Daily Bible Verses for 4/24/2017

Through the Riches of His Grace We Have Redemption Part I – (Ephesians 1:7-10)

Daily Verse(s)
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, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-in Him.

Reading Notes
There is so much information regarding God’s blessings, His riches and His grace in these four verses, that we do not want to miss any of it. Therefore, we’ll divide them into several parts. Looking at just the opening few words of these passages we see the word “redemption” which means so much to us.  The word used here for “redemption” means to “pay the required ransom to set free a prisoner from bondage.” It’s the word used to free a prisoner who has already been tried and found guilty. And it applies to us because in our case, we carry the burden of guilt from sin. And God uses that word on purpose, why? Because Jesus sacrifice for us on the Cross of Calvary paid in full, the price to free us forever from our sins. So much so that there is nothing we could ever do to earn Heaven or add to what Jesus has already done for us. Moreover, His redemption brings with it the limitless grace of God in our lives for the continued, ongoing forgiveness needed in the life of the believer. Because it’s by His blood shed for us that we were bought back from death. Our faith in the shed blood of Christ is the means by which our redemption comes. This is why the Old Testament taught that there was no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.

The price for sin has to be paid, and in the Old Testament book of Exodus  the Passover Lamb was a picture of Christ to come. Jesus, who is the “Lamb of God,” takes away the sins of all those who place their faith in Him. On the Cross, Jesus paid the redemption price for us, and for this reason Jesus is the New Covenant! Jesus once and for all times, freed us from the penalty of sin. And through Him we have the gift of Heaven and eternity with God. The Old Testament sacrifices looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for us. Therefore, we have to remember that Jesus, who is the very God of Heaven, the Creator of all creation stepped out of eternity and took on humanity for us. He did this for no other purpose than to die on the Cross in order to pay the price for our redemption, for all those who accept Him as their Lord and Savior. And this is why in the Book of Revelation we see Jesus pictured as the “esphagomen” (es-fog-o-men) which means slit throated lamb. He is pictured this way standing in front of the throne of God. This was because He is the only one found worthy in all of Heaven and earth to open the scroll. He is worthy because of His sacrifice for us and because of who He is. The only one found with the authority of God. And as God, who took on humanity, only He was found worthy to open the scroll and carry out the judgments therein.