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7 Gifts We Are Given at Salvation

  • Barbara Latta Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
  • Updated Sep 06, 2023
7 Gifts We Are Given at Salvation

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when we place our trust in Jesus, we are created new in our spirits. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and eternity with God is ours.

But this is not all that is bestowed upon us as believers in Christ. 

When we are offered a gift of any kind, whether birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or any other event, we tear into the packages with anticipation of what a loved one or friend has given us. We wouldn’t think of leaving a birthday or Christmas gift unopened. 

Why wouldn’t we approach the unending spiritual benefits the Lord has provided to us with more exuberance than a temporary physical gift? 

The New Testament is full of promises from God that are ours through our Savior. Many times, we fail to live with the benefits of being a king’s kid. This is one reason we are told to study the Scriptures—so we can find out who we are and what we have. 

We are blessed with 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 NIV)

We may read this Scripture and think this means we are blessed when we get to heaven. But we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy these blessings. According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word translated as spiritual in this verse means non-carnal or not human. 

And the word for heavenly means from the abode of God. So, putting these phrases together, we can see that this tells us we are offered gifts we can’t obtain from human sources; rather they come from the abode of God for happiness, power, and eternity. We won’t need these when we get to heaven. We are empowered while we are on this earth to carry out the commands of our Lord and Savior. 

Paul outlines these gifts through several verses in the first chapter of Ephesians and in other letters he wrote to the churches. 

The Lord’s benefits are infinite, but here are seven gifts provided at salvation that, when we use them, will enhance our lives and give us boldness to be the disciples we are called to be.

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  • hands up releasing doves Holy Spirit spirituality

     1. We Were Chosen to Be Holy and Without Blame

    For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (Ephesian 1:4-5)

    We were predestined to be adopted. This doesn’t mean God chooses some people to be saved and others to be rejected. Other Scriptures make it clear that we are offered the choice of accepting or rejecting Christ. But before the foundation of the world, the Creator made a way for those who would believe to be made part of His family. He predestined the way to receive salvation, knowing His creation would fall.

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  •  2. We Are Granted Redemption Through His Blood and the Forgiveness of Sins

     2. We Are Granted Redemption Through His Blood and the Forgiveness of Sins

    In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7–8)

    We can’t earn forgiveness of sin. The richness of His grace surpasses our human understanding. How can our perfect God show favor to sinful humans? He does this because of Jesus’ sacrifice and our acceptance of His offering. 

    Because God has extended pardon to us through the blood of His Son, we have no right to withhold forgiveness from other people who offend us. When we refuse to forgive others, we dishonor Jesus’ sacrifice.

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  • ancient book open with smoke rising to signify Bible mystery and All Souls Day

     3. We Can Know the Mystery of His Will

    With all wisdom and understanding he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ. (Ephesians 1:8b-9) 

    Paul prays for the saints in the first chapter of Ephesians. He asks God to open their eyes to understanding and wisdom (Ephesians 1:18). These words are written to all Christians, not only those who lived in Ephesus. As we pray and study the Word, we can have our spiritual eyes opened to revelation of the spirit realm and know what God wants. 

    As New Covenant believers, we have access to the Spirit of God that Old Testament saints did not receive. The plan of God was a mystery but has now been revealed to us. 1 Corinthians 2:10, 16 tells us we have the mind of Christ and can know His will through His Spirit.

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  • Man with his hands over his heart

     4. We Are Bestowed with the Holy Spirit

    Jesus told His followers after he was gone, He would send the Comforter (John 15:26). The Comforter would tell them whatever they needed to know when the need arose. 

    Galatians 5:22 lists the fruit that is deposited into us when the Holy Spirit comes to reside inside us at salvation. These attributes enable us to live holy lives, resist temptation, avoid offense, and be the witness we are called to be. 

    Before God’s Son appeared on earth, the Father chose prophets and priests to carry His messages to the people of Israel. On certain occasions, the Spirit would come upon them, and they would prophesy. Sometimes, kings received this same anointing for special reasons. The citizens learned from these anointed men what the Lord was saying. 

