Spiritual Processes

UV 2098/10000 Spiritual Processes
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Ephesians 1 v 3
This uni-verse contains an unique phrase: “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Christ, the anointed Messiah sent by God is the keystone, the cornerstone, the very key to all the spiritual blessings in heavenly places. In Him, we have the privilege and right to be part of the kingdom of God. Paul continued the tradition of the Old Testament patriarchs in blessing God, our Father in heaven, our eternal Father. He recognized that the Father in heaven is the source or fountainhead of all spiritual blessings. He knew that spiritual blessings are far more vital than worldly blessings that could only last the lifetime spent on earth. He was convinced that we have access to all spiritual blessings of peace, joy, eternal life in abundance through our faith in Jesus. All these things eluded him when he lived as a zealous religious Jew. Paul suffered many reverses in fortune after he put his trust in Jesus following his encounter on the road to Damascus but the presence of the Lord never left him. He experienced a dramatic paradigm shift in his faith. Till that point in time, he saw God as a holy, almighty, punishing Creator. But now he saw Him as a loving Father and Jesus, His Son as the complete manifestation of His love, power, mercy and grace.

The name of Christ guarantees every spiritual blessing we receive in Him. Jesus said, “ I and the Father are one, “ implying that the will and desire of Jesus coincides fully or agrees with the will of the Father. Jesus rules at the right hand of the Father ever since His resurrection and ascension to heaven. These are the heavenly places referred to in the uni-verse. He is our wisdom, grace, strength, redemption, salvation and sanctification. These are heavenly processes more than they are attributes. As long as we continue in faith in Jesus and His word, we continue in these lifelong processes. The distinction between redemption and salvation is that salvation is once and for all, it is the salvation of our souls while redemption is situation-specific. These spiritual processes will supply whatever we need in terms of spiritual needs.

The uni-verse states the truth in the past tense, “ who hath blessed us…” He has already accomplished it. He has already confirmed that we are spiritually blessed. This is the reason that Jesus said on the cross, “ It is finished.” It implies the spiritual processes of wisdom, righteousness, redemption, salvation, sanctification are finished. He has given us the opportunities to fully and freely participate in these processes. The uni-verse does not mean that we will not receive physical blessings or the needs we have during this lifetime. As long as we are giving priority to the spiritual blessings we receive in Christ, these will follow after us without our being obsessed with it.
Prateep V Philip