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INTRODUCTION
We are told by those who do not believe in the Trinity that the word 'trinity' does not appear in the
bible and therefore must be wrong. Of course they are right the word 'trinity' does not appear in the bible but the doctrine of the trinity is clearly biblical, so they are wrong to say that the trinity is not in
the bible. For the idea of a triune God is here in this chapter. I have already pointed out that in Greek, Ephesians 1:3-14 is one long sentence and as we read it, it seems that Paul is piling one great truth upon
another in his desire to express praise to God for salvation granted to him and to the church at Ephesus.
But there is an obvious progression in these verses and one progression is the orderly mention of God the
Father then God the Son and finally God the Holy Spirit. The work of the Father is principally stated in verses 3-6 the work of the Son in verses 7-10 and the work of the Holy Spirit in verses 11-14. We will focus
on Christ's principle work, which is the work of redemption.
Of course all three persons of the trinity are involved in this work of redemption but Christ's role is central
to it. Verse 6 is the bridge between the Father and the Son, we have been looking at the blessings bestowed upon us, all theses blessings come to the believer through Jesus Christ the Father's loved Son (v 6). The
next blessing is the blessing of Redemption
1. THE BLESSING OF REDEMPTION (vs. 7-10)
It is in Jesus Christ that we have redemption. Redemption here means 'deliverance as a result of the payment of
a ransom.' There was no other way for sinners to be saved except through redemption. The bible is clear that we are slaves to sin (John 8:34) that we are in bondage to it. We are living for ourselves controlled by
our own sinful nature in bondage to it and ultimately under the influence and control of the evil one.
We need to be redeemed by God, bought back and for that to happen a ransom price has to be paid. The idea of
redemption comes from the slave market were a slave was in bondage and could only be released from his bondage by the payment of an appropriate ransom. Sometimes slaves saved up enough money to ransom themselves and
sometimes another master would come and pay the ransom price so that the slave could be free to serve his new master.
Well says Paul Jesus Christ has redeemed us and the price to be paid was his own blood. Jesus gave his own life
as the ransom price, he became our substitute so that we could be redeemed and bought back by God. There was no one else who could pay this ransom price, in the Old Testament animals were used as a sacrifice but
those animals could never take away sin (Hebrews 10:11) they only pointed to the coming Messiah who was able to give his own life as a ransom for sinners.
He alone could pay the price to set us free and that price was his own life. By his redemption Jesus sets us
free from the guilt, punishment and power of sin (John 8:34 and Romans 7:14) and he sets us free and restores to us true liberty with God (John 8:36 and Galatians 5:1). This was the over arching purpose of Jesus
coming into the world, he came to give himself as a ransom for many. The abiding result of this redemption is forgiveness of sins.
We are set free, forgiven and granted a new life in Christ. Just think of this a minute. Here is a terrorist
who has killed someone. In prison he reads the bible for himself and discovers this wonderful news that Jesus has died to pay the ransom price to set him free, to forgive him his sin. He might not be forgiven by the
state of by the bereaved family but by God he has been forgiven because Jesus died paid the price, by giving his life, by shedding his blood.
In time he turned to God in genuine repentance and was amazingly set free from the power of sin. In God he is
righteous because of Jesus Christ. But in case we think that the cost that Jesus paid was somehow less because we are not terrorists is a big mistake.
The sin in your heart is just as bad as the sin of the terrorist, there is no other way to be redeemed except
through the Lord Jesus who had to give his life, shed his blood for you just as he did for terrorists who turn to God. A Christian never plays down sin or underestimates the price that had to be paid in order that
we could be forgiven.
At the same time we must realise that we have been forgiven therefore we do not need to keep bringing up past
sins, Jesus has paid the ultimate price to forgive us so we ought to accept his forgiveness, providing of course that we have come in faith to Jesus Christ seeking his forgiveness. This redemption and forgiveness
comes to us by God's grace, we do not deserve it or earn it but God kindly grants it to us through grace. God is not mean for his grace is described as 'rich' and God gives to us not out of his riches but according
to his riches of grace (v 7-8).
If we give out of our riches then we can give as little as we like but if we give according to our riches then
we give generously and lavishly (v 8). This is Paul's point God gives lavishly to us according to his grace. We simply have much to praise God for we have been redeemed, forgiven and set free, all as a result of the
Lord Jesus giving his life, paying our debt through the shedding of his precious blood. This just shows God's wisdom (v 8), would we think of such a great plan of redemption? But God in his wisdom has redeemed us
and has revealed that plan to us so that we can see his wisdom and can understand his ways. God doesn't save us and then leave us to work it out no! He has revealed it to us; he has shown us his wisdom.
