Completely Blessed

I was reading Ephesians 1:3-14 again the other day. The passage is packed with theology, most of it pretty heavy. In Greek it is one long sentence, and what a sentence.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ in Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to the good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will; that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,; in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

I always wanted people to notice the Trinitarian emphasis that Paul makes. You are chosen by the Father. Whatever you think of election it is at the very least God's sovereign initiative in bring you to faith in Christ. You are redeemed by the Son. Redemption is a precious word in the Bible. You have been bought with a price—the blood of Jesus. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the proof that God owns you as a believer and is His down payment of a complete inheritance to come. God in His fullness totally involved in your salvation from beginning to end. The Father chose, the Son paid the price, the Spirit proves.

All of these blessings have the same purpose: "to the praise of His glory!"