You Are Forgiven and Redeemed in Christ (Ephesians 1:7-8)

 The Bible is clear that we are all sinners and deserve wrath and punishment for our sin. Yet it is also clear that if we, by faith, believe and embrace Jesus Christ as our Savior, we shall experience salvation.

In his list of blessings, Paul declares that we have been forgiven and redeemed in Christ. While Christians often throw around this language of forgiveness and redemption, few of us actually know what it means or how to practically experience this reality in our lives.

In this expositional study of Ephesians 1:7-8, Nathan Johnson examines this passage and shows how we are blessed because the precious blood of Christ was given for our forgiveness and redemption … and this truth should change every aspect of our lives.

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Key Passage: Ephesians 1:7-8

Ephesians 1:6 – “… to the praise of the glory of His grace which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

• The Problem: Sin
  • Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; …”
  • Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, …”
  • Romans 6:23 reminds us, “For the wages of sin is death, …”
  • Isaiah 64:6 – Isaiah talks about the concept that even the very best we can pull off in our strength, wisdom, talent, and power is but filthy rags.
  • Galatians 5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are revealed [obvious], which are these: adultery, sexual immorality, impurity, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, rage, selfishness, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I previously warned you, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
• The Solution: Jesus Christ
  • Hebrews 10:1-3 – “For the law is a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of those things. It could never by the same sacrifices, which they offer continually year after year, perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshippers, once purified, would no longer be conscious of sins? But in those sacrifices there is an annual reminder of sins. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
  • Hebrews 9:11-12, 22, 28 –  “But Christ, when He came as a High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. … [for] without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. … so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many …
    
• FORGIVENESS: idea of being pardoned of sin … letting them go and removing the records of them as if they had never been committed. It is the cancelation of the debt and penalty.
  • Psalm 103:12 – “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
  • Isaiah 38:17b – “… You have kept my soul from the pit of corruption, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
  • Isaiah 43:25 – “I, even I, am He who blots [wipes out] out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins.”
  • Nehemiah 9:17b – “… You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in kindness, and did not forsake them.”
  • Daniel 9:9 – “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.”
  • Micah 7:19 – “He will again have compassion upon us. He will tread down our iniquities, and cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea.”
  • Corrie ten Boom often would say that God would throw our sins into the depths of the sea and then put up a sign that says, “no fishing allowed.”
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new.”
• REDEMPTION: the idea of being set free from captivity through the payment of ransom.
  • In Mark 10:45, Jesus explained His purpose for coming to earth when He said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
  • 1 Peter 1:18-19 – “For you know that you were not redeemed from your vain way of life inherited from your fathers with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
  • 1 John 1:9 reminds us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In Our Next Study Together …

I invite you to join me on this journey from the book of Ephesians to discover God’s eternal purpose, His plan for your life, and learn how to practically live out an abundant and fruitful Christian life. 

• Focus of our next study: Ephesians 1:7-8
  
• We will examine the concept that God has richly lavished His grace upon us.
  
• I encourage you to read through Ephesians a couple of times this week and focus specifically on the blessing section found in Ephesians 1:3-14.

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The Deeper Christian Bible Study Series

The Deeper Christian Bible Study Series in Ephesians is an in-depth verse-by-verse study of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. These studies will guide you through this life-changing book of the Bible and give you practical application to help you grow in your faith, gain greater intimacy with Jesus, experience the victorious Christian life, and help you build your life around Jesus Christ. 

About NRJohnson 

NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps Christians discover and experience a passionate love for God and His Word so that they can grow in their faith, live victorious lives, share the Gospel boldly, grow in their intimacy with Jesus, and transform the world through the indwelling life of Christ.
Read more about him here.