 |  |
BLESSING
64
There is not the slightest warrant today that a Christian farmer can claim these blessings. It would be impossible
and undispensational to attempt to gauge the spiritual stature of a Christian farmer or business man to-day by the
number of his cattle, or by the stock he carries in his store. Indeed the reverse might well be the true gauge, that as a
man's spiritual life developed, so there would be every possibility that his bank balance would decrease. The word
translated blessing in the New Testament is the Greek eulogia, a word that means primarily `to eulogize or to speak
well' of anyone. Although the number of occurrences exceeds our limit (ten) by but one, we will provide a
concordance to all these references.
Eulogia `Blessing'.
Rom. 15:29.
`The fulness of the blessing'.
1 Cor. 10:16.
`The cup of blessing'.
Gal. 3:14.
`The blessing of Abraham'.
Eph. 1:3.
`All spiritual blessings'.
Heb. 6:7.
`The earth ... receiveth blessing'.
Heb. 12:17.
`He would have inherited the blessing'.
Jas. 3:10.
`Out of the same ... proceedeth blessing'.
1 Pet. 3:9.
`That ye should inherit a blessing'.
Rev. 5:12,13;
7:12.
`Blessing' ascribed to the Lord.
Eulogia occurs in all, eighteen times, translated blessing, bounty, bountifully and fair speeches.
The
concordance given is limited to the translation `blessing'.
The two references that stand out from this list, and reveal themselves as markers of dispensational import are
Galatians 3:14 and Ephesians 1:3. Under Galatians 3:14 it is clear that the gospel blessings enjoyed during the Acts,
were not associated with any mystery that had never before been revealed, but were traceable back to the promise of
God made to Abraham. This is true of the great foundation doctrine of justification by faith. When we turn
however to Ephesians 1:3, we are presented with an entirely different and new state of things. While we would not
suggest that the word `blessing' should not be used by us to-day when speaking of the glorious doctrine of salvation,
or the wondrous providence of God, it is nevertheless true to say that the word is used with some restriction in the
New Testament. Twice of the gospel, once in connection with the Lord's supper, and once to describe the blessings
that belong to the high calling of the Mystery.
All spiritual blessings. As the passage stands in the A.V. the word blessing is in the plural, but in the original it
is in the singular. `In (or with) every blessing (that is) spiritual'. The word translated `all' is pas, and when it is
used of one it means `the whole', `entire' or `all the ...' but if pas be used to cover several items, it means `every'.
Thus pasa polis means `every city', pasa he polis or he pasa polis `the whole city', while he polis pasa would have
a slightly different meaning, either `the city, all of it' or `the city, every part'. The Church of the Mystery is `blessed
with every blessing that is spiritual'. If the total number of the blessings with which the Church is blessed were say
four or forty - they could still be defined as `all spiritual' whereas the mind reels in its endeavour to grasp the fact
that there is no blessing that is spiritual, that is omitted from this gift of grace. We shall never in this life appreciate
or realize a tithe of what is here so freely bestowed. The word `spiritual' is the Greek word pneumatikos derived
from pneuma `spirit', which in its turn derives from the root which means `breath', and so is allied with the Hebrew
conception as expressed in the word ruach. Pneumatikos occurs three times in Ephesians.
Eph. 1:3.
`Every blessing that is spiritual'.
Eph. 5:19.
`Hymns and spiritual songs'.
Eph. 6:12.
`Spiritual wickedness'.
Without the balance that these occurrences provide, we might be tempted to equate the word `spiritual' with all
that is good, but this is rendered impossible by Ephesians 6:12. We cannot speak of `good wickednesses'. We look
therefore in the context for the antonym, and find it in the words `flesh and blood'. It is evident therefore in this
passage at least, that the term `spiritual' is used in opposition to the term `corporeal', and this is what we find
elsewhere. `For we know that the law is spiritual (pneumatikos): but I am carnal (sarkinos)' (Rom. 7:14). `For if the