Redemption And Forgiveness

-September 30, 2021-

Good morning, happy Thursday,

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

(Ephesians 1:7).

In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul speaks about all the awesome things that God has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ. He wrote in verse 3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Spiritual blessings are ours now on earth and will be ours in heaven for all eternity.

Paul mentions just a few of them in this passage: we have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; we have been holy and blameless; we have been predestined to be adopted as sons into God’s family; we are accepted in the Beloved; redeemed and forgiven through the blood of Christ; we have wisdom and prudence in knowing the mystery of His will; we have the guarantee of gathering as one in Christ; we are sealed with the Holy Spirit; and we have obtained an inheritance which is ours forever.

We are indeed so blessed! There are many other blessings we read of throughout the NT. Today’s verse is one of the richest in all the Scriptures: we have redemption and forgiveness through the blood of Christ and according to His grace. Each of these blessings are also doctrines in the NT.

The word redemption means to “buy back.” We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and under the control of the devil as slaves to sin. Jesus came into the world to take our place on the cross and pay for our sins. The hymn writer Fanny Crosby wrote, “Redeemed — how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am.”

We are thus forgiven of all our sins: past, present, and future. Jesus died for us, bearing our sins in His own body. His blood has washed away every one of them. The hymn writer Ellis J. Crum wrote, “I had a debt I could not pay, He paid a debt He did not owe. I needed someone, to wash my sins away. A now I sing a brand new song, “Amazing grace” all day long, Christ Jesus paid the debt, that I could never pay.”

Redeemed by the blood and forgiven of every sin, Christ died on Calvary to make me whole within. And just to think, it is all by His amazing grace. None of deserve so great a salvation. As we know, God in His mercy did not give us what we deserved: an eternity in hell away from His presence; but by His grace, He gave us what we did not deserve: forgiveness, eternal life in heaven forever, and making us His beloved children. May we praise and thank Him every day!

Have a blessed day rejoicing that we are redeemed and forgiven, all by His grace. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean