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All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. --- Ephesians 1:3 “Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms'' means that in Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God---being chosen for salvation, being adopted as his children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God’s will, the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings now. The “heavenly realms” means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal. The blessings come from Christ’s spiritual realm. Not the earthly realm of the goddess Artemis. Other references to the heavenly realms in this letter include 1:20; 2:6; 3:10. Such passages reveal Christ in his victorious, exalted role as ruler of all. --- Life Application Study Bible notes