Faith as a prerequisite

I regularly receive letters from people who are deeply unsettled in their faith. This is a direct result of the teachings of the community and the Christian culture in which one stands. Faith is seen there, for example, as a “precondition for salvation”. The result is that you “have to” believe, and this is often cemented with further expectations on conduct and understanding. That doesn’t just sound pious, it also seems threatening. You have to fit in if you want to be one of the “good guys”. In fact, it is the effect of a threatening message in which a vengeful God does not shy away from sending the majority of his creatures into an endless torment. Such a harsh lesson about one hell of a destiny naturally leaves its mark on the community. Only those who do “everything right” deserve God’s attention and grace. Others are threatened with punishment, judgment, withdrawal of love and eternal torment in hell. It is a terrible distortion and a threatening message in which God seems to be against us. The Bible, on the other hand, has a good news message in which God is for us (Rom 8:31). Grace is seen by lovers of hell as a reward, not a gift. Anyone who believes in hell and everything that has to do with it is under pressure to perform. You are part of a tradition in which salvation is a kind of indulgence deal, a deal you make with God. The deal is as follows: First you must believe, only then can God save you. That’s not just weird, it’s downright misleading. It is logical that some people are afraid of a threatening and unpredictable God.

In Ephesians, we read and learn about the Apostle Paul’s experience of life and faith. This letter is one of his last letters. He is already an aged Paul. Here we find wisdom of life and wisdom of faith. In this epistle, he addresses the core of faith.

In Ephesians, Paul always emphasizes God’s achievement “in Christ”. That is where his focus lies. Nothing in our efforts determines God’s attention. It’s not about us, but about Christ. God looks at us in Christ. The apostle’s focus is very different from that of many Christian communities. But that changes everything. What Paul writes frees us from the stress of faith. Paul does not refer to the effort we make, but he refers to Christ and says that we are blessed “in Him”. It’s not about whether you or I are “enough” before God, but about whether Christ is enough for God. That even decides for us.

Blessing God

Paul writes:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blesses us (…).”
Eph 1:3

The verb “to bless” in the Greek of the New Testament is derived from the word “to say well” (Greek eulogeo). This describes the essence of blessing. When someone blesses, good is expressed. It is astonishing, however, that Paul first writes here that God be blessed. It seems much more logical that God blesses. Many see this as the logical source. God is greater than us. Blessings flow down from above, don’t they? Or is it about something more? The apostle speaks of what he wants to say to God. He does this not because he is better or higher than God, but because he recognizes that God has blessed us first. He names this specifically. When Paul blesses, it is a reaction. It seems no more than logical that we react in the same way to the good things God says to us.

It is noteworthy that Paul is not submissive to God, as I have seen again and again in pious circles, but the apostle blesses just as God blessed him first. We too can bless God because He blessed us first. When I first read this, I was surprised by the equivalence of the verb, which seems to work both ways. As I understand it, the point is that God gives what He can give in Christ, and Paul is probably talking to God about how he received it. Well-saying is affirming, soothing, recognizing the good. God is well-disposed towards us. This is the core of the gospel. Therefore, we can reflect this back, not only with the same words, but ultimately through our lives as “logical worship” (Rom 12:1-2).

These are just the introductory words. This is also to say that it is worth reading carefully, becoming quiet while looking at it, and trying to discover the meaning. Paul chooses his words carefully, it seems. We can also turn to these words, carefully but firmly, in order to learn something from them.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Did you know that Jesus Christ has a “God and Father”? This often goes unmentioned because Jesus was accepted into the Godhead as part of a Trinity. There is nothing higher. God cannot have himself as God. That’s why you might be happy to read past this wording. This makes Paul’s statement that our Lord Jesus Christ has a “God and Father” all the more confusing. “God and Father” has. Paul had already mentioned this God and Father in the previous verse when he said: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2). Jesus is already mentioned there in clear distinction to God. Different and therefore our Lord Jesus Christ also has one God and Father.

Throughout the New Testament it is affirmed that Jesus has a God and Father, and that He is different from Him. So it is not me who is saying this, but Paul, for example. Elsewhere the apostle writes: “For though there are so-called gods … yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom is the universe …, and only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom the universe was made” (1 Corinthians 8: 5-6).

It is about the statements in Scripture. One can learn from this. It’s fascinating how some of the ideas in the text are quite different from the ideas that are often seen as the “Christian standard understanding”. If you stumble across these statements for the first time, you can take note of them, leave them as they are and see if they are mentioned elsewhere.

Spiritual blessing

Another point from this third verse in Ephesians is the emphasis on a spiritual blessing. It is not a tangible blessing, but a spiritual blessing. It is not palpable. It can therefore be neither about wealth nor about healing, neither about spiritual gifts nor about privileged positions in this world. Spiritual blessing is “spiritual” because it is given “in the spirit”. That is the nature of the blessing and where we find this blessing.

