Ephesians: In Heavenly Places

The phrase “In heavenly places” only occurs six times in the entirety of the New Testament and all those occurrences are in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Probably significant.

In fact, the epistle starts with “spiritual blessings in heavenly places” and ends with a war against “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” That is super significant.

First, what are the spiritual blessings in heavenly places? They are iterated in the Holy text as… being chosen, being pre-destined for adoption, being redeemed and forgiven, having God’s mysteries made known, inheriting an inheritance and finally and dramatically being “sealed” with the Holy Spirit.

Contrast “spiritual blessings in heavenly places” with “physical blessings in earthly places. We have both from God… good health, prosperity, families and Christian fellowship (to name a few)… all earthly and physical.

What are the differences between spiritual blessings and earthly blessings? Earthly blessings are temporary while spiritual blessings are permanent.

Why would Paul lead this letter talking about spiritual blessings? Because knowing and understanding those blessings are the first step in preparing us to be Christian warriors in the great battle against cosmic powers.

Have you ever heard the phrase, its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog? Imagine a confident Chihuahua backing down a German Shepherd… it happens.

Understanding the permanent, unshakeable gifts God has given us builds confidence in our Faith and with even a little bit of faith (and no doubt) we can move mountains, we can walk on water and we can defeat the greatest of enemies.

Remember David and Goliath.