COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS
LESSON N UMBER 7
Eph 1:7 "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace . . . " (Eph 1:7)
IN WHOM WE HAVE
Paul is in the middle of an elaborate explanation of how the saved have come to participate in God's great salvation. He is tracing this participation to its ultimate Source, and is doing so with characteristic carefulness and precision. Shining the intellectual spotlight on Jesus, he refers to the believers as "the faithful in Christ Jesus" (1:1). He bestows grace and peace on them "from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2). He affirms that God is "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" 1:3), and declares He has "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (1:3). All of this has been in strict accord with His choice of us "in Him ['Christ] before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (1:4). This choice, in turn, was the outcome of the fact that He "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself," which was "according to the good pleasure of His will" (1:4). All of this was not merely in order to our experience of salvation, but was in order to "the praise of the glory of His grace," which was the environment in which God Himself "made us accepted in the Beloved" One (1:6).
To this point, then, the involvements of our salvation include faithfulness that comes about "in Christ Jesus." The grace and peace that is required to initiate and bring salvation to culmination came from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though God is our Father, He is primarily "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Our enjoyment of salvation is strictly owing to us being chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. That choice was in order that we might be holy and without blame before Him in love. That determination was in keeping with God's own predestination of us to be His children in Christ Jesus, which was in order that we might be observable trophies of His grace - an aspect of the Divine character that was little known before Christ Jesus. Grace is so potent and so effective, that it has made us acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. If believers are going to be effectively admonished to grow up into Christ, they must come to have a working knowledge of these revealed realities. The rigors of spiritual life require that this be so.
WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD
Eph 1:7a "In whom we have redemption through his blood . . ."
The absolute centrality of Christ continues to be emphasized in this verse. Perhaps a word on the meaning the word "centrality," as I am using it, is in order." Something that is central is not merely something in the center of things. That which is central gives proper meaning to everything gathered around it. The central person or subject is expounded by what is around it. To put it another way, what surrounds the central thing is intended to make it more clear. While there is a sense in which Christ sheds light on all that is around Him, it is more proper to see Him as the Object of clarity and understanding. Eternal life is not knowing about redemption, but knowing the God who redeemed, and the Christ through Whom He has done it. In our text, we are being exposed to an exposition of the God of salvation. In this exposition God and Christ are being expatiated by providing the details of salvation. A salvation that does not eventually produce insight into the Person and purpose of God, as unfolded in the person of Christ, is no salvation at all.
WE HAVE. Other versions read, "we gain." NJB The word "have," as used in this text, means, "1) to have, i.e. to hold 1a) to have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind, to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as 2) to have i.e. own, possess." THAYER This is not a declaration of what we should have, but what we do have in Christ - "in whom we have." This is not what we can have in Christ, but what is actually possessed. However, as with all Kingdom benefits, if it is not known, the advantages of it cannot be consciously realized. Also, this is not philosophical talk that paints for us an ideal situation, but it is one that is actually experienced.
THE CONCEPT OF REDEMPTION. We are introduced to the concept of redemption in Moses and the Prophets. God Himself was frequently referred to as "Redeemer" (Job 19:25; Psa 19:14; Isa 41:14; 48:17; Jer 50:34). As the time drew near for Jesus to be born, it was announced that God, in Christ, had "visited and redeemed His people" (Lk 1:68). At that time there were also people in Jerusalem who "looked for redemption" (Lk 2:38). Paul wrote of "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom 3:24). He boldly announced that Jesus has been "made unto us . . .redemption" (1 Cor 1:30). Paul ,wrote that Jesus "gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity" (Tit 2:14). The Gospel announces that Jesus has "obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb 9:12), and that we have been "redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet 1:18). It is written that Christ has ":redeemed us to God" by His blood (Rev 5:9). Thus we are declared to have been redeemed FROM something TO God. Redemption, then, frees us from servitude to sin, domination by the devil, and living with a defiled conscience.
Redemption required a payment of some sort. Thus when an unacceptable sacrificial animal was a firstborn, even though it could not be offered to God, yet it belonged to Him, and the person keeping it had to redeem it (Ex 34:10). While the payment made is important, what it accomplished is the most important thing. In Christ Jesus, "redemption" denotes our recovery from sin and reconciliation to God, It speaks of a liberty that cannot be overthrown by the devil. The outcomes of redemption are justification, and even the legal purchase of the body and its guaranteed resurrection (Rom 8:23). We have been "redeemed from the curse of the Law" (Gal 3:13), and "from all iniquity" (Tit 2:14). We have even been redeemed from a vain manner of life, as depicted in living under the Law (1 Pet 1:18).
THE POSSESSION OF REDEMPTION. It is stated that we "have redemption." This has particular regard to the effects of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Those in Christ actually have the freedom that was purchased in the redemption. They are free from the dominion of sin, the tyranny of a goading conscience, and all that entails servitude to sin. Of course, if this is not known to the disciple of Jesus, Satan can more easily bludgeon them with a guilty conscience, and lure them into sin. Temptation becomes stronger when the person in Christ is less knowledgeable of what has actually taken place in salvation.
