Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
The hymn entitled 'In Christ alone' was produced and copyrighted in 2001 by the partnership of Keith Getty and Stuart Townend as a contemporary worship song with a strong Irish melody. The theme of the song centres on 1 Corithians 15 which stresses the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and also of the victory He claimed over death.
'In Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm; what height of love, what depth of peace, When fears are ceased and strivings cease, My Comforter my All in all, Here in the love of Christi stand'.
In defining the nature, scope, realm and the sphere of Our blessings, Paul says to the Christians in Ephesus: '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 1:1-3). In terms of scope, these blessings are all-inclusive ('every'); in terms of nature, they are ‘spiritual'; in‘ terms of-realm, they are in the heavenly places‘ and in terms of the sphere of the Christians' blessings, they are found 'in Christ'. They are' not found anywhere else apart from 'in Christ'. Christ remains our light and our strength because it was at the cross where we first saw the light and the burden of our souls got rolled away.
Paul describes the blessings which the Father (the Source) has given us in Christ as 'Spiritual' and he further highlighted their location (the heavenly places). This implies that these blessings are divine. The Christian's blessings 'in Christ' are numerous, but in the context of Ephesians chapter 1, Paul highlighted the following blessings which we have in Christ:
God made us His children through the death of Christ. In giving us the blessing of adoption, God granted to. us the full rights of children including the right to eternal inheritance, making us joint heirs with His Son. In John.1:12, God's Word says: 'But as many as received him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name'.
In his exhortation to the Romans, Paul explains that 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. He then declares: 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Wow! The Lord of the universe made us His children. How blessed we are!
