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 ESV

“Blessed be” is another way of saying “honor to.” Consider the dynamics, the motion, the extent of blessing and honor in this verse: “Blessed be the God … blessed us in Christ … with every spiritual blessing …”

Here in Ephesians 1:3, honor is being directed toward God, who, in turn, has honored and graced us in Christ … with a transcendence so high and vast that it is “in the heavenly places.” On the one hand it is almost unimaginable, but on the other hand Paul states it in the past tense (he “has blessed us in Christ”)—it is complete … finished … a settled fact.

The Fatherhood of God toward Christ is extended to us—what an honor!—for the simple matter of fact that we as believers are IN CHRIST.