Ephesians Series: Ephesians 1:3c-The Location of the Church Age Believer’s Spirit Appropriated Blessings

Ephesians 1:3 The God, namely the Father of the Lord ruling over us, who is Jesus Christ, possesses certain inherent attributes which are worthy of praise. Namely, because He is the one who has blessed each and every one of us by means of each and every kind of Spirit appropriated blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. (Lecturer’s translation)

Ephesians 1:3 contains two declarative statements.

The first is elliptical and the second is epexegetical.

The first asserts that God the Father is worthy of praise in the sense that He possesses attributes which are worthy of praise.

The second identifies specifically for the reader why the Father is worthy of praise and asserts that He is the one who has blessed Paul and the recipients of this epistle by means of each and every kind of Spirit appropriated blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.

The prepositional phrase en tois epouraniois (ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις), “in the heavenlies” appears exclusively in the Ephesian epistle and nowhere else in the Greek New Testament (Eph. 1:3, 20, 2:6; 3:10; 6:12).

Here in Ephesians 1:3, it marks the first, second and third heavens as the location in which each and every one of the church age believer’s Spirit appropriated blessings are residing.

In other words, it indicates that each and every kind of Spirit appropriated blessing are “located in” the first, second and third heavens.

The prepositional phrase en Christō (ἐν Χριστῷ), “in Christ” is epexegetical because it is identifying specifically what is meant by the previous prepositional phrase en tois epouraniois (ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις), “in the heavenlies,” which is ambiguous and begs to be defined.

Therefore, the former is identifying for the recipients of this epistle the specific location of each and every one of their Spirit appropriated blessings, which the Father imparted to each one of them in eternity past when He elected them in Christ.

Namely, these blessings are located specifically in the person of Jesus Christ who sits in the third heaven at the right hand of the Father.

However, the implication is clear that it is “because” of their faith in Jesus Christ and “because” of their union and identification with Christ that they received these blessings from the Father.

The original languages of Scripture teach that there are three levels of heaven.

This multiplicity of heavens is indicated in Ephesians 4:10 and Hebrews 4:14 where our Lord at His ascension is said to have “passed through the heavens” (accusative masculine plural noun ouranos).

The first and second heaven are not specifically mentioned but the third heaven is discussed in 2 Corinthians 12:2.

Logically speaking, it is evident that there cannot be a third heaven without also a first and second heaven.

The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere which surrounds the earth (Mt. 6:26; 8:20; 16:2-3; 24:30; Mk. 4:32; 13:27; Lk. 8:5; 9:58; 12:56; 13:19; 17:24; Acts 1:10-11; 4:24; 10:11, 12; 11:6).

The second heaven is the stellar universe or space which consists of a vast array of stars, moons, suns, galaxies and solar systems (Mt. 24:29; Mk. 1:10; 13:25; Lk. 11:16; 17:29; 21:26, 33; He. 11:12; R. 6:13-14).

The third heaven was also created by the Lord Jesus Christ (Psa. 102:25; 115:15; 124:8; 134:3; Isa. 45:12; 51:13; Jer. 32:17; Zech. 12:1; John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:10).

In Ephesians 1:3, the prepositional phrase en Christō (ἐν Χριστῷ), “in Christ” is related to the church age believer’s union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

This is indicated by the contents of Ephesians 2:6-7, which employ this same prepositional phrase with the addition of Iesous (Ἰησοῦς), “Jesus” at the end of it.

Ephesians 2:6 asserts that the church age believer was raised and seated with Christ Jesus by the Father through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification.

Ephesians 2:7 states that the Father did this for the church age believer in order to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness towards the believer in union with Christ Jesus.

Therefore, a comparison of Ephesians 1:3 with Ephesians 2:6-7 indicates that the Father has blessed each church age believer by means of each and every kind of Spirit appropriated blessing because of their union and identification with Jesus Christ, which is the direct result of their faith in Jesus Christ at their justification.

