“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 1:3). “In Christ” is an inspired phrase used by the apostle Paul, which is the equivalent of being in the church (1 Thessalonians 1:1).
Blessings from God such as the sunshine and the rain, cold and heat, day and night, the seasons, the planting and harvest, etc. may be enjoyed by everyone whether Christians or not. “The Lord maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Therefore, it follows that one does not have to be “in Christ” in order to live and prosper in the material world today. Herein is a great danger. One may assume that material possessions and prosperity shows evidence of God’s approval, spiritually speaking. However, such is not the case. Many prosper and live in luxury that are spiritually bankrupt.
Then one may assume that God will look favorably upon him because he lives morally upright or belongs to some benevolent lodge or civic group. This is also a false and dangerous assumption. The word of God teaches that all spiritual blessings are “in Christ.” These include forgiveness, hope, inheritance (Ephesians 1:7, 11; 2:10), the privilege of worship (John 4:23-34), and many others.
But how does one get into Christ? The Bible is so clear on this matter; yet, so many easily miss it today. One enters Christ when baptized. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). The apostle Paul also states, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
Let us always be obedient unto Christ and follow His commands (John 14:15, 21, 23), proving our love for Him.
