Ephesians 1:7 New Living Translation
“He is so rich in kindness and grace
that
he purchased our freedom with the
blood of
his Son and forgave our sins.”
The
two main ingredients linked to Christ’s death are redemption & forgiveness.
The biblical concept of redemption can be found in the Old Testament book of
Leviticus* (Lev. 25:47-54) Redemption is the buying back of something or
someone. Mankind is a slave to their sin. If left unchecked sin begins to pile
up to the point of suffocating them. As a part of God’s salvation plan a
payment to free them of said sin must be made in blood. Because of our own
disobedience God became man to pay the debt we couldn’t pay. The result of our
sin debt being paid is God’s forgiveness.
The
grace of God means we have become entitled to God’s favor, though nothing about
us or our behavior makes this warranted. The Lord doles out his kindness, mercy
& favor simply because he loves us & because of that chooses to. Man
has been a slave to sin since Adam & Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of
Eden. If one chooses to turn away from the notion of God then they will die in
their sins. There is no other payment mentioned in any other school of
religious thought that would eradicate a person’s sin. No other religion speaks
of Jesus or if they do he is depicted as nothing more than a prophet or
teacher. There is no hope of redemption in anyone else but Jesus Christ.
God’s
favor to us was completely voluntary … done exclusively out of love. The OT
sacrificial system established by God to cover over the sins of his people was
done yearly. Christ’s sacrifice was the last one man would ever have to make to
satisfy God’s requirement for payment. It may seem harsh that Christ had to
suffer unspeakable torture that led to his death, but like everything God
either does or allows, it was for a specific purpose that it happened. Spend
some time thinking about what your life would be like without Christ in it.
Take the time to thank him for the indescribable gift he gave to us all. Never
take for granted the new life God purchased for you. Allow it to continue to
mold you into the person God foresaw that you could be. Until next time, walk
with the King and be a blessing!
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