    God also spoke audibly to certain individuals such as Moses, Joshua, the parents of Samson, Zechariah, and Mary but this was not the norm for each Hebrew citizen. Because of what Jesus did, every believer now has access to the Holy Spirit.

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  • praying hands, YWAM Founder is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer

     5. We Are Imparted with Authority Over Demonic Spirits

    This is another benefit of living under the New Covenant enacted at Jesus’ resurrection. The Old Testament believers could not deliver anyone from the hold of Satan. The only mention of the devil in the Old Testament is in Genesis when he tempted Eve, in the book of Job, and when he is described before he was cast out of heaven as son of the morning in Isaiah 14:12 and the anointed cherub in Ezekiel 28:14.

    The saints who lived before Christ knew evil existed in the world but there was no way for people possessed by demons to be delivered. We don’t see people being set free from this demonic influence until Christ came and exerted His power over them. 

    Now because of the Son’s name and authority we are commanded to do the same works He did (John 14:12). The church was birthed on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon those in the upper room. From that day forward the power of Christ was displayed in signs and miracles. We are commanded to continue to operate the same way the New Testament church did.

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  •  6. We Are Created to Do Good Works

     6. We Are Created to Do Good Works

    For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

    In Ephesians 2:8, Paul makes it clear we are not saved by what we do. We are saved by the grace extended to us and we receive grace through faith in Christ’s sacrifice. 

    Our actions reflect the relationship we have with Jesus. Nothing we do can make God love us more, and nothing we do can make God love us less. But He empowers us to perform goodness and righteousness to show unbelievers His true character of love and mercy.

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  • Woman with hand on heart

    7. We Are Accepted in the Beloved

    To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6 NKJV)

    Rejection plagues humanity because too often we look to other fallen human beings for approval. We compare ourselves with others and their faults fall away through the lens of rose-colored glasses. Our misguided view of their perfection draws us into depression. 

    We are only to look to others to learn from and to emulate them if they are living according to biblical principles. Paul told the Corinthians to Follow me, as I follow Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1) 

    Yes, people can be mean and intentionally reject us for different reasons. But our identity and self-image should come from Jesus. He accepts and embraces us with His love no matter how other people treat us. To know the Creator of the world never leaves us or forsakes us should take precedence over any other opinion that comes our way.

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  • treasure chest with glowing contents

    We Have Obtained an Inheritance

    Believers are children of the King of the universe. A child of an earthly monarch is an heir to the throne of their parent. Of course, we won’t inherit God’s throne, but as His children we are privileged to have access to the attributes of His Spirit. We are sealed and no one can take this inheritance away from us. We may refuse to live in these benefits, but our enemy can’t steal our inheritance. 

    Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father and to destroy the barrier between the old and new covenants. He came to bring peace between the two (Ephesians 2:14-18).

    All these gifts, and more that are shown to us in the New Testament, are available to every believer. But we can’t live in this power unless we reach in and apply them to our lives. 

    The great mystery of Scripture is Christ in you the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We will never comprehend this with our natural minds, but we can live in our inheritance and identity as we accept this blessing by faith. 

    Our enemy wants us to live in defeat and discouragement. He wants us to feel condemned. To counter his lies, we need to encourage ourselves daily with thoughts of victory. We should talk to ourselves with God’s voice.

    I am happy to provide you with a free PDF download of Scriptural confessions to pray over yourself when you subscribe to my blog at www.barbaralatta.com. This colorful list can help you keep your mind focused on the benefits of your salvation.

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    barbara latta profile pictureBarbara Latta lived as an Arkansas girl until she wed her sweetheart. She never dreamed she would reside in seven states and visit eight countries in this marriage adventure with finally settling in Georgia in 1993. Riding on the back of her husband’s Harley inspired her book, God’s Maps, Stories of Inspiration and Direction for Motorcycle Riders. Some rides take them to historic and scenic sites combined with stops at antique and flea markets. Barbara and her husband enjoy life with two sons, one daughter-in-love, and an energetic granddaughter who frequently gets her hands messy in paints, clay, and other art projects. Barbara writes articles for online sites and anthologies, and about living in our identity in Christ at www.barbaralatta.com.