WEDNESDAY April 17, 2024
Redemption Through
Christ’s Blood In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence....
Ephesians 1:7-8
In these verses, we see salvation through the work of redemption. In the Old Testament, the only way for the debt of sin to be forgiven was through the shed blood of an animal sacrifice. Yet it was not a permanent forgiveness. In the Hebrew language, this was known as a kopher––only a covering for sin. The blood of animals was not sufficient to take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). When Christ’s precious blood redeemed us, it took away our sin once and for all: ...we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10 NIV).
The word redemption means “to act,” “ransom in full,” or “deliverance.” The word is used in reference to buying back a slave or a captive by making him free through a payment or a ransom. Before Christ, we used to be slaves of sin, but now we have been bought back. We know the precious cost of our redemption was bought through Jesus Christ’s own blood. He purchased us and paid the full price to redeem us.
God manifested the richness of His grace when He sent His Son to die for the sins of the whole world. When we accept Christ, repent, and confess our sin to Him, our sin is completely erased. God has forgiven us: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God... (1 Peter 3:18 NIV).
The truth is, any person without the life of the Spirit is dead in their trespasses and sins. The Spirit of God helps them to see their position without Christ––spiritually lost. The only way to become a child of God and experience His beautiful grace and mercy is to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This happens through confession of sin and repentance. Then your position in Christ is found. You have been delivered––bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. With God’s hope, you are on your way to heaven.
There can be no thought of ‘cheap’ forgiveness when we remember that our redemption cost God the life of his beloved Son.
~Geoffrey B. Wilson~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
