Discovering the Spiritual Blessings God Has Given Us Through His Son
The Real-Life Struggle
Have you ever noticed how differently you can see yourself depending on what has happened during your day?
Perhaps you have accomplished something meaningful.
Someone has expressed appreciation for your efforts.
You have handled a difficult situation with patience.
And for a little while, you feel reasonably confident about who you are.
Then something changes.
You make a mistake.
Someone questions your decision.
You recognise a weakness you thought you had already overcome.
Or you compare yourself with another woman who seems to have everything beautifully organised.
Suddenly, the confidence you felt begins to disappear.
Perhaps you find yourself thinking:
Why do I always struggle with this?
Why can’t I be more like her?
Am I really becoming the person God wants me to be?
What does God actually think when He looks at me?
These questions can become especially difficult when we have spent years defining ourselves through our achievements, failures, responsibilities, appearance, or the opinions of others.
We may know that God loves us.
We may believe that Jesus died for our sins.
Yet when we think about ourselves, we instinctively return to the familiar descriptions we have carried for years.
I’m not good enough.
I’m always making mistakes.
I have so much that still needs to change.
Perhaps God is disappointed with me.
But what if we have been beginning in the wrong place?
What if understanding how God sees us in Christ requires us to begin not with our personal assessment of ourselves, but with what He has revealed about His gracious work through Jesus?
Here, in a beautiful woodland garden overflowing with flowers and sunlight, we are invited to open one of the most extraordinary passages in Scripture.
And as we explore Ephesians 1:3–14, we may discover that God’s Word describes those who belong to Christ in ways far more wonderful than the labels we have learned to carry.
Discover the Truth
The apostle Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians with a remarkable declaration of praise.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” — Ephesians 1:3 (WEB)
Notice where Paul begins.
Not with the spiritual achievements of the Ephesian believers.
Not with a list of everything they still needed to improve.
And not with an invitation to measure themselves against other Christians.
He begins by praising God for what He has accomplished through Jesus Christ.
Paul then unfolds a magnificent description of the spiritual blessings believers have received in Him.
Throughout this passage, one expression appears repeatedly in different forms.
In Christ.
In Him.
Through Jesus Christ.
In the Beloved.
This is essential to understanding the passage.
Paul is not describing an identity that exists independently of Jesus.
Nor is he suggesting that every person automatically possesses these blessings apart from faith in Him.
He is describing what God has graciously given to those who belong to His Son.
Our identity is therefore not established by discovering something impressive within ourselves.
It is established through our relationship with Christ.
Chosen in Christ
In Ephesians 1:4, Paul writes that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love.
What a remarkable statement.
Before Paul begins describing the believers’ everyday responsibilities, he directs their attention towards God’s gracious purpose in Christ.
The emphasis is not upon human superiority.
Being chosen in Christ is not a reason to consider ourselves more important than others.
It is a reason for humility, gratitude, and worship.
Paul also connects God’s purpose with holiness.
We have not been brought into Christ so that our choices become irrelevant.
God’s gracious purpose includes a life that increasingly reflects His character.
And this reminds us that our new identity and our growing obedience belong together.
We do not earn our place in Christ through holiness.
But belonging to Christ calls us to live in a way that honours Him.
Adopted Through Jesus Christ
Paul continues in Ephesians 1:5, explaining that God predestined believers for adoption as children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.
Consider the significance of adoption.
It speaks of belonging.
Of being brought into a family.
Of receiving a new relationship and standing.
Through Jesus, believers are not merely forgiven and then left at a distance from God.
They are welcomed into His family.
And this adoption is grounded in His gracious purpose.
It is not a reward for having become sufficiently impressive.
Nor is it something we maintain by ensuring that every day is spiritually successful.
It is part of the saving work of God through His Son.
When we begin understanding ourselves as those who have been adopted through Christ, our relationship with the Father can become established upon a much more secure foundation.
We are not outsiders continually attempting to earn permission to belong.
In Christ, we have been brought into His family.
Accepted in the Beloved
In Ephesians 1:6, Paul praises God’s glorious grace, which He has freely bestowed upon us in the Beloved.
The Beloved is Jesus Christ.
Our acceptance is inseparable from Him.
This is important because we can sometimes imagine that God accepts us because He has decided to overlook our shortcomings while waiting for us to become more deserving.
But Paul directs our attention towards grace.
The blessings he describes are given through Jesus.
They are not wages earned through religious performance.
This does not mean that God approves of everything we think, say, or do.
Scripture clearly teaches that believers are called to repentance, obedience, and holiness.
But our standing before God is not established by a flawless personal record.
It is grounded in Christ and the grace we have received through Him.