We can only see this once we are redeemed we cannot see while we are in our sins. God's way of redemption was
foolish to us but now that we have been redeemed and saved we see it; we see the wisdom of God in providing redemption the way he does and we understand why he has redeemed us the way he did. The death of Jesus
makes perfect sense to the Christian but it is illogical to the unbeliever. To the believer God has revealed this mystery to us (v 9). The word 'mystery' in Greek does not mean that we cannot know it because it is a
mystery that is how it is used in English.
In Greek it means something once unknown, and impossible to know which has now been revealed. That is exactly
what happens when we become Christians before conversion God's redemption and salvation was a mystery to us it was unknown and unrevealed to us. But then one day God regenerates our hearts he reveals to us the
purpose of the cross we see sin, judgement and redemption clearly. The mystery of his will has been revealed to us. What do we do once we know this mystery? We share it with others, for that is God's way of
revealing this mystery to others. As we share the gospel to those we meet God in his time and way reveals it to those whom he has chosen and such people repent and believe and in turn pass this mystery on to others.
This plan that God should save people from their sins and that he should do it through the death of his Son was
the will of God (v 9), salvation was not something Jesus thought of on the spur of the moment no it was the will and purpose of God to do this for it pleased him to do this. He did not have to save us. He would have
every right to allow us to perish not one of us would be able to complain to him and say he was being unfair but God in Christ was pleased to save sinners.
That does not mean he was pleased with us as sinners, but in his eternal counsel, it pleased him to save
sinners and it pleased him to have his beloved Son at the centre of this salvation. It was his purpose that Christ should redeem his people that he should come and die as a substitute for sinners like us. That he
should take God's wrath upon himself in order to pay the ransom price through his death.
2. THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF REDEMPTION (v 10).
Here in this verse we are taken right up into the heavens and find ourselves looking at God's final purpose
with respect to the world. God's ultimate purpose in sending Jesus into the world was greater than bringing us to God, greater than saving us from sin and setting us free, God's purpose was to bring everything in
heaven and earth under the headship of Christ again.
You see God planned our redemption in eternity, before he created anything he had planned with the Son and the
Spirit how he was going to unite this world once it had fallen into sin. At just the right time (Galatians 4:4) the time when the Old Testament had reached its fulfilment God sent his Son the Lord Jesus into the
world to bring reconciliation and harmony to a world which through sin had become alienated from God and was in discord.
When God created the heavens and the earth everything was in harmony and under the headship of Christ
(Colossians 1:15-20), but then sin entered the world through the rebellion of Adam and ever since then the world has been in disharmony and alienated from God. But in God's good purpose he sent his Son into the
world to die in order that mankind could be reconciled with God if they repent and believe. Jesus in dying was paying the price for sin but his death was also sufficient to remove the curse of sin and as a
consequence we are brought into harmony with God. But our world, God's creation will one day also be brought back into harmony with God, which is why we read about creation waiting to be liberated from its bondage
to decay. Every day creation groans waiting for the result of Christ's death to be applied fully in the liberation of creation (Romans 8:19-21)
This of course will be seen when Jesus Christ comes back into our world to judge and to renew the world so that
a new heaven and a new earth will come into being which will be in harmony with God Himself. Then those of us who are redeemed will live in this new heaven and new earth and we will be in perfect harmony with God
and with the world.
Everything will be as God intended it to be in the first place. But the question is will you be there, for
Christ's death does not mean everyone will be reconciled to God this passage in Ephesians makes that clear, it's only those who are chosen, adopted and redeemed. But you will be left without an excuse for Jesus
death is sufficient for you to be reconciled with God, but will you turn to him. Will you turn from your sin and turn to God?
But those of us who have turned from sin to God are only able to do so because we have been enabled by God
himself through his Spirit, and everyone of us who are believers have nothing to boast about because redemption comes from God through Christ. It is his work alone; therefore we must praise him and live our lives in
submission to him and for him.
We must proclaim his greatness, magnify Jesus Christ as our Saviour and trust and pray that as a result others
will be drawn to him and come to experience freedom from sin and peace with God that comes as a result of the work of Jesus on the cross.
Then they too will one day enjoy living in that new heaven and new earth where everything will be in perfect
harmony with God and under the headship of Jesus Christ the Son of God. That will a marvellous experience but we want our family and neighbours to be there, so let us go out this week and tell people how they can be
reconciled and let us tell them what Christ has done so that they can live in harmony with Him in his new heaven and new earth.
Amen
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