Tuesday, June 13, 2006

God-the-Son Redeemed Us (Ephesians 1:7-12)


Redemption (1:7-8)

God-the-Father is to be praised because He predestined us to holiness and to sonship. God-the-Son is to be praised because He redeemed us from the bondage of sin. Redemption means the act of buying back sinners from the bondage of sin and Satan. Jesus paid our ransom. We were destined to die because of our bondage to sin and Jesus took the blame and paid the price so that we would not have to pay it ourselves.

The work of holiness and adoption were clearly the works of God-the-Father. The work of redemption is clearly the work of God-the-Son. It is Jesus who shed His blood for our trespasses. Our liberation from the wage of sin is only through the blood of Jesus.

Jesus was our ransom. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus became our sin so that we would not have to pay its wage and thus become a child of God. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus shed His blood in order to satisfy God’s perfect law. At Calvary the holiness of God was kept in tact and an avenue to forgive sinners was also made. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

Picture your redemption like this. You are an African slave in the early 1800’s brought to America. That is your status, a slave. You are trapped; there is nothing you can do about it. You are bound and guarded. You are in bondage. You have no control over your future. If you run, where will you go? Your skin color will give you away. You are a slave in bondage and you are trapped. Then one day a man comes and buys you. Instead of taking you to his plantation, he gives you freedom papers making your liberation legal. He has bought you for such a high price that you can never repay him. You liberty is a free gift.

We were held in bondage to sin and death and our savior paid the price and liberated us. All we do is accept this gift that is impossible to refuse.

Purpose for Redemption (1:9-10)

God-the-Son has redeemed us from the bondage of our sins, but he has a broader plan than just keeping us out of Hell. God has a purpose in redemption. Here is his plan for the “fullness of time” (1:10): God plans to “unite all things in him” (1:10).

This plan was a bit of a mystery prior to the New Testament. God now reveals in clearer language about this plan of unification. Later in Ephesians 2:11-22, Paul unpacks this plan for unification under Christ in further detail.

The Church is a step toward unification under Christ. God no longer divides Jews and Gentiles. The Church is filled with Jews and Gentiles, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, free men and slaves, black and white and Hispanic and Oriental and any other type of ethnic group you can think of. The Church is to be a picture of the future reality of all things united under Christ.

Philippians 2:5-11 speaks of the mind and attitude of Christ. God-the-Son humbled Himself in lowering Himself to status of humanity. He did this in order to die on the cross. This humiliation led to His current status of exaltation. Because Christ lowered Himself so low, the Father raised Him so high that in the future EVERY knee will bow before Him. All will worship Him and be united under His reign.

Inheritance from Redemption (1:11-12)

This section on the Son closes talking about our inheritance again. The Father has predestined our inheritance by adopting us, but it is through the power of the Son that we actually obtain this blessed inheritance.

Galatians 4:6-7 says, “And because you are son, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

The Father predestined your adoption into His family, the Son redeemed you and thus obtained your inheritance, and we will see that the Spirit will seal your inheritance.

Here is a list of privileges of being adopted into the family of God, taken from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.

Privileges of Adoption:
God loves us
God understands us
God takes care of our needs
God gives us many good gifts
God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit
We have inheritance in heaven
God forgives us our sins
God disciplines us
We have the privilege of sharing both in his sufferings and in his subsequent glory

As a result we are simply to praise King Jesus for His good deeds and for His glory.

After going through the work of Christ all I want to do is praise him and sing my favorite song, “Amazing Grace”. Sing along if you wish.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures.

Thru many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.

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