He Hath Abounded Toward Us

2018-08-12

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (11) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Ephesians 1:7-12)

In this passage, we see that God is still the actor and subject of the sentence just as in the previous section. Let us see what God has done for us.

  1. We have redemption through the blood of Christ. Note the present tense of the verb. We have redemption now. This is not some future event.

    Recall that Elimelech and his sons died in Moab, with no heir to continue the family line (Ruth 1:3-5). The branch of the family would have died off, but Boaz, a righteous man and relative of the deceased, married one of the widows, Ruth, and had an heir to replace the dead (Ruth 4:1-12). Christ also came to redeem us, who had perished. Likewise, as a slave who was at the slave market for sale, Christ came to buy us back from that slavery. We have this emancipation now.

    The blood is the lifeforce in our bodies, carrying oxygen throughout our bodies for us to live. Jesus’ blood was spent for our sakes, that we might live.
  2. We have the forgiveness of sins. We have forgiveness of sins now in Jesus Christ. Note again the present tense. We still confess our sins when we sin, but it is different now. Before we were saved, we needed to be forgiven as enemies of God. Now, when we sin, we need to be forgiven as His children who have been disobedient. See a discussion on this here.
  3. His redemption and forgiveness demonstrate the riches of His glory. When we think of riches, we think of vast wealth without end. How much more are the riches of the glory of God? His limitless grace is shown in that God the Father sent His perfect Son to live and die on this earth, bringing us eternal life. Our sin cost Him His Son. He did not have to send Christ to die for us. But He did.
  4. God revealed His wisdom to us. In His grace He also revealed His plan for the ages to us, including a mystery, which we know later to be “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). A mystery is something that was previously hidden, but now revealed. As God revealed his plans to Abraham in Genesis 18:17-19, he revealed greater plans to us who are in Christ. It pleases God to reveal His plans to His servants.
  5. All things are gathered into Christ. At exactly the right time, God sent Christ to die for humanity. All saints from all ages, whether from the Old or New Testaments, are gathered into Christ. There is no longer any dependency on being a member of a certain nation. After the resurrection, we will all be together in His Kingdom.
  6. We have obtained an inheritance. An inheritance in the Old Testament was land that was passed from generation to generation (Numbers 26:53), in a world that is destined for flame. We have an eternal, incorruptible inheritance reserved for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-4).
  7. We were predestinated to be to the praise of His glory. We see that God had chosen us to be the praise of His glory, who were once sinners and His enemies. Local churches in this world are the vehicles to bring glory to God to the entire world.