THE MEANS OF REDEMPTION. The freedom is only as effective as the individual sees the strength of the redemption price that was paid. The most important effect is found in God's view of Jesus' vicarious death. If He is satisfied with the price that Jesus paid, then all of the benefits associated with that redemption accrue to the believer. These benefits are announced in the Gospel, and expounded in the "apostles doctrine." If this announcement and exposition are not given, the benefits will not be grasped by faith, for faith "comes by hearing" (Rom 10:17).
The price paid for this redemption was blood, not money - "the blood of Christ"-i.e. through His blood" (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:12; Rev 5:9). That is, sin was actually punished in the Person of Christ, on the cross. The Divine edict was, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezek 18:4,20). Because sin involved indebtedness to God, the whole of the human account was transferred to Christ, and He became responsible for the payment of the whole. When Jesus "became a curse for us" (Gal 3:13), having been "made sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21), the debt was paid, and men were redeemed. A life of spiritual triumph requires believing this to be true.
THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
1:7b " . . . the forgiveness of sins . . ." Other versions read, "the forgiveness of our trespasses," NASB "the forgiveness of sins," NIV "our sins are forgiven," CJB "the forgiveness of offences," DARBY "the remission of sins," DOUAY "God forgives our failures," GWN "the forgiveness of transgressions," NAB "forgave our sins," NLT "remission of the trespasses," YLT "took away all our sins," LIVING "We have the forgiveness of sins!" IE "the forgiveness of our offenses," WEYMOUTH "forgiveness of our shortcomings," WILLIAMS "the release of transgressions," ABP "the remission of deviations," LITV "free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds," MESSAGE and "the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses)." AMPLIFIED
"SINS." Right here we are exposed to a teaching that has been virtually hidden by the contemporary emphasis of much preaching and teaching. Even the word "sin" has become relatively rare in church circles. The gravity of the word itself (sin) has been lost in the morass of a worldly emphasis. Just pondering the various ways this word is represented confirms how serious sin is: "trespasses," "offences," "failures," "transgressions,""shortcomings," "deviations," and "misdeeds." The fact that the Greek expression is difficult to contain in a single word is itself proof of the magnitude of sin.
The word from which "sins" is translated is not the word ordinarily used for sin (hamartia - (Matt 1:21; John 1:29; Acts 2:38; 3:19; Rom 3:20; 6:2; 8:2; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 1:5; Eph 2:1, etc). That word means "to miss the mark, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of righteousness." THAYER Paul does use this word in a parallel statement made in Colossians1:14: "we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
Here, however, a different word is used which means "offense, or trespass." This has to do with the violation of what God has said, which more defines what it means to miss the mark. The word "sin" presents the matter from our viewpoint - we missed the mark, failed to measure up to Divine requirements, or devoted ourselves to vanity. "Offenses," "transgressions," or "trespasses" have to do with the nature of sin itself. It offends God, transgresses His Law and will, and is of itself illegal before God. The meaning of the word used here is "a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness." THAYER "Sin" deals with the end of the matter - it misses the mark. Trespasses deals with the nature of the deed itself.
These days sinners are not often told how their lives are viewed by God. Jesus declared that there were those upon whom the wrath of God "abides" (John 3:36), who are "condemned already" (John 3:18). This means that unbelief, a failure to trust, and not acting upon a word God has given, is a sin of the greatest magnitude. Those who are not in Christ Jesus are described as "children of disobedience" and "children of wrath" (Eph 2:2-3). Until sin is seen for what it really is, "forgiveness" cannot be seen for what it is!
FORGIVENESS. Other versions use the words "remission," DOUAY"took away," LIVING "release," ABP and "free from." MESSAGE The word "forgiveness" is an exceedingly large word. Its lexical meaning is, "freedom, pardon, deliverance, liberty, remission;" STRONG'S "1) release from bondage or imprisonment 2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty." THAYER
This is judicial act of God through which the record of sin is removed from the account of a person, and the debt for the transgression is righteously borne by Another. Our sins were not merely forgotten, overlooked, or erased from the record. They were actually, by Divine imputation, transferred to Someone else. They were of such a nature that we could not be acquitted of guilt by God loving us, and therefore refusing to look at what we had done. Those sins, all of them, were "laid upon" the Lamb of God, God's only begotten Son, and the full penalty was exacted from Him (Isa 53:6; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24).
Jesus "took" away the sins of the world - i.e. He removed them from the sight and consideration of God Himself. The words "took away" pertain primarily to God's view, and secondarily to our view. The word "forgiveness" has primarily to do with our view of the matter. Thus Jesus announced to the impotent man, "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee" (Lk 5:20). It is also written, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered" (Rom 4:7).
