What Does it Mean to Be Blessed?

"If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you" - I Peter 4:14

According to this verse, it is a blessing to be insulted. It is safe to say that we all want God's blessings in our lives, but what does it really mean to be blessed?

My default answer of what it means to 'be blessed' usually has something to do with the fact that God is good, gives us good and perfect gifts (James 1:17) and His blessings are evidenced by 'good things' in life, such as a secure job, a great family, and people who love me. But this is not fully accurate. These things could be achieved by anyone, with or without belief in Christ as a result of good luck or hard work. These can be blessings, sure, but they are not the definitive signs of a blessed life.

It might be more accurate to say that believers are blessed with peace, joy, and hope—fruits of the spirit given not by circumstance or situation but by God Himself.

To really nail it down, 'being blessed' means that as believers we possess peace, joy, and hope not only when things are good, but when things are bad.

Especially when things are extraordinarily bad.

To be blessed and have God's Spirit upon us means that we experience his presence regardless of circumstance. Whether we are high or low, our faith and our fruits are unchanging because they come from his blessing and not our situation.

The one way to really know if we are truly blessed, if 'the Spirit and glory of God rests upon us', is if we find ourselves able to endure painful circumstances faithfully. Amid tragedy, in the face of persecution that screams, 'deny God or else!', do we still experience the blessing of being indwelt by the Spirit and Power of God? If so, we know that we are truly blessed in a way that goes beyond trying hard and doing well.

In this passage, Peter echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:11, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." This also connects right in with the words of James 1:2, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds." It is not uncommon in Scripture to see the concept of being blessed and filled with joy in Christ as being mentioned in concurrence with being persecuted and enduring trials. Blessing in the midst of trials seems to be a mark of a believer.

Every Spiritual Blessing

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." – Ephesians 1:3

What an amazing promise this is! We are not blessed in a moment but in the heavenly realms with 'every' spiritual blessing! But how can we grasp the blessings of the heavenly realms in the here and now?

It can be hard to see it at times, but our current culture has been built on a relatively Christian worldview. Because of this, it can be easy to conflate blessings in our lives with the American Dream. The things we strive for to have a 'good life' can easily be matched up with 'being blessed.' Yet early believers had no such confusion. They had no American Dream to look forward to. For them, the options were to:

Choose not to believe, and live life as usual in a pagan world without Christ.
Accept Christ, and expect to suffer ridicule, loss of income, loss of freedom, torture, and even death as possible options.

From a worldly perspective, this was not an easy choice.

To be sure, at this very moment, believers around the world are facing the same cost and making that same decision. Although many of us live in relative comfort, let us not forget that there are many faithful children of God who are right now enduring the unthinkable because of their devotion to the Savior. Have we not advanced beyond this as a society? Why would this still be a reality in 2024?

It is because the choice to follow Christ has always been unpopular from the beginning, and we must not accept that the world has somehow 'become Christian'. Common civility and Christian morality may be embraced for a moment, but Satan is constantly at work, moving us toward pain or simply keeping us sidelined in thinking things are fine.

We Are Blessed Because the Bible Is True

If Christ is just a 'good man'; not God incarnate, and not risen from the dead, then our faith is foolish and there is absolutely no point in following Him. Paul states in I Corinthians 15:14, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." Paul was a guy who 'had it all.' He understands there is no earthly benefit, no blessing, in following a man who was berated, mocked, ridiculed, arrested, and crucified.

But if it is true…

If Christ is truly risen from the dead, if he is the author of creation, if he holds the keys to eternal salvation and offers it freely, if he allows us to boldly approach the very throne of God, if faith in him allows us to become his co-heirs, if we may become the very sons and daughters of the most-high God, and if he is so good that he grants us the same Holy Spirit that was at work in him, can he not also indwell in us?

Every piece of evidence available leaves no doubt that it is absolutely true, and we are certainly blessed no matter what persecution we may face, because we face the same persecution as he did willingly on our behalf.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.– Matthew 5:11-12

My family, my home, my income, and my friends are all undeniable blessings from God. At the same time, I am blessed when I am insulted and abused because of my belief in Christ. I am blessed when my faith is heckled and when I am a peacemaker in a world of hate and polarization. When I am meek in a world of aggression.

When we truly seek Christ above all else, above our own desires and comfort, this is where we find what it means to be truly blessed.

Jason Soroski is a homeschool dad and member of the worship team at matthias lot church in St. Charles, MO. He spends his free time hanging out with his family, exploring new places, and writing about the experiences. Connect on Facebook or at JasonSoroski.net.