“In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
“Redemption “is a word that we do not use a lot today. The word, as used in the Bible, is a legal word used for freeing slaves. If someone, or the slave himself, bought a slave’s freedom it was said that he was redeemed. This is really what Paul intended in this verse from Ephesians. He wanted us to know that our freedom from slavery to sin had been purchased for us through Christ. Christian redemption is centered in a person: “in Him.” Jesus Christ is the only source of our redemption. In John 14:6, Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” If it wasn’t for Jesus everyone would be hopelessly lost, and there would no hope of heaven for anyone. Jesus is the one who sets us free. Here is what Jesus said about it in John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” Christian redemption is certain: “we have.” Being set free by Christ is not something that we can only wish for. There are people who say that we can’t know whether or not we are saved, or have been set free. But according to Paul, this redemption is something that “we have.” The New Testament is written to let us know that we can know that we have been redeemed. We know whether or not we have received Jesus as our Savior. Redemption in Jesus is not something to be taken lightly, but it is something that can be taken with certainty. Christian redemption is costly: “through his blood.” 1 John 1:7 tells us: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Revelation 1:5 tells us: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Redemption through Christ is free for the taking, but it is certainly not cheap. It cost the life of God’s Son. I don’t know why it had to be this way, but I do know that it was God’s plan, and that it is the result of His love for us. Don’t be ashamed to talk about blood redemption, because it is absolutely necessary. Christian redemption has a great cause: “the forgiveness of sins.” Forgiveness of sins is what redemption is all about. The first thing that a person has to do to be saved is to realize that he or she is a sinner in need for forgiveness. No one comes to the Lord for salvation having earned it, or demanding it. Paul wrote: “For by grace are you saved through grace, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: 9. not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)The problem that Jesus had with the Pharisees in the gospels was that they did not think that they needed to be forgiven for anything. This is a problem for a lot of people today, because they refuse to see themselves as sinners in need of forgiveness. We never get to a point that we do not need God’s forgiveness. Isn’t it amazing that this one little verse in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us so much about the redemption that we have through Christ. If you are not redeemed you can be today. If you are redeemed ---- rejoice! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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