These blessings are non-meritorious because they are blessings are appropriated by the believer as a result of the merits of the object of their faith at justification, Jesus Christ.

They are also appropriated by them based upon the merits of their identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

In fact, as we noted Ephesians 2:7 asserts that this identification was designed to demonstrate the surpassing wealth of the Father’s grace in kindness toward the church age believer.

As we noted in our introduction, the Christian’s union and identification with Christ and position in Christ is a major theme in the Ephesian epistle.

This is indicated by Paul’s use of the prepositional phrase en Christō Iēsou (ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ), “in Christ Jesus,” which appears seven times in the Ephesian epistle (cf. Eph. 1:1; 2:6, 7, 10, 13; 3:6, 21) and five times with reference to the believer’s union and identification with Jesus Christ (cf. Eph. 1:1; 2:6, 7, 10, 13).

This union and identification is also alluded to with the prepositional phrase en Christō (ἐν Χριστῷ), “in Christ,” which occurs in Ephesians 1:3.

At the moment of justification, during the dispensation of the church age when a sinner exercises faith alone in Christ alone, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places that person in an eternal union with Christ, thus identifying the believer positionally with Christ in His crucifixion, death, resurrection and session.

This results in making the believer a permanent member of the royal family of God, a new spiritual species and eternally secure (Mark 16:16; John 7:37-39; 14:20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:11-13; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is called the “baptism of the Spirit.”

To be identified with Christ means that the Holy Spirit has made the justified sinner identical and united with the Lord Jesus Christ and also means that the Spirit ascribes to the believer the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This does not mean that the believer becomes the second person of the Trinity, but rather it means that God views the believer as having been crucified, died and buried with Christ two thousand years ago as well as raised and seated with Him.

The baptism of the Spirit results in positional sanctification and the potential to experience sanctification in time and the guarantee of the completion of sanctification at the resurrection of the church.

By positional, I mean that God views the believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ since at the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit placed the believer in union with Christ, identifying him with Christ’s crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), His death (Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3), His burial (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12), His resurrection (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12; 3:1) and His session (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1).

“Positional sanctification” is the believer’s “entrance” into the plan of God for the church age resulting in eternal security as well as two categories of positional truth (1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:26-27; Hebrews 2:11; 10:10; Acts 20:32; 26:18; Romans 6:3, 8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

“Retroactive” positional truth is the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His death and burial (Romans 6:3-11; Colossians 2:12).

In other words, when Christ, died God considers the believer to have died with Him.

“Current” positional truth is the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His resurrection, ascension and session (See Ephesians 2:4-6; Colossians 3:1-4).

In other words, when Christ was raised and seated at the right hand of the Father, the Father considers the believer to have been raised and seated with Christ as well.

“Positional sanctification”: (1) What God has done for the church age believer. (2) His viewpoint of the church age believer. (3) Sets up the potential to experience sanctification in time. (4) Provides the believer with the guarantee of receiving a resurrection body.

“Experiential sanctification” is the function of the church age believer’s spiritual life in time through obedience to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the communication of the Word of God (John 17:17; Romans 6:19, 22; 2 Timothy 2:21; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, 7; 1 Timothy 2:15).

“Experiential sanctification” is the post-conversion experience of the believer who is in fellowship with God by confessing any known sin to the Father when necessary followed by obedience to the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the Word of God.

Experiential sanctification is only a potentialsince it is contingent upon the church age believer responding to what God has done for them at the moment of conversion, therefore, only believers who are obedient to the Word of God will experience sanctification in time.

“Perfective sanctification” is the perfection of the church age believer’s spiritual life at the rapture, i.e. resurrection of the church, which is the completion of the plan of God for the church age believer (1 Corinthians 15:53-54; Galatians 6:8; 1 Peter 5:10; John 6:40).

It is the guarantee of a resurrection body and will be experienced by every believer regardless of their response in time to what God has done for them at salvation.

All three stages of sanctification refer to the process of conforming the believer into the image of Jesus Christ, which is the Father’s plan from eternity past (Romans 8:28-30).