Redeemed and Forgiven
Paul continues:
“In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” — Ephesians 1:7 (WEB)
Notice the words we have.
Paul is describing a present possession of those who belong to Christ.
Redemption speaks of deliverance secured through a costly price.
And Paul identifies that price as the blood of Jesus.
Forgiveness is not presented as something we must persuade God to provide through sufficient remorse or spiritual achievement.
It is grounded in Christ’s saving work and the riches of God’s grace.
This does not make repentance unnecessary.
Rather, it gives us confidence to acknowledge our sins honestly and turn towards the One through whom forgiveness has been made available.
Our failures should never be treated lightly.
But neither should they be given greater authority than the redeeming work of Jesus.
An Inheritance in Christ
In Ephesians 1:11–12, Paul speaks of the inheritance associated with belonging to Christ and God’s gracious purpose.
Then, in verses 13–14, he describes the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own possession.
This reminds us that our new identity has both a present and a future dimension.
We already belong to Christ.
We have received His Spirit.
But the fullness of our inheritance and final redemption still awaits its complete fulfilment.
Our present circumstances therefore cannot reveal everything God has prepared for those who belong to Him.
There is more to come.
And our hope rests upon His faithfulness.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit
In Ephesians 1:13, Paul writes that those who heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, and believed in Christ were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
This is another extraordinary blessing.
The Holy Spirit is not presented as a prize awarded only to believers who have reached an exceptional level of spiritual maturity.
Paul connects the sealing of the Spirit with hearing and believing the gospel.
The Spirit’s presence marks believers as belonging to God and serves as the guarantee of the inheritance awaiting them.
Our relationship with Him is not simply an emotional experience.
It is part of God’s gracious work in bringing us into Christ.
And this truth gives us another reason to praise the Father for what He has accomplished.
See the Father’s Heart
Sometimes we imagine that God’s primary thoughts towards us are focused upon everything we have not yet achieved.
We notice the unfinished areas of our lives.
We remember our mistakes.
We compare our progress with the apparent maturity of others.
And we may begin imagining that the Father sees us primarily as a collection of disappointments.
But Ephesians 1 directs our attention towards His gracious initiative.
Before Paul gives instructions about how believers should live, he celebrates what God has done through His Son.
The Father has blessed us in Christ.
He has acted according to His gracious purpose.
He has brought believers into His family through Jesus.
He has provided redemption and forgiveness through His blood.
And He has sealed those who believe with the promised Holy Spirit.
These truths reveal a Father whose saving purpose is rooted in grace.
Consider the words of Ephesians 1:5:
“Having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire.” — Ephesians 1:5 (WEB)
Paul does not describe adoption as something God reluctantly agreed to provide after humanity persuaded Him.
He connects it with the good pleasure of His will.
The Father has acted through Jesus to bring believers into a relationship of belonging.
And this changes how we approach Him.
We do not need to imagine ourselves standing outside His family, continually hoping that our latest efforts have made us acceptable.
Through Christ, we have been brought near.
We can come to Him with gratitude.
We can receive His correction without interpreting it as rejection.
We can acknowledge our weaknesses without believing that every unfinished area of growth has cancelled His grace.
And we can pursue holiness because we belong to Him, rather than attempting to become holy enough to persuade Him to love us.
The Father’s heart is not something we must guess from our changing feelings.
It has been revealed through Jesus Christ.
And Ephesians 1 gives us a beautiful glimpse of the richness of His grace.
Recognise the Old Pattern
One of the most familiar ways we can misunderstand our identity is by allowing our personal performance to determine how we see ourselves.
Perhaps you feel confident when you have been productive.
You feel valuable when others appreciate you.
You feel spiritually secure when you have prayed consistently, read your Bible, and responded well to difficult situations.
But when you fall short of your expectations, your sense of identity begins to change.
You may find yourself thinking:
I haven’t done enough.
I should be further along by now.
Perhaps God is disappointed with me.
Maybe I need to try harder before I can feel confident in His love.
Over time, this can create a pattern of continually measuring your standing before God through your latest performance.
Consider a woman who has spent many years believing that her value comes from being dependable.
She works hard.
She helps others.
She tries to anticipate everyone’s needs.
And when people appreciate her efforts, she feels secure.
But when she cannot meet every expectation, she becomes discouraged.
She begins interpreting her limitations as evidence that she is not enough.
Now consider what Ephesians 1 reveals.
If she belongs to Christ, she has been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Him.
She has been brought into God’s family.
She has redemption and forgiveness through Jesus.
And she has been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
None of these blessings is described as a reward for successfully meeting everyone’s expectations.
They are gifts of God’s grace through Christ.
