The Believer's Golden Chain of Divine Blessings
By Charles Spurgeon

The Apostle Paul opens the Book of Ephesians by lifting our eyes to the heavenly places that we can view our every spiritual blessing. Verses 3 through 7 of Chapter 1 unfold a golden chain of divine blessings, granted before time began, and stretching into everlasting glory.

Blessed. Verse 3. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. God himself is the source of all blessing, and in Christ he has already granted us every spiritual blessing. These are not temporal or material gifts, but eternal treasures belonging to all who are savingly in Christ. If you want to see the heavenly realms while still on earth, meditate often on your election, adoption, redemption, and forgiveness.

Chosen, verse 4. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. This sovereign act of divine love was done in eternity past. God did not choose us because we were in any way better than others, for we were all equally lost and on our way to perdition. His aim in election was that we should stand before Him, holy and blameless, clothed in the righteousness of His beloved Son.

Predestined, verse five. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. Predestination is God's gracious purpose, carried out with certainty. It is not cold fate but loving design. We were marked out beforehand to be part of His eternal family, not as servants but as sons. Predestination is not a hard word for the believer. It is full of comfort. The Father chose us lovingly, freely, and eternally to be His own dear children.

Adopted, verse 5. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will. By nature, all people are children of the devil. By grace, all believers are adopted into the family of God. As such, we are the objects of God's eternal love and care, cherished and secure.

Redeemed, verse 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood. To be redeemed is to be bought with a price. That price was the precious sin-atoning blood of Jesus. We were slaves to sin, but now we are free, ransomed from the bondage of sin and hell.

Forgiven, verse 7. In him we have the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace. Forgiveness is not earned. It flows from God's abundant grace. Our every sin, past, present, and future, has been laid on Christ. Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.

Such is the believer's golden chain of divine blessings. In Christ and by His sovereign grace, we are blessed, chosen, predestined, adopted, redeemed, and forgiven.