Continued
from the last episode:
Preamble: Knowing and understanding what the
blessing is will definitely enhance our Christian life. Over the years there
has been a misconception or misnomer about what the blessing of God is, and as a
result many who are blessed are thinking they are not and many who are not are
basking in great fallacious delusion thinking they have arrived. In this topic,
we are going to painstakingly unfold the meaning of the blessing of God.
Text
Of Interest:
“The
blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.”
Provb
10:22 (KJV)
As we continue in understanding what
the spiritual blessings are as declared in (Eph 1:3) is good to remind
ourselves as I have stated earlier that the spiritual blessings entail the
reestablishment of one’s spiritual position in God. This reestablishment comes
into effect as a result of accepting the message of Grace of God by faith and
righteousness is declared or bestowed on the individual. The last position we
talked about is the position of acceptance in the beloved, let’s see what the
next position is and unfold it “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;” (Eph 1:7 – 8). The usefulness of this verse as regards to our
relationship with God cannot be over emphasized in all ramifications. This
verse is the pillar of all the effects that manifest as the restoration of man
is established, because the bone of contention is the fall of man and as a
result man was separated from God. What brought the separation was that man
sinned against God, so the removal of the sin which is the barrier between God
and man would mean that man has gained his position in God back.
The quotation above implies that there
is a redemption, and the question should be why redemption? Well, man sinned and
went into slavery in the hand of sin, that is to say that sin had dominion over
man, and man was made to subject himself under sin. So man needed to be
redeemed from the clutches of sin and the offer of the redemption comes by the
gospel of grace of God and it lies in the hand of man who wanted to be
liberated to accept it and be free from the bondage of sin (1 Peter 1:18-20).
Right from the time Adam sinned, God revealed that remission from sin should
take place by the shading of blood, “And
almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of
blood is no remission.” (Heb 9:22). So God had to slaughter an animal and
made a covering for their sin, as He put on them the animal coat, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD
God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” (Gen 3:21). The animal blood
was a shadow of the real which is the blood of Christ that was shed on the
mercyseat in heaven after He resurrected. Therefore, by the shedding of the
blood of Jesus Christ every sin committed was forgiven because He took them
away, “The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world.” (Jn 1:29). Mankind's sins were taken away by the death of
Christ as a result anyone who believes in Him his or her sins are forgiven.
Receiving the gospel and accepting it
means that one has agreed on the finished work of Jesus Christ, and that
actually He was the lamb that took the sins away and He is the propitiation for
man’s sins. Having accepted the offering of Christ on the cross, by faith the
grace of God is revealed in the life of that individual as he or she obtains
forgiveness of sin and he or she stands right in the sight of God.This is one
of the positions the declaration of righteousness establishes someone into
and therefore, the blessing of God is that one has obtained forgiveness of sin
by faith through the sacrifice of Christ. This entails that whoever that have
received the gift of righteousness has been given the right to be called sons
of God, and as matter of fact they have obtained inheritance in God. “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.” (Eph 1:11). This is the
hallmark of the blessing of God, the acceptance of someone who has been an
outsider into the family of God means much spiritually, physically and
materially. Being a member of the family of God means that one is entitled to
whatever that the family of God has. If it is glory he or she has the legal right
to share in it, if it is honour, he or she has the legal right to share in it.
And if it is power or authority he or
she can as well share it in, because he or she has been made a partaker in the
family of God and I mean nothing should be denied him or her. What is required
is for him or her to know what has been made available to him or her and begin
to claim them for his own use and benefit. As a child of God, he or she has every right to access all his
or her inheritance depending on how much he or she has known. Therefore, knowledge
of what has been made available becomes the key to acquiring them and if he or
she lacks the knowledge, nothing will be received. “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors
until the time appointed of the father.” (Gal 4:1-2)
To be continued….
Till I come your way again, keep on
basking in the Arena of Indubitable Truth!
Chukwuemeka C. Asiegbu
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