In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Ephesians 1:7
This verse is part of a longer passage in which the Apostle Paul is giving thanks for the spiritual blessings that Christians have received through their faith in Jesus Christ. In particular, he is emphasizing the great generosity of God, who has blessed believers with “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
In verse 7, Paul mentions one of the key blessings that believers have received: redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. The word “redemption” refers to the act of buying something back, usually from slavery or captivity. In the context of the Christian faith, redemption refers to the act of God buying back believers from their bondage to sin and death, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Paul also mentions that this redemption is accompanied by the forgiveness of sins. This forgiveness is made possible through the sacrifice of Christ, who paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. Because of this, believers are no longer held guilty for their sins, but are instead declared righteous in God’s sight.
Finally, Paul notes that all of these blessings are in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. In other words, they are not something that we have earned or deserved, but are instead a gift freely given to us by God. This is a central theme of the Christian faith: that salvation is not something that we can achieve on our own, but is instead a gift of God’s grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ.