Now one can ask whether this blessing is spiritual because we perceive it with our spirit or whether it is God’s spirit that shapes this blessing. However, both possibilities take place “spiritually”. Spiritual is also different from “felt”. Paul is not talking about “felt blessing”, as if the feeling is central, a pleasant, warm feeling around the heart or in the stomach area. Some people hope that faith is something like an assurance of a good feeling. Unfortunately, it is not. We are indeed blessed, but this blessing is “spiritual” and is not to be confused with a feeling.

Spiritual blessing therefore stands in contrast to our body and what we experience here. While emotion is measured by our body and is also related to the soul, spiritual blessings are often not valued. Spiritual blessing cannot be grasped with hands, but it cannot be touched by hands either. It is reliably stored because it is assigned to a different category. Spiritual blessing is not anchored here in this world or in our body and feelings. This blessing is better guaranteed because it is “in Christ”.

In a comparison, we read from Jesus that He “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break through nor steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6:20-21). Jesus does not speak of the same thing as Paul, but He also describes something of value that is not directly accessible. This can be advantageous.

Paul speaks of God blessing us with spiritual blessings “in the midst of the heavenly ones in Christ”. This spiritual blessing is therefore not in us, but “in Him”. That is liberating. Nowhere in the list in Ephesians 1 does Paul speak of a performance that is required of us. It does not require any “effort of faith” on our part. While this is a common belief, Paul explains that God blesses us and He works in Christ. That is the decisive factor, not our effort. The idea that God is constantly testing and judging us, possibly even condemning us, contradicts what the Scriptures say. The letter to the Ephesians is a vivid example of this.

“In Christ” this blessing is secure and can no longer be stolen. This blessing is spiritual, but also of a spiritual nature, which is explained further in the very next verse. However, this blessing is also in a specific place. The Concordant New Testament mentions here “in the midst of the heavenly ones”. The same Greek phrase can also be translated as “in the midst of the heavens”, depending on the context. So when it comes to the question of what it is all about, you can ask whether it is primarily about the place or about society. Christian tradition likes to emphasize the place. You “go to heaven” and the like. In the context of the Pauline letters, it seems logical to me to refer to the relationships that take place in one place. We are, writes the apostle, blessed in the midst of the heavenly ones in Christ. The Supermundane and Christ both appear in the same breath and can both be understood as persons. Therefore, “in the midst of the supra-heavenly”, in the sense of “in the midst of supra-heavenly beings”, seems much more significant. Also bear in mind that there are many references to super-heavenly or celestial beings. Heaven is not just a big empty attic. The sky is what we see when we look up. The heavens above, of which Paul repeatedly speaks, are more than an even higher attic. It is the place where supernatural beings are, including Christ. We are “blessed in the midst of the heavenly ones in Christ”.

Every spiritual blessing

How should we understand the blessing? Is it about a “quantity”? Is Paul making a sweeping statement as if we are blessed with “all spiritual blessings”, as if the apostle is referring to a large pot of blessings and he simply means the whole pot? No. The Greek word used here is not a collective term. “Every blessing” is not a blanket statement. “Every spiritual blessing” indicates a multi-layered blessing. Paul highlights each individual blessing separately. Each spiritual blessing is an emphasis on each individual blessing.

When Israel received promises for a messianic kingdom, many things were important in it. For example, justice should prevail there, and there should be no more miscarriages, no more crop failures and these things. All these blessed things will actually take place in this world. This is not the case with a spiritual blessing. Spiritual blessing, on the other hand, is not tangible. It is spiritual. That makes it different.

Some people are worried about whether the gospel is still relevant today. Because shouldn ‘t God change something concrete here? That is the expectation in which disappointment is built in.

If one were not only concerned with one’s own projections onto the Bible, one could recognize other things. Something like this: Paul, who founded today’s church as an apostle to the nations, does not proclaim a messianic kingdom with worldly blessings and a repaired world, but he speaks of spiritual blessings today. This is not visible, not tangible, not necessarily accompanied by good feelings and it is also not a cheap solution to the misery of this world, as some would like it to be. All these projections, which demand immediate help from God, are not reflected in the Bible or in this world. This blessing is different from that predicted for the messianic kingdom. However, the blessing is exactly valid for our time and is the only thing we can reliably discover today.

What Paul explains is intended for today. Faith today is spiritual. Mercy reigns. People from all nations are called to a gospel of grace. This is not the salvation of the world, but the calling of the body of Christ, this community that has been emerging worldwide for 2000 years. Those who respond to this message do so not because of promises of wealth, health or success, but because it touches the heart. Transformation can take place. However, the calling from God means much more, which can only be perceived as a spiritual blessing.

So is there still a difference between the experience of this world and the spiritual riches given by God? Sure. There is a discrepancy. Sobriety remains a requirement. There is not a solution for everything today, even if there is an expectation based on promises. Spiritual blessing, however, is that which is given to us today, which has a comprehensible effect and can give our whole life a good direction. What has value today is spiritual. We have this treasure “in earthen vessels”, says Paul, referring to our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:7). So this is quite fragile. Let us remember that it is about the contents of these vessels, about the wealth, about the spiritual blessing.