DAILY DEVOTION: EPHESIANS 1:7: Christ offers the price of His own blood that will release us from slavery

By Stan Brown

Ephesians 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

Paul now declares what we possess in the One who is the Beloved One; that is the Son of God.  It is through the Son that the glory of His grace shouts out loudly as Paul mentions three things concerning the fact that our lives have been flooded with grace through the Son. 
 
First, he tells us that we have been released from bondage to sin with the payment of a price. hat price is His blood that is the blood of Christ.  Christ enters the slave market of sin where we are held as prisoners without hope since there is nothing we can do to gain release.  He offers the price of His own blood that will release us from slavery.  As we accept that payment through faith our hopelessness turns to hope.  Pause for just a moment to consider the price that was paid to gain our release.  Paul speaks of that redemption as an accomplished fact in our lives.  Although sin will often raise its ugly head in our lives, we will never return to the place of hopelessness.  Later Paul will write of the culmination of that redemption as he says Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).  We are redeemed!!!
 
Second, he adds an explanatory note as he says the forgiveness of our trespasses. All the sins that we have ever committed are covered by the blood which speaks of the seriousness of our predicament.  There is no other possible payment for our forgiveness than the blood of the Beloved One.  We often have difficulty forgiving each other for minor inconveniences.   God offers forgiveness and even pays the required price for all our sins.   We must heed Paul’s admonition that occurs later in the epistle.  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you (Eph. 4:32).  We are forgiven!!!
 
Third, there is no limit to God’s riches and his willingness to share those riches with us as described by the phrase according to the riches of His grace.  Five additional times in Ephesians, Paul will refer to those riches.  (1:18) It refers to riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.  (2:4) It refers to the riches of His mercy.  (2:7) It refers to the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (3:8 ) The unfathomable riches of Christ are mentioned.  (3:16)  Paul writes that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory.  In the epistle to the Philippians, it says And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). Hoehner writes, “The cost of Christ’s blood is the measure of the wealth of God’s unmerited favor to every believer.”  There is no lack of either riches or willingness to bless us with the riches of His Grace.  We are to the Glory of His Grace!!!