God; and to by custom and practice be the children of wrath.  Paul also describes those who are “outside” of Christ as hopeless and godless (without God in the world).  In contrast to this state, Paul describes those who are “in Christ.”  Those in Christ are children of God through faith and baptism into Christ.  They are in spiritual union with Christ and have been redeemed by His blood.  They walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.  They pursue righteousness and godliness.
3.  What are Some of these Spiritual blessings?
-Election, Eph. 1:5.  The people of God are the elect of God.  They are chosen by God “in Christ.”
-Forgiveness, Eph. 1:7.  The people of God have their sins washed away by the power of the blood of Christ.
-Redemption, Eph. 1:7.  The people of God belong to God by the atoning power of the blood of Christ.  They are blood-bought.
-Inheritance, heaven, Eph. 1:11, 18 and I Pet. 1:4.  The people of God are heaven-bound.
-Truth, Eph. 1:9, 13.  The people of God have the precious truth revealed from God.
-Sealed with the Holy Spirit, Eph. 1:13.  The people of God are authenticated and secured by the Holy Spirit.
-Wisdom, Eph. 1:17, The people of God have the disposition of wisdom from God.
-Hope, Eph. 1:18, The people of God are full of hope in contast to those “outside” of Christ who are hopeless.
-Power, Eph. 1:19, 3:20,  The people of God have the mighty power of God working in them.
-Spiritual Life, Eph. 2:1, The people of God are experiencing new, spiritual, life in Christ.
-God’s love, Eph. 2:4,  The people of God experience the great love of God.
-God’s mercy, Eph. 2:4,  The people of God are recipients of God’s mercy (pity, compassion).
-God’s grace, Eph. 2:5, 8-9, The people of God are saved by God’s grace.
-Peace, Eph. 2:14-15, The people of God have the peace that passeth understanding.
-Reconciliation, Eph. 2:16, The people of God are one with God.
-Access to the Father, Eph. 2:18, The people of God have access to the Father through Jesus Christ.
-New Identity, Eph. 2:19, The people of God are the saints (holy ones) of God.
-New Sense of Belonging, Eph. 2:19, The people of God are the household of God.  They are in God’s family.
-Indwelling of God Through the Spirit, Eph. 2:22, The people of God have the spiritual presence of God in their lives.
This list is not exhaustive, but it is representative of the great blessings that are “in Christ.”
4.  Heavenly Places.  The heavenly places are “the heavenlies.”  The center of God’s saving activities–spiritual realms–where God and Christ are functioning and where the Christian has his/her citizenship.  Phil. 3:20.
God is to be praised for all of the spiritual blessings He has bestowed upon His children.  These blessings are only “in Christ.”  They are available to all who seek God and desire to know Him.  But, they belong to the redeemed.  Yes, Christians are truly blessed.

A key concept related to thanksgiving is reciprocity.  Here are some important elements involved in thanksgiving.
The Benefactor.  The One who is the ultimate source of every good gift and every perfect gift is God!  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).  “Father of lights” refers to God as the creator of the greater and lesser lights in the heavens.  God is the creator of all things.  He has the power to bless and the will to bless.
The Gifts.  God gives us our daily bread (Matt. 6:11).  He gives His Son to die for the sins of mankind (the unspeakable gift-II Cor. 9:15).  He gives everlasting life (John 3:16; Matt. 19:29).  He gives love, mercy, and grace (Eph. 2:4-9).  He gives us truth (Eph. 1:9). He gives all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3).  He gives us everything needful to sustain us in this life and in the world to come.
The Blessed.  God acts for the highest good of His special creation–man.  He sends the sunshine and the rain on the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45).  In a sense, God blesses each person on the earth.  However, in a special sense and in a special way, God blesses His own children.  The people of God are His speical creation (Eph. 2:10).  God bestows the greatest spiritual blessings upon those who are “in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
The Thankful.  The “thankful” are a special class of people who recognize God’s goodness toward them and reciprocate with gratitude.  The truly blessed give back something to God.  The nature of the gifts they give are different from God’s gifts to them.  But, they give:  (1) their love; (2) their devotion or worship including praise and adoration; (3) their lives in covenant relationship with Him; (4) their service (the labor of their hands including benevolent acts to others; and (5) their loyalty (faithfulness over time).  The thankful have humble hearts that have been touched by God’s grace.  They reciprocate out of sense of being debtors to God for all He has done for them.  Through gratitude they complete the circle of fellowship with God.  The truly thankful are Christians who reciprocate gratitude for God’s grace!

