Ephesians: Unveiling Our Mysterious RealitySample

Living in Two Realms

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians has been described as one of the divinest compositions of man. It was a letter of profound wisdom and beauty designed to help the early Christians live a life transformed as followers of Jesus; it is also of amazing relevance to our lives today. Like the early Christian followers of Jesus, we can feel as if we are swimming against the tide of society. In fact, sometimes it’s tempting to give in and just go with the flow of the world, but Ephesians provides us with an alternative guide to living that is profoundly counter-cultural.

At the core of Ephesians’ message lies a radical concept that challenges the way we think about our reality. Paul opens his letter by praising God, saying, “Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms.” In this single line, he reveals a truth that has profound implications for how we understand our place in the world.

Notice what Paul says: that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing. Some people think that this means that any suffering we experience on earth will only be balanced out after our death by blessings in heaven. But the way Paul uses the phrase “heavenly realms” doesn’t just refer to a future afterlife but to a spiritual reality that we can experience here and now through Jesus, in this life.

What he is saying is that the material world we can see, touch, and feel is not all there is; our reality is far more wonderful and mysterious than we could ever imagine. That while we live our day to day lives in the seen world, at the same time, we also live in an unseen heavenly or spiritual realm—a state Paul calls being “in Christ”.

What Paul is saying is that Jesus isn’t only a person we can connect with, but also a “realm” in which we are able to receive God’s blessings. When we come to Jesus and give our lives to him, we not only share in his death and resurrection but, as Christians, we actually dwell in him, here and now.

It’s a pretty mind-blowing thought, isn’t it? But as God said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

Reflect: How does this make you feel about the daily reality of the world around you?