Discover the More Abundant Life in Christ

In Christ Realities

Already Blessed!

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One of the most striking and glorious truths in all of the Bible is this: every single person who is in Christ is already blessed.

This is not theoretical. It’s not a future possibility or potential. It is present reality. We already possess the amazing riches drawn from the deep wells of God’s grace—supplied richly and fully in Christ. Colossians 2:9 says:

For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

Bible-believing Christians say, “Amen” to that. Think of it: all of The Father and all of the Holy Spirit dwells IN CHRIST. Well, good for Jesus…. but what about us? Look at the next verse:

and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Those of us in Christ, by God’s Grace (1 Corinthians 1:30), are complete in Him. The Greek word means “to make something total or complete” [1]

We don’t have to go through life struggling, scraping by, barely surviving. We have a generous Father, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). These are not small blessings, nor are they occasional—they are abundant, heavenly, and ours right now.

He is the God who daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19). And as Psalm 103:2 exhorts, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

It is incredible to think that the starting point of the Christian life is not lack, but fullness. Not poverty, but abundance. Not waiting for blessing, but already being blessed beyond imagination.

This is not some vague “tomorrow” promise. It is a real possession today—and forever.

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Psalm 68:19 (NKJV)

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah”

Psalm 103:2 (NKJV)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

Prayer

Father,

Thank You for the overwhelming truth that in Christ I am already blessed—fully, richly, and eternally. Open the eyes of my heart to see all that You’ve given me in Your grace. Help me to live not as one in lack, but as one filled with the abundance of Your life and love. Teach me to trust, to rejoice, and to walk in the full provision that is mine in Christ.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[1]  Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 597.

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Blessed #18: In Christ Realities (Part 5)

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[Blessed Beyond Imagination #18]

Many Christians struggle with living as the brand new creature in Christ that they REALLY ARE, because they think, “I don’t think I’m ‘good enough’ or ‘holy enough’ or ‘righteous enough”. That’s right: you are NOT… but the Lord Jesus Christ is! And that makes a world of difference for you, in terms of the enjoyment of the blessed new life. Today we look at:

  • The glorious truth of 1 Corinthians 1:30, which tells us that we are in Christ because GOD did it. As well as the incredible context of 1 Corinthians 1:30.
  • You are a partaker of the blessings of God, not because you are so worthy, but because of what GOD THE FATHER has accomplished IN and THROUGH Jesus Christ!
  • Romans 4:5-8 and the fact that God justifies and blesses the UNGODLY on the basis of faith, which is according to God’s Grace (Romans 4:16).
  • The Bible clearly declares that “the just SHALL LIVE by FAITH”, which looks to Jesus Christ as our all in all.

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Blessed #17: In Christ Realities (Part 4)

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[Blessed Beyond Imagination #17. The beginning of this podcast has encouragement from God’s Word dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis].

It’s true: God has already richly blessed you, believer, beyond imagination! But many struggle and ask, “Why isn’t this working in my life?”. We tackling that perplexing question in this episode:

  • Why “doing for God” is a big mistake.
  • Many look at things carnally — after the flesh, rather than recognizing the new creation realities by the Spirit.
  • The importance of walking by faith, not by sight.
  • What it means to be a “new creature”.

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Blessed #16: In Christ Realities (Part 3)

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[Blessed Beyond Imagination #16] Very few believers know who they really are in Christ…And that’s important to know, in good times… and especially in bad times! Even fewer believers experience the reality of who they really are in Christ in their daily lives. In this episode, we talk about living in the full benefits of being the blessed person in Christ that you really are. We’ll learn that because we’re in Christ:

  • We already have received all the promises God has ever made.
  • We already have received the promise of the Spirit. And we’ll learn what that means for us right now.
  • We already have the anointing.
  • We already have peace, even during the tribulations of this world, because Jesus has overcome the world.

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Blessed #15: In Christ Realities (Part 2)

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[Blessed Beyond Imagination #15. Note: the beginning of this episode has strong encouragement during this dark time of the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak and economic uncertainty.]

God has already richly blessed every single believer… beyond imagination! But most Christians have almost no idea just how much God has already blessed them in Christ! In this episode we look at more of the incredible IN CHRIST realities for every believer!

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Blessed #14: In Christ Realities (Part 1)

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Every single person who is in Christ is indeed richly blessed beyond imagination. But you might be wondering: it sure doesn’t seem like I’m richly blessed beyond imagination! Maybe you even think that your life is just the opposite. In this episode, we’ll help you to understand and experience the blessed life that is your birthright in Christ:

  • First: an important caution! Addressing our tendency to dismiss these incredible realities.
  • How do we know who we really are in Christ?
  • There are nearly 200 scriptural truths about who we already are in Christ. In Part 1, we dig into some of them.

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The Myth of the Christian “Sinner”

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One of the most common, unbiblical myths in Christianity is the Myth of the Christian “Sinner”. Almost universally and everywhere I hear (or read of) Christians referring to themselves as “sinners”. A common sentiment is the well-worn phrase, “I’m just a sinner like everyone else”. Or, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”.

Yet Christians — those that are truly born again by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ — are never called “sinners” even once in the entire Bible. Such a belief that Christians are called “sinners” is not only patently unbiblical, it is unhealthy and downright dangerous to the cause of righteousness, both personal and in the church.

Now at the outset let me say that I am not saying Christians never sin. They can and do sin, sadly and opposed to God’s will.

What I am saying is that you will not find even one verse in the Bible that calls Christians “sinners”. Not a single one. So what are they called? “Saints”. More on that later. …

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The Two Realities of the Believer Seen in 1 Corinthians 1:30

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By Mark VanOuse

1 Corinthians 1:29-31 (NKJV)

[29] that no flesh should glory in His presence.[30] But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—[31] that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

I am now seeing that verse 30 here, which I have loved for years, contains both realities of the believer: being in Christ and Christ in the believer.
The “in Christ” part is very clear:
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus
How glorious this is! The wonderful fact that I am IN CHRIST is because God did it. “OfHim are you in Christ Jesus”. All of the wonderful treasures, infinite privileges of being in Christ are all mine, because God was the One who baptized me into Christ in the first place!
And yet this incredible verse reveals also the second great reality of the believer: Christ in us the hope of glory. How is Christ in us seen in this verse? …

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