Where else in the West offers bulk supply in great abundance compared with Costco? When you enter the store, you see rows and rows of towering shelves. Each shelf has things you need and lots of them. And even more so, you find things you didn’t even know you needed— in packs of 10 each.
There are few things in life where we can feel like we are surrounded by a towering supply of resources for all our present and future needs. If only there was a Costco for personal health. Wouldn’t a Costco of practical wisdom be nice? People dream of finding some place that will be their Costco of financial supply and security (hint: its not at a bank, unless you plan to rob it).
Beyond all of the places which hold supplies that might rival Costco, or all of the imagined Costco-like supply centres, there is a surprising claim made which can’t be duplicated by any of them, not even Costco itself.
The claim is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, in the first chapter:
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
Ephesians 1:3
It is hard to fathom this claim. The world’s religions claim to offer blessings. They will suggest that many blessings can be secured if you perform their rituals. By contrast, it is an astounding claim to say that in one place, “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” resides. In Christ, there is not only a lot of blessing but every spiritual blessing. Such supply is unfathomable. The limitations of our understanding cannot comprehend that kind of inventory. We have a hard enough time imagining all that is on Costco’s shelves, not to mention the storehouse that is in Christ.
Freely Available
Unlike the inventory of Costco (or Tesco, Aldi, Carrefour, etc), everything in Christ’s inventory is freely available. To the one who believes in Christ, this inventory is theirs for the taking. No charge. No buy now pay later. No debt purchasing. Just take it. Enjoy it. It’s yours.
The freeness of such a supply of inventory can be so stunning that many Christian believers fail to recognize all that is theirs in Christ. They will question whether the spiritual blessings are really inside. They will assume that they will have to shop around to other sources of supply. They can pass by what they have in Christ and search for a supply in their own intelligence and power. Or they’ll look for the intelligence and power of others supply centres like their job, appearance, paycheck, education, or relationships. It’s like driving past the Costco that has all that you need and looking in some back alley dumpsters for food.
Jesus and his Bride (the church) beckon people to enjoy the free supply that is in Christ. There is no price on this offer because the price has been paid:
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Revelation 22:17
Although it might be possible that the living God, the incarnate Son Jesus Christ could have “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” resident in him. However, it stretches our limited understanding to think that those blessings would be open to the public, offered freely to whoever would believe.
Ignoring the Inventory of “Every Spiritual Blessing”
The tendency of Christians is not to deny that there is some sort of supply of spiritual blessings in Christ. Every Christian knows that. Their problem is that they fail to recognize the inexhaustible scope of “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places”. Christians can slightly apprehend this supply, but can never fully comprehend all that resides in Christ. There is so much more in Christ than anyone can anticipate. They don’t need to go anywhere else. And all of the unforeseen things that they might need in the future, are already “in stock” in Christ.
To ignore the inventory that is in Christ, is to ignore “the riches of his grace” which he has already “lavished upon us” (Eph 1:7,8).
Why go anywhere else?
Further Reading:
Our Sufficiency In Christ, John MacArthur
The Whole Christ, Sinclair Ferguson
Redemption, Accomplished and Applied, John Murray
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