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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Doc Shell.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Many believers know the verse "you are complete in Him," but few have truly let it sink in. What does it mean to have every spiritual blessing available to you, not because of what you've done, but because of who Christ is? Ephesians chapter one answers that question in one of the most sweeping, grace-filled passages in all of Scripture.

What Does It Mean to Have "Every Spiritual Blessing"?

Ephesians 1:3 makes a bold claim: every spiritual blessing is found in Christ Jesus, not some of them, all of them. These blessings are not earned through striving or religious effort. They are received through faith in Him.

This is not a call to do more. It is a call to realize what has already been done.

What Is Grace, Really?

Grace is one of those words that gets used often but rarely unpacked. Here is a fuller picture of what it means:

  • Grace is the unmerited favor by which God's blessings are showered on us.
  • Grace is the empowerment given through the Holy Spirit to do God's will.
  • Grace is receiving from God what we could never earn, merit, or deserve on our own.

The fullest picture of grace in human form is Jesus Himself. As John wrote, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14

And from Him, we receive grace upon grace. Like waves at the ocean that never stop coming, His grace keeps arriving.

What Does Redemption Actually Mean?

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." - Ephesians 1:7

The word redemption paints a picture of a slave being bought off an auction block. It carries the idea of debts being cancelled. And the forgiveness that comes with it is not just a covering of sin. The Greek word used here means the sin is sent away, removed, dealt with entirely.

This forgiveness is not based on your performance. It is based on the shedding of His blood and the riches of His grace.

Did Jesus Die for Everyone, or Just Some People?

This is a question worth addressing directly. When Christ died, His blood was sufficient to cover the sins of every person who has ever lived. As 1 John 2:1 makes clear, He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The difference is this: His blood was shed for all, but those who benefit are those who call upon Him in faith. The sufficiency of His blood becomes effective in the life of the one who believes. Faith is the connection point.

Does Grace Give Us a License to Sin?

This is a question Paul anticipated. In Romans, he wrote that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. But he was quick to follow that with a firm response: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" - Romans 6:1-2

When a person is born again, their nature changes. Sin no longer does for them what it once did. As one pastor put it well: sinners can leap into sin and love it, but saints lapse into sin and loathe it. That internal tension is evidence of a transformed life.

Grace is not a treadmill of religious striving. But it is also not a permission slip for careless living. It is the lavish, abounding love of a Father who calls His children to walk in a way that reflects who they now are.

What Is the Mystery of God's Will?

Ephesians 1:9 says God "made known to us the mystery of His will." Before Christ came, the full picture of God's redemptive plan was hidden. The Old Testament contained prophecies and foreshadowings, like pieces of a puzzle scattered across centuries. But the picture on the front of the box was not yet visible.

Now it is. The picture is Jesus.

God's plan, purposed in Himself and according to His good pleasure, was to gather together all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth. Jewish believers and Gentile believers, brought together as one in Him. No one left out. All things summed up in Christ.

Do Believers Really Have an Inheritance?

Yes, and it is not a small one.

"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." - Ephesians 1:11

This inheritance will not rust, corrupt, or go bankrupt. It was decided by God according to His own will, not based on human effort or merit. He looked ahead, saw those who would trust His Son, and determined that they would be placed in Christ, where His perfections become their perfection, His standing becomes their standing, His resurrection becomes their resurrection.

Believers are not hired help trying to earn a small portion of what God has. They are heirs seated at the family table.

How Does Someone Actually Receive These Blessings?

Ephesians 1:13 lays out the sequence clearly:

  1. You heard the word of truth, the gospel.
  2. You trusted and believed what you heard.
  3. God sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise.

You did not seal yourself. God sealed you. The Holy Spirit living inside every believer is the mark of that seal, a sign of security, authenticity, and ownership. Just as a signet ring pressed into wax authenticated and protected an ancient document, the Holy Spirit authenticates and secures the believer's standing in Christ.

What Is the Holy Spirit's Role in All of This?

The Holy Spirit is described in Ephesians 1:14 as the guarantee of the inheritance. He is the down payment, the earnest, the promise that what God has begun He will complete.

There is still more to come. Believers will one day receive glorified, resurrected bodies, sinless and perfect, capable of things this present body cannot do. The Holy Spirit living in you right now is God's guarantee that all of it is coming.

And all of it is to the praise of His glory.

What Does This Mean for How You See Yourself?

God is not reluctantly forgiving. He is not a distant deity who barely tolerates His people. He is a lavish Father who loves to pour out grace and mercy. Hebrews 4 gives every believer an open invitation: come to the throne of grace and receive mercy and grace in your time of need.

You are chosen. You are forgiven. You are redeemed. You are sealed. You have an inheritance. And you are loved by the Father the same way He loves His own Son.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

That is not religion. That is relationship. And it is all found in Christ alone.

Life Application

This week, read Ephesians chapters one and two every day. Let these truths move from your head into your heart. You are not striving to earn what God has already given. You are learning to walk in what is already yours in Christ.

Ask yourself these questions as you go through the week:

  • Am I living as an heir, or am I still trying to earn what has already been freely given to me?
  • When I sin, do I run toward God's grace or away from it? What does that reveal about how I truly see Him?
  • Do I actually believe that God loves me the way He loves Jesus? What would change in my daily life if I did?
  • Is there someone in my life who needs to hear that they are not left out of God's plan, that the invitation is open to them?

The challenge this week is simple but profound: stop striving and start receiving. Sit with Ephesians 1, let the truth of who you are in Christ settle into your thinking, and let that truth change the way you walk through your days.