As used here, the forgiveness of sins is a total view, not a detailed one. That does not mean there is no need to confess sin in order to forgiveness. It rather means that we are free from the dominating influence of sin. Further, this language is addressed to faith, and is not intended to cause confusion for the people of God. There is an ongoing forgiveness that results from living in the power of this reality. It is stated in this manner, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). This is the view of which our text speaks. It is not to be taken as meaning that when we sin we are automatically forgiven. In other words, Paul is affirming a reality that will, if believed and heartily embraced, enable the individual to "reign in life by One, Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:17). At some point believers must learn to think like this.
ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE
1:7c " . . . according to the riches of His grace."
We will now see why Paul has written so precisely. Grace is perceived in the context of forgiveness, not within the framework of continuing in sin. Paul writes in such a manner as to encourage sound thinking, giving the advantage to faith, not to human reasoning.
ACCORDING TO. Other versions read, "in accordance with," NIV "through the," BBE "this accords with," CJB "because of," GWN "such is the," NJB and "because." CEV
In the expression that follows Paul is accounting for us having redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of our sins. Why did we receive such a glorious benefit? What prompted it? Some might say it was our obedience. Others might trace the cause to our faith. Still others would say it was because we were baptized. Maybe it was because we called upon the name of the Lord, or repented of our sins, or were humble and contrite before God. Those things are surely involved in experiencing the forgiveness of sins. However, they are not the root of the matter. All of them are secondary because they were produced by something greater - and faith must hear of the greater thing. Paul will not anchor the faith fo the people in what they have done. He will commend them for their faith in God and love for the saints. But when it comes to grounding and stabilizing them, he will rise higher, for faith and hope must be in God Himself (1 Pet 1:21).
THE RICHES. Now Paul traces redemption and the forgiveness of sins to their ultimate cause - "the riches." Other versions read, "the wealth," BBE "overflowing," GWN "richness," NJB "abundant," WEYMOUTH "generosity," WILLIAMS and "the riches and the generosity." AMPLIFIED
Once men form an adequate perception of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, they will want to know of the rich fountain from which it has flowed - or overflowed. Let us thrust from us simplistic expressions of Divine causes, for they bring no glory to God. Furthermore, let no one think this is too profound to seek to understand, perceive, or comprehend it. What God has revealed is intended to be comprehended. It is not to be left in the cauldron of mystery.
OF HIS GRACE. Here is the vast reservoir that contains all of the richness required for God to redeem men from sin and to Himself. Where is the plentitude found? Everything that is required to experience the forgiveness of sins can be found in this domain - "HIS GRACE."
The expression "His grace" is found eight times in Scripture. There is "the word of His grace," or a testimony of it (Acts 14:3; 20:32). We are "justified freely by His grace" (Rom 3:24). Paul traced his prodigious labors to "His grace" (1 Cor 15:10). Paul said he was called "by His grace" (Gal 1:16). We have redemption "by His grace" (Eph 1:7). In the "ages to come" God will show "the exceeding riches of His grace" (Eph 2:7). We are "justified by His grace" (Tit 3:7).
Grace has to do with God's favor, preference, esteem, and approval. It has to do with what pleases Him and is acceptable in His sight. It is linked with kindness, His great love, and His tender mercy. God's grace is not feeling sorry for someone, but being attracted to them. It moves Him to do what He prefers to do: blessing, enabling, and caring for. Grace works within the saved what God desires to find in them. This includes believing through grace (Acts 18:27), and receiving "everlasting consolation and good hope through grace" (2 Thess 2:16). It was "by the grace of God" that Jesus tasted "death for every man" (Heb 2:9).
The grace of God has to do with what we receive, NOT what we do not receive. A proper usage refers to what we are, not what we were. It has to do with what we receive, not what we do not receive. That is, we do not say, "By the grace of God I am not going to hell," but "By the grace of God I am going to dwell forever with the Lord. It would be better to say, "By the grace of God I am what I am," rather than saying "By the grace of God I am not what I was." We should prefer saying, "By the grace of God I am His son," rather than "By the grace of God I am no longer a child of disobedience. The "gift of God" - what we receive - is "by grace," not what we do not receive (Rom 5:15). Grace teaches us (Tit 2:11-12), enables us to stand (1 Pet 5:12), and was "exceeding abundant with faith and love" (1 Tim 1:14). The grace of God is even the source of the spiritual gifts that are dispensed to saints through their measure of faith (Rom 12:3; 1 Pet 4:10).
It is by Jesus Christ that we have "access by faith into this grace" (Rom 5:1) - the environment where the spiritual resources are found. From one point of view, these resources are "in heavenly places" (Eph 1:3). However, it is God's grace that has placed them there. This has been done because Jesus has thoroughly pleased God by laying down His life and taking it up again. The good pleasure God has in the Son has sufficiently dissipated the wrath that was once directed toward those who have now received the Son.
If believers are to experience the kind of confidence and assurance that enables them to fight the good fight of faith, running the race that has been set before them, they will have to hear of the grace of God and embrace it. An uninterrupted diet of "ought to" and "supposed to be" will never accomplish what one valid and welcomed thought of the grace of God will do. The commandments of God are most precious to those who know the grace of God in truth.