Ephesians 1:7-10 (NIV)
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 with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Paul lists here four interlocking blessings that we share as people of the kingdom:
- Redemption. To the people of Paul’s day, redemption had a very specific meaning. It meant that a person who had been enslaved due to debt, had had that debt paid so that they were set free. The clear analogy is that we, who were enslaved to sin because of our disobedience (John 8:34) have had that debt paid in full by Jesus’ death so that we can be set free from that bondage (Hebrews 9:15).
- Forgiveness of sins. This means that the record of sins we had committed has been recorded as paid in full by Jesus. That means that those sins no longer weigh us down in this life, and at the last judgment the penalty for them won’t have to be paid by us who committed them, because Jesus already did. It is a clean slate, a fresh start, and a future without the threat of judgment.
- God’s grace poured lavishly into the life of each Christian, according to God’s understanding and wisdom. God knows exactly what is needed in the life of each of His children, and He has committed Himself to providing those things, whether gifts, graces, or material provisions, to all who seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
- Knowledge of God’s will. This is clearly spelled out in God’s word, but is called a mystery by Paul because it is only able to be discerned by those who have been brought from death to life by faith in Jesus, and whose eyes have been opened and enlightened by the presence of the Holy Spirit. They can see clearly that God’s ultimate goal is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under the lordship of Jesus. This is the foundation of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) as well as its goal. Those who respond to the gospel will be brought under the lordship of Jesus, experience salvation, redemption, forgiveness and grace, and will then bring more people in. Those who resist the gospel will still ultimately be brought under the lordship of Jesus, but in punishment instead of blessing.
Father, thank You for these great blessings, so richly provided through Jesus, His death, resurrection, and ascension to your right hand. Help us all to see clearly just how high the stakes really are – that the eternal souls of our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and all others really are on the line and dependent on us to be faithful in doing the work of the Great Commission, working with all our strength to help them to come under the lordship of Jesus now, in this life, before it’s too late. Amen.