Ephesians 1:7-8 Redemption and Forgiveness

Ephesians 1:7-8 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;”

Today we continue from yesterday’s verse, and are reminded that not only are we accepted, but we also have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins! We also have been blessed by His bountiful riches of the Grace of our Lord. The grace of our Lord is tied together with “riches” throughout the book of Ephesians. This paints a picture of how grace is seen. We often forget about some things that are seen certain ways, such as Holiness. Holiness is seen by the world as something like being a “prude” or never having fun or walking about in a white robe chanting or singing all day. However, from God’s perspective (which should be OUR perspective too) Holiness is seen as BEAUTIFUL. And grace, is seen as a bountiful treasure.

The verses after today, continue on to show us that God has made known to us His Will, simply because He loves us enough to want to let us know what He’s Planned. One of the things I really personally do not like, is hearing the belief that we cannot know the will of God! If we cannot know the Will of God, or if God “works in mysterious ways” moving secretly then God is a liar in His Word, and we all know God is NOT a liar at all. There are some things about God we cannot know, but His Will is not one of them. Among the things we can’t know are things such as the depth of His Wisdom and Knowledge, and the full extent of His Power . . . things that are unlimited (which I think the human mind has a hard time fathoming things such as eternal and unlimited and so forth). But we CAN know the will of God. In fact, God WANTS us to know His Will. Jesus says that we are His FRIENDS because we are let in on the things that the Father has said, in John 15:15 and in Romans 12:1-2 we are actually told to renew our minds so that we can know the good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God. So the lie that we cannot know what our Father’s Will or desire or plan is, is a lie that needs to be cast off just like any other lie that is set to keep us from working God’s Will in our lives!

Yesterday we looked at how we are Accepted in the Beloved. Today we look at how we have been redeemed through His Blood. We always have to remember that while we are truly blessed by God and made to be great in this world, it is all through Grace, through the Blood of the Lamb Who was slain, and not by our own means. That is why we have been given the fruit of the Spirit to show forth MEEKNESS. Meekness is humility, having the power and right and ability to do something, but not doing it because it wouldn’t be right. Meekness is what Jesus had, power under control. He could have called down thousands upon thousands of Angels to war for Him. In the blink of an eye He could have wiped out anyone who came against Him or smote Him . . . But He didn’t. Out of Love, the King of all kings came to earth to be born in a most humbling way.

We have been redeemed by the Blood of Jesus, by God’s Great Grace! This is something many Christians, even sometimes those who are on Fire for the Lord, tend to forget a bit about how powerful such a statement is. There’s an wonderful song called “Revive Us” where one of the Verses say “The Fact that He has Risen, no longer stirs our soul!” And it’s true! Many Christians have lost that fervor and excitement regarding the Sacrifice, and the Resurrection! It’s the same thing regarding the Lord’s Return. Talk to many Christians today and say the phrase “Jesus is coming Soon,” and most of the Time you’ll hear something along the lines of “Yeah, they’ve been saying that for 2,000 years!” Many times you will find Christians in disbelief of it, or even sometimes bitterness about it! It is a very good question that the Lord asked in Luke 18:8, When the Son of Man Comes, will He find Faith in the earth? Many Christians don’t even have faith that God can heal, or even WANTS to heal. It’s become a very sad and heartbreaking state.

But we need to pray that our Father revive the feelings of joy and excitement at the mere fact and memory that the Lord Jesus died and rose again, giving us Redemption and forgiveness of Sins!

Both Redemption and forgiveness of sins is mentioned in today’s verse. The reason for that, is that we are not JUST given forgiveness, but also redeemed, which means we are set free from having to sin! Another thing people often believe is that we all sin and cannot get away from sin. We all will sin for as long as we are in this world. The truth of the matter is that we are SET FREE from having to sin, and we strive to walk closer and closer with our Lord, learning to more consistently walk in the Spirit so we don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh . . . and we can indeed reach a point in our lives that we no longer commit any sins even while living in this sin-cursed world! If we can never reach that point in our lives, then God is a vicious God who tells us in His Word to do something that we cannot do, and to strive to reach a point that we will never reach. And my God is not a vicious God. Instead, He tells me to do something, and then provides the ability and the tools (His Spirit) to do that thing He tells me to do. And He does the same, for you as well. We have been set free from sin, and no longer have to commit sin or give in to our flesh. I remember often the devil would tempt me to give in to sin by telling me “It’s part of who you are! You HAVE to give in!” That lie worked for a while until the Lord reminded me that sin wasn’t part of who I am. Sin WAS part of who I WAS, before I got saved and in Christ became a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), but not anymore!

In addition to being set free, God provides forgiveness, for the times when we do end up faltering in our walk with Him. For the times when we miss the mark . . . which is the very definition of sin: missing the mark. Sinning isn’t just doing something wrong, but rather is missing the mark, which means also NOT doing what God wants you to do. That is why we are told in James 4:17 that he who knows to do good, and does it not, it’s sin to that person. So don’t let the Devil or any person say you can’t do something God wants you to do. If you couldn’t . . . that would mean God is forcing you to sin because He’s telling you to do something and you cannot do it, and therefore will end up living out James 4:17! Remember, God provides the ability and tools and everything we need, to do His Will! Praise God, for giving us such magnificent blessings! May we never grow complacent or stagnant or apathetic regarding such wonderful blessings and promises!

I love you greatly, and pray for you daily! I pray God holds each and every one of us close to Him, and re-lights any fires that have gone out in our hearts! May God Bless us, and may we bless God in return, with our lives lived for Him.

Love Always in Christ,
Your Friend,
And Brother,
Michael

+++++++++++
Psalm 52:8 “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.”

#732