Redeemed, Ephesians 1:7-8a
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
When I was in third grade in Nicaragua, my mother would give me 50 cents of a Córdoba[1] to buy something to eat during recess. It could be a bag of enchiladas with vinegar or slices of mango or green jocotes with salt or a shaved ice with milk or fruit… Things were cheap in those days. But when we talk about the price of our redemption, we have to say that it was exorbitant.
An online dictionary offers the following general definition of redemption: “The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.” In ancient times, the term was used in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. The New Testament teaches that redemption is the price God paid for liberating us from the slavery of sin: “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34-36), and Paul asks the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20a).
That price at which we were bought was Christ himself, “the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (Titus 5b-6a). Also, as it says in Titus 2:14, Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Redemption is a necessary condition for adoption: “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Galatians 4:4b-5). So, redeemed people are free from the slavery of sin and become members of God’s family with the purpose of honoring Him. As Paul says, “you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
At the end of redemptive history, Christ will reign and the redeemed will share in His eternal kingdom. Then, all Heaven will celebrate what the Lamb of God did through His blood:
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:8-10)
How great and enduring should our gratitude be? It should be immeasurable and eternal. And how can we show it? By remaining at His feet, serving His cause, confessing before the world that He was “wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, and by his stripes we are healed.”
1. The currency of Nicaragua.