This does not mean that her responsibilities are unimportant.
Nor does it mean that faithfulness, service, and obedience have no place in the Christian life.
But it changes the foundation from which she approaches those responsibilities.
She can serve others without making their approval the measure of her identity.
She can acknowledge limitations without treating them as evidence of spiritual failure.
She can make mistakes and take responsibility without believing that her standing in Christ has disappeared.
And she can pursue growth from the security of belonging to the Father.
This is part of learning to see ourselves through the truth of God’s Word.
Renew Your Thinking
Ephesians 1 invites us to begin with what God has declared rather than what our changing circumstances suggest.
This does not mean ignoring genuine weaknesses.
It does not mean pretending that every thought or behaviour reflects Christ perfectly.
And it does not mean developing an exaggerated opinion of ourselves.
Rather, it means allowing Scripture to establish the foundation of our identity.
Consider the difference between these familiar patterns of thinking.
The Old Pattern Says:
I am only valuable when I am doing something useful.
Renewed Thinking Says:
My identity in Christ is not established by my productivity. Through Jesus, I have been brought into God’s family, and I can serve others from the security of belonging to Him.
The Old Pattern Says:
I made a mistake, so perhaps God no longer accepts me.
Renewed Thinking Says:
I need to acknowledge my mistake and respond appropriately, but my standing before God rests upon His grace through Jesus Christ.
The Old Pattern Says:
I must become more spiritually mature before I can be confident that I belong to God.
Renewed Thinking Says:
Spiritual maturity is something I am called to grow in, but my belonging to God begins through faith in Jesus, not through achieving a particular level of performance.
The Old Pattern Says:
Other Christians seem more important or spiritually successful than I am.
Renewed Thinking Says:
The spiritual blessings described in Ephesians 1 are gifts of grace in Christ, not rewards for personal superiority. I can be grateful for what God is doing in others without diminishing what He has graciously given me.
The Old Pattern Says:
My feelings of inadequacy must reveal how God sees me.
Renewed Thinking Says:
My feelings may reveal areas where I need encouragement, wisdom, or renewed understanding, but God’s Word provides the trustworthy foundation for knowing what is true of me in Christ.
Notice that renewed thinking does not place us at the centre.
It places Jesus at the centre.
We are not trying to persuade ourselves that we are extraordinary apart from Him.
We are learning to recognise the extraordinary grace of God that has been given to us through Him.
And this produces something very different from pride.
It produces gratitude.
Humility.
Confidence in Christ.
And a growing desire to live in a way that honours the One who has loved us so graciously.
Walk It Out
Imagine stepping into a beautiful garden along The Woodland Path.
The trees open to reveal a series of elegant stone terraces.
Flowering borders overflow with roses, lavender, and delicate woodland blossoms.
Several graceful pathways lead through the garden, each revealing another carefully tended part of the landscape.
As you wander, you begin noticing details that were not visible from the entrance.
A beautiful fountain.
A quiet place to sit.
A pathway bordered by flowers.
An unexpected view beyond the trees.
The garden has not become more beautiful because you have finally noticed these things.
Its beauty was already there.
You are simply discovering more of what has been prepared.
In a similar way, Ephesians 1 invites us to discover the spiritual blessings God has already given to those who belong to Christ.
We are not attempting to create these blessings through our own efforts.
We are learning to recognise and live in the light of what Scripture reveals.
Here are three gentle ways to begin.
1. Read Ephesians 1 as a Declaration of God’s Grace
Take time to read Ephesians 1:3–14 slowly.
Notice how often Paul refers to what God has done.
He has blessed.
He has chosen in Christ.
He has predestined believers for adoption.
He has provided redemption and forgiveness.
He has revealed His gracious purpose.
He has sealed believers with the Holy Spirit.
Rather than beginning with what you need to achieve, begin with what God has accomplished.
Ask yourself:
What does this passage reveal about the Father’s character?
Which blessings does Paul describe as already belonging to believers in Christ?
Which promises point towards our future hope?
Allow the passage to shape your understanding.
2. Recognise One Description You Have Been Carrying
Think about the way you most commonly describe yourself when you feel inadequate.
Perhaps you think:
I’m not good enough.
I’m always disappointing people.
I have nothing meaningful to offer.
I’m not as spiritually mature as I should be.
Choose one familiar description.
Then consider:
Where did this belief begin?
What experiences have reinforced it?
Does it accurately reflect what Scripture says about my standing in Christ?
You do not need to deny genuine areas where growth is needed.
But you can begin distinguishing between a temporary difficulty and the identity God has given you through Jesus.
