What Does It Mean To Be Blessed by God?
What Does It Mean To Be Blessed by God?
16 Oct 2010
We all want to be under (God’s) Yahweh's blessing. It’s not unusual to hear someone say, “I’ve been blessed by God.” Usually, this is said in relation to success, health, family, wealth, or a job. We even hear athletes say this after winning a big game.
The common understanding of being blessed by (God) Elohim is that we receive good things from Him. In this respect, we can say that Yah’s blessing is on everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. Matthew 5:45 says that the Father who is in the heavens causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. In Acts 14:17 Paul spoke to the unbelieving Greeks about the living El saying, “He did good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
But is God’s blessing limited to only material things? Surely these are included, but thinking of Yah’s blessing as mainly material things severely limits our understanding of what the blessing in Yah’s heart is for us as believers. So what is the fuller meaning of being blessed by God?
The blessing of Abraham
Let’s begin with Almighty’s blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Reading this verse by itself, we might think being blessed here means something outward, like a peaceful living situation. But later in Galatians 3:13 and 14, the apostle Paul explained what this means:
“Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf; because it is written, ‘Cursed is every one hanging on a tree’; in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Yahshua, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
These verses explain what Genesis means by “blessed” and answer the two questions below.
How can we be blessed?
As fallen sinners, we deserve nothing but judgment and curse. But Christ became a curse on our behalf. On the cross, Christ Jesus bore the curse that was upon all humanity and died in our place. Because of this alone, we can receive the blessing of Abraham. It’s not because of our good works or behavior; it’s entirely because of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross for us. We receive the blessing of God through faith in Christ.
What is the blessing of God?
Galatians 3:14 makes clear that the blessing in Christ that Yah wants us to receive is not material things, but the promise of the Spirit.
16 Oct 2010
We all want to be under (God’s) Yahweh's blessing. It’s not unusual to hear someone say, “I’ve been blessed by God.” Usually, this is said in relation to success, health, family, wealth, or a job. We even hear athletes say this after winning a big game.
The common understanding of being blessed by (God) Elohim is that we receive good things from Him. In this respect, we can say that Yah’s blessing is on everyone, believers and unbelievers alike. Matthew 5:45 says that the Father who is in the heavens causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. In Acts 14:17 Paul spoke to the unbelieving Greeks about the living El saying, “He did good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
But is God’s blessing limited to only material things? Surely these are included, but thinking of Yah’s blessing as mainly material things severely limits our understanding of what the blessing in Yah’s heart is for us as believers. So what is the fuller meaning of being blessed by God?
The blessing of Abraham
Let’s begin with Almighty’s blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Reading this verse by itself, we might think being blessed here means something outward, like a peaceful living situation. But later in Galatians 3:13 and 14, the apostle Paul explained what this means:
“Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf; because it is written, ‘Cursed is every one hanging on a tree’; in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Yahshua, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
These verses explain what Genesis means by “blessed” and answer the two questions below.
How can we be blessed?
As fallen sinners, we deserve nothing but judgment and curse. But Christ became a curse on our behalf. On the cross, Christ Jesus bore the curse that was upon all humanity and died in our place. Because of this alone, we can receive the blessing of Abraham. It’s not because of our good works or behavior; it’s entirely because of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross for us. We receive the blessing of God through faith in Christ.
What is the blessing of God?
Galatians 3:14 makes clear that the blessing in Christ that Yah wants us to receive is not material things, but the promise of the Spirit.
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