Verses 3-14 actually form one long sentence and is a hymn of praise to the Lord. Interestingly it is very trinitarian, including the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is also the starting point and foundation for all that Paul is going to say later on about the church. We have been blessed by the Father in the heavenly realms in Christ. Being blessed means we have been placed in a position of favour and of receipt of God's kindness. This has taken place in the "heavenly realms". The term "heavenly realms" occurs five times in Ephesians. Heavenly realms is a term signifying the spiritual world. It is the place of spiritual conflict, but is also the place where we have been blessed by God. Greek thought made sharp division between the spiritual and physical, and much of our Western thought is still heavily influenced by this kind of thinking. Jewish thought is quite different. The spiritual world and physical world are not two totallly separate realms. When Jesus came to eath He preached that the kingdom of heaven was near. In God's kingdom the spiritual world is meant to impinge directly on the hear and now. We are meant to be a people who live by the Spirit, and we have been given every spiritual blessing. In Christ our spirits are alive and can start to influence and empower our lives.
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