I'm
reading again through Ephesians and the Holy Spirit stopped me at verse
7. Look at the verse, along with the first part of verse 8, with me: “In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on
us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8a)
I laid the Bible on my lap and checked my Greek lexicon for the meaning of the words, ‘Redemption’ and ‘Forgiveness.’
‘Redemption’ means to be released [from something or someone] as a result of the payment of a ransom.
‘Forgiveness’ means more than simple forgiveness. It means God has ‘remitted’ our sins. He has chosen to FORGET our confessed sins.
He has chosen to treat our confessed sins as if they had NEVER been committed. They have been utterly obliterated from our past. It means we will never again face any judgment or penalty for those sins because Jesus paid with His most precious blood our ransom in full. (See Mark 10:45)
“It was for freedom,” St Paul wrote, “It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) Oh, yes! Freedom from guilt. Freedom from fear of death. Freedom from fear of Judgment. Freedom to live to the full because our past sins – all of them, ALL OF THEM – have been forgotten by Almighty God, cast as far from us as east is from west (see Psalm 103:10-12). They are all cast into the depths of the deepest ocean (see Micah 7:19).
Oh! Christian! Meditate long on that ineffable truth! Never let it escape from your consciousness. No wonder God tells His children through the prophet Isaiah: “Fear not, I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are MINE.” (Isaiah 43:1b)
Jesus paid it ALL. Sin had left a deep, deep crimson stain, but His sacrificial blood on that cross made that stain white as snow.
I laid the Bible on my lap and checked my Greek lexicon for the meaning of the words, ‘Redemption’ and ‘Forgiveness.’
‘Redemption’ means to be released [from something or someone] as a result of the payment of a ransom.
‘Forgiveness’ means more than simple forgiveness. It means God has ‘remitted’ our sins. He has chosen to FORGET our confessed sins.
He has chosen to treat our confessed sins as if they had NEVER been committed. They have been utterly obliterated from our past. It means we will never again face any judgment or penalty for those sins because Jesus paid with His most precious blood our ransom in full. (See Mark 10:45)
“It was for freedom,” St Paul wrote, “It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) Oh, yes! Freedom from guilt. Freedom from fear of death. Freedom from fear of Judgment. Freedom to live to the full because our past sins – all of them, ALL OF THEM – have been forgotten by Almighty God, cast as far from us as east is from west (see Psalm 103:10-12). They are all cast into the depths of the deepest ocean (see Micah 7:19).
Oh! Christian! Meditate long on that ineffable truth! Never let it escape from your consciousness. No wonder God tells His children through the prophet Isaiah: “Fear not, I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are MINE.” (Isaiah 43:1b)
Jesus paid it ALL. Sin had left a deep, deep crimson stain, but His sacrificial blood on that cross made that stain white as snow.
Rejoice, Christian! You are free from all your past confessed sins.
Free.
God Himself says so.
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