Recently, Judith Martin (Miss Manners) responded to a question asked by one of her readers concerning handclapping during the worship.  The question and response are worth consideration.
The Question:
Dear Miss Manners:  During the offertory collection at my church, some form of religious musical performance takes place.  It might be the choir, a soloist (vocal or instrumental) or the bell choir.  At the conclusion of the performance, the entire congregation applaudes as if at a concert.  To me, this borders on being sacrilegious.  Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to compliment the performers informally after the service?  Is this a common practice in other churches?
The Response:
Gentle Reader:  It is, alas, increasingly common for people to regard everything as a source of entertainment.  Miss Manners is grateful that you recognize that church music is indeed intended for the glory of God, not the pleasure of worshippers.  Praise for the performers might certainly be delivered after the service, but it shouldn’t be allowed to interrupt praise for God.  (Columbus Dispatch, Nov. 2, 2013).
Observations:
1)  While I do not belong to the same religious group as the person asking the question to Miss Manners, I share the same concern that, in many places, the worship of God is being turned into entertainment for the audience rather than glory and praise directed to God.
2)  Worship must be directed to God, not man (John 4:24).
3)  Worship is a verb and so involves the right attitudes and actions on the worshipper’s part which are directed to God.  Consequently, you cannot worship by proxy.
4)  Handclapping is not authorized in the New Testament.  Col. 3:17.  We should not do anything in worship that is not authorized by God Himself.  Human innovations are the design of men and often have the purpose of pleasing men rather than God.
5)  Many worship assemblies have turned into concert and entertainment venues rather than avenues of praise and devotion to God.  Our worship degenerates when we become the focus instead of God.
6)  Is handclapping sacred or secular?  If sacred, then it would be authorized by God.  It is secular activity introduced into worship to please man not God.
7)  Miss Manners notes that there is some impropriety when the sacred is mixed with the secular.  It produces a sour note! I agree.  However, the violation is much more than social. It is spiritual.
8)  There is vain worship.  What is vain worship?  “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9).  The word “vain” means, “empty or worthless.”  Vain worship may occupy some time on Sunday, but it will never please God.

Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).  This is one of the most profound questions ever uttered by man.  The answer to this question is vitally important.  Jesus makes it clear that the Word of God is truth (John 17:17).  He affirmed that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).  He promised that the Spirit of Truth would guide the apostles into “all truth” (John 16:13-15).  The words of Jesus Christ and the apostles constitute truth.  These words are found in Scripture (II Tim. 3:16-17).  Consider the following aspects of truth.

TRUTH IS THAT WHICH CONFORMS TO REALITY AS GOD EXPRESSES IT.
The Bible is completely true.  All of its affirmations and denials conform to reality (this is the correspondence theory of truth).  Truth conforms to reality as God defines reality.  We do not create our own reality.  If we created our own reality, then truth would be subjective rather than objective.  We do not create our own truth.  God’s Word (objective reality) is truth!  When you destroy the foundation of truth–the Word of God–you eliminate God’s will from consideration in the everyday events of life.  This means that man is free to pursue the lusts of the flesh without restraint.  The result–anything goes!  Lies multiply when truth is suppressed or rejected.  When God speaks, His word is truth.  It matters not whether that reality is historical, factual, or spiritual.

TRUTH IS GOD’S WORD
The Word of God is the result of inspiration and revelation.  The Holy Spirit superintended the revelation of God’s will to holy men of God (apostles and prophets).  “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretaion.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Pet. 1:20-21).  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Tim. 3:16).  “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All  things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:13-15).   The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16) is the Word of God (I Pet. 1:25).  In God’s Word, we have an objective reality, an eternal reality, and an authoritative reality.

TRUTH IS INERRANT
Truth and inerrancy are synonymous.  The statements of scripture are always without error.  Skeptics look for errors in the Bible in vain. Error stands in opposition to truth.  The concept of inerrancy must be qualified.  Consider the following areas of study.
1.  Modern technical precision.  The Bible records numbers–size of a crowd, or the size of an army, or the number of years between one event and another–by rounding them.  The rounding of numbers does not constitute errors of facts.
2.  Irregularities of grammar or spelling.  For example, New Testament authors sometimes give a different spelling to Old Testament names.  These are not errors.
3.  Observational descriptions of nature.  The Bible speaks of the sun rising or the sun setting.  These are descriptions as they appear to the observer on earth.  They are not errors.
4.  Reporting falsehoods.  The Bible records the lies of Satan and the fradulent teachings of false prophets.  But, it reports them as lies and not the truth.
5.  The use of hyperbole.  Hyperbole is a figure of speech where exaggeration is used to make a point.  When the Bible says that the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven–it does not mean every single person, but that the preaching of the gospel was pervasive in the world (Col. 1:23).
6.  The use of free citations.  The New Testament writers frequently quote from the Old Testament.  About 10% of the New Testament is made up of Old Testament quotations or allusions.  But, the New Testament writers adapt many of these Old Testament quotations to their intended purpose.  These are not mistakes or errors.
7.  Arrangement of material.  Sometimes chronological arrangment of material is used by a writer and sometimes it is not.  The author may have a different purpose and so arrange material to fit that purpose.  However, these are not errors.

TRUTH MEANS INTERNAL CONSISTENCY
The Bible is not full of contradictions.  Alleged contradictions in the Bible can be answered by showing that two statements, that seem to be incongruous, can be harmonized.  The law of contradiction is as Aristotle noted, “that the same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same subject and in the same respect.”   “In other words, if the same thing is said to be and not be (1) for the same person, place, or thing. (2) at the same time, and (3) in the same sense (respect), then a genuine contradicton exists” (Eric Lyons, Dealing Fairly With Alleged Bible Contradictons Part II, Reason and Revelation, Nov. 2013, p. 122).  The Bible has been falsely charged with contradictions.  If the Bible contradicted itself, then it would not be true.  If it is not true, then it is not believable.

TRUTH MEANS THAT THE BIBLE REFLECTS THE NATURE OF GOD
The Holy Spirit affirms, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2, see also Heb. 6:18).  God’s Word reflects His truthfulness.  The Word of God reflects the very nature of God Himself!  The Word of God does not lie.  But, any doctrine that contradicts the plain teaching of God’s Word is a lie.  Thus, we have a truth test and can try the spirits to see if they are of God (I John 4:1 and II John 4).  Why not put your own beliefs to the test of truth and see if they endure.