Benefits

Eph 1:3 (ESV)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

On January 11, 1967, I raised my hand that took the Oath of Service to join the Navy.  I had committed to six years of service including reserve time. 

From 1966 through 2017, I paid into Social Security, but the major benefits I’ve received were not from my time in the Navy, not since I retired.  No, the major benefits I’ve received have been mine since the evening of October 16, 1975 when I knelt down at a meeting at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and committed my life to Christ.

The sort of benefits you and I have received since we committed our lives to Christ are partially laid out in the book of Ephesians.  The list is so long, there would not be enough room in this post to contain them.  I thought, though, I might offer a partial list: 

We were chosen by God before the foundation of the world. Though we met God at a particular time like October 16, 1975, God has always known us and that we would be His.

He has made us holy and blameless before Him. By the sacrifice of His Son, we will stand before the Father as pure and sinless as Christ Himself.

In His love, He predestined us for His adoption.  I’ve mentioned the Roman and Greek forms of adoption before.  In both traditions of adoptions, the Father paid the price – a fee, he made all the arrangements.  He presided at the ceremony.  At the end of the ceremony, the child needed only to call the prospective father, “Daddy.”  That was it.  Nothing more was needed, and the newly adopted child could never be disowned.  A natural child could, but not an adopted one.  We are God’s once He adopts us.  We can never lose our salvation.  This was done through Jesus Christ, the price that was paid to adopt us.  Our adoption was according to the purpose of His will. 

God the Father has blessed us in “the Beloved,” Jesus.  In Him we have redemption through His blood.

We have the forgiveness of our trespasses, “according to” the riches of His grace.  “According to” is an interesting phrase.  One of he best ways to understand this might be with a story: Two millionaires were playing Golf together.  At the end of their game, one man gave a twenty dollar tip to his caddy.  The other offered to pay his caddy’s mortgage.  The first gave from his riches.  The second gave according to his riches.  The gift of God to us is vastly greater than anything we can imagine or expect. 

It is according to His infinite grace that He has lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.

He has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose. He has let us in on the secrets not revealed until now. His purpose is explained and fulfilled in Jesus Christ as a plan for the fullness of time. This plan was to unite all things in heaven and things on earth.

We have obtained an inheritance, the same inheritance as His Son because we have been adopted as co-heirs with His Son for all of eternity.

We were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit once we heard the gospel of our salvation and believed in Jesus.

This Holy Spirit sealed us to guarantee our inheritance until we acquire it.  This is done solely to the praise of His glory.

Why is this important?

Though I do appreciate the benefits I get from the Veterans Administration as a reward for offering my life to the service of our country, and I appreciate the benefits I receive after depositing a portion of my wages into Social Security all my working life, the greatest benefits I or anyone can receive come with their commitment to Christ.

1 Cor. 15:14, 19 (ESV)  And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain . . . If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

The fact Jesus rose bodily from the grave is the best document event in ancient history.  Because He has risen, all the benefits mentioned above plus many many more listed in Scripture, are ours.  To become a Christian is simple.  All that is needed to gain all the benefits is to commit your life to Him. To receive the benefits for this simple act is totally mind blowing.