3. Respond with Gratitude and Faith
Choose one truth from Ephesians 1 that has become especially meaningful to you.
Perhaps it is adoption.
Perhaps redemption and forgiveness.
Perhaps the sealing of the Holy Spirit.
Or perhaps the wonderful declaration that God has blessed believers with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Write the Scripture reference somewhere you can return to it.
Consider how that truth might influence one ordinary situation.
If you feel inadequate, remember that your standing in Christ is not established by your achievements.
If you recognise a mistake, acknowledge it honestly while remembering the grace through which forgiveness has been provided.
If you feel uncertain about your future, remember that God has given His Spirit as the guarantee of the inheritance awaiting those who belong to Him.
And as you reflect, allow gratitude to become part of your response.
Not because you have made yourself worthy.
But because God has been wonderfully gracious through His Son.
Pause and Reflect
Take a quiet moment to consider what Ephesians 1 reveals about your identity in Christ.
1. When I think about how God sees me, what influences my understanding most strongly?
Is it Scripture, my personal performance, my feelings, or the opinions of others?
2. Which spiritual blessing described in Ephesians 1:3–14 is most meaningful to me today?
Why does this particular truth speak to my heart?
3. Are there familiar descriptions of myself that do not accurately reflect my standing in Christ?
How might God’s Word help me develop a more truthful understanding?
4. What would change in my everyday life if I approached my responsibilities and relationships from the security of belonging to the Father?
Consider one practical response that could reflect greater gratitude, confidence, humility, or love.
You do not need to understand every detail of Ephesians 1 immediately.
Allow the richness of this passage to draw you into a deeper appreciation of God’s grace.
A Prayer of Response
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the extraordinary spiritual blessings You have given through Jesus Christ.
Thank You that my relationship with You does not rest upon my personal achievements or my ability to become worthy through my own efforts.
Your Word reveals that You have blessed those who belong to Christ with every spiritual blessing in Him.
Thank You for choosing us in Your Son.
Thank You for bringing us into Your family through adoption.
Thank You for the redemption and forgiveness provided through the blood of Jesus.
And thank You for the promised Holy Spirit, who seals those who believe and guarantees the inheritance awaiting them.
Father, help me understand these wonderful truths more deeply.
Where I have measured my identity through performance, comparison, or the opinions of others, teach me to return to Your Word.
Where I have allowed my weaknesses to become the definition of who I am, give me wisdom to distinguish between the areas where I need to grow and the standing I have received through Christ.
Keep me from pride.
Keep me from condemnation.
And teach me to respond to Your grace with humility, gratitude, faith, and obedience.
May my understanding of who I am become increasingly grounded in Jesus.
And may my everyday life reflect the goodness of the One who has loved me and brought me into His family.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Before You Continue Along the Path
Perhaps you began this reflection wondering how God truly sees you.
Perhaps you have spent years measuring your identity through achievements, failures, responsibilities, or the opinions of others.
Or perhaps you have believed in Jesus for a long time without fully considering the extraordinary spiritual blessings Scripture declares belong to those who are in Him.
Ephesians 1:3–14 invites us to begin from a different foundation.
Paul does not begin by telling believers to become more impressive.
He begins by praising God for His glorious grace.
Through Jesus Christ, the Father has blessed believers with every spiritual blessing.
He has chosen us in Christ.
He has brought us into His family through adoption.
He has provided redemption and forgiveness through the blood of His Son.
And He has sealed those who believe with the promised Holy Spirit.
These are not rewards for achieving spiritual perfection.
They are expressions of God’s grace through Jesus.
This does not mean that our choices are unimportant.
Nor does it mean that we have already reached complete maturity.
We are still called to grow in holiness, wisdom, faith, and love.
But we do not pursue these things to manufacture a relationship with God that we have not yet received.
We pursue them because, through Christ, we belong to Him.
We can acknowledge our weaknesses without allowing them to become our identity.
We can take responsibility for mistakes without assuming that every failure has cancelled God’s grace.
We can appreciate the gifts and growth of others without comparing our worth.
And we can approach the Father with gratitude for what He has accomplished through His Son.
Seeing yourself as God sees you in Christ is not about convincing yourself that you are wonderful apart from Him. It is about recognising the wonderful grace He has given you through Jesus.
As you continue along The Woodland Path, take time to return to Ephesians 1.
Read it slowly.
Notice the repeated references to Christ.
Consider the Father’s gracious purpose.
And allow the truth of His Word to establish your understanding of who you are in Him.
There is no need to hurry.
The more clearly we see Jesus and the richness of God’s grace through Him, the more securely we can understand our identity in Christ.
Continue exploring The Woodland Path — Living in Your New Identity in Christ.