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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
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 1:7-8a
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
What does one gain when they choose to accept God’s salvation offer by believing in His Son Jesus?
We find that question answered in our passage for today as we continue to look at the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. Look again at his words now:
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 1:7-8a
Here we find three benefits that come from placing faith in God’s one and only Son as Savior.
1. Redemption.
What does it mean to be redeemed?
Let’s look at how the dictionary defines the word redeem and we can find the answer.
Redeem (verb)
To free from what distresses or harms, such as:
a: to free from captivity by payment of ransom
b: to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental
c: to release from blame or debt
Redemption is the act of redeeming and in Jesus, we find the fulfillment of each of these defining components.
First, Jesus freed us from the captivity of sin by offering Him up as an atoning sacrifice. He paid the ransom we owed for our transgressions.
Second, Jesus extricated us from the detriment of sure destruction and eternal torment (aka Hell), which was our destination before we chose to believe in Him and be saved.
Finally, Jesus released us from the penalty of God’s judgment by bearing our sins on Calvary’s cross. Through His sacrifice, He purchased our pardon and made the way for us to be released from blame and debt when we appear at the judgment throne of God. In other words, Jesus justifies those who place their hope and trust in Him.
2. Forgiveness.
Maybe you have seen this formula used to illustrate what Jesus did on the cross for the sinners of the world.
3 nails + 1 cross = 4 given
Indeed, Jesus was perfect in every way and that includes the way He forgave others and interceded with His Father God for the forgiveness of others. Consider His words from the cross as He hung on the cross died a slow excruciating death while others mocked Him:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
Jesus had been falsely accused and tried in a court proceeding prearranged to find Him guilty. He then was beaten and bludgeoned to the point where He was barely recognizable (Isaiah 52:14) before being forced to carry His own cross to His execution by crucifixion, a punishment reserved for the hardest of criminals. He died for the very people who ridiculed Him and could have summoned legions of angels from the heavens to destroy His enemies, but He didn’t. Instead, He asked that His adversaries be forgiven because had they really understood who He was, they would have never behaved as they did.
Through Jesus, we will always find forgiveness. Let’s give thanks for that daily.
3. Lavishing.
When we believe in Jesus and become adopted by God into His family, we experience the great lavishing that comes from a relationship with the supreme Provider of every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17).
God lavishes us with love and as we read in our passage for today, He also lavishes us with His grace. This grace comes from the very wealth of God, an extension of His richness.
It is simply God’s reward at Christ’s expense.
In Jesus Christ, we find everything we could ever hope for and gain everything we could ever need.
Thanks be to God for blessing us with salvation through His Son.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com
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