In Him – Redemption

Ephesians 1:7-10

“In Him” is a wonderful thought. God brought many things into this world “in Him”. In us – that is “in mankind” – is the nature of Adam and Eve. Sin came into the world through Adam and death through sin and death passed to all men. Yet “in Him” we have so much more given to us. Much more than we can imagine, Today we will look at the redemption we have “in Him”. First, why do we need to be redeemed? Second, How were we redeemed? And, Third, what does redemption do for us?

Why do we need to be redeemed?

First of all, we were born in sin. Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was brought

forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” This does not have anything to do with David’s mother or with the act of conception being sin. When King David wrote these words he was overwhelmed with the consciousness of his own sin. As he looked back on his life he realized that he had a sin nature from the beginning. In the same way, we too are born with a sin nature that separates us from salvation.

Very early in life we chose to sin. In Romans 5, Paul explains that even though sin came into the world through one man, causing death to spread to all men, death ruled even over those who did not sin as Adam did. No matter who we are we are subject to the facts: Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23a, “the wages of sin is death,”

Before coming to Christ a person is dead in sin. Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body‍ and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

We are obviously in need of redemption. Praise God, in him we have redemption.

How were we redeemed?

Theologians speak of a covenant of redemption. This covenant within the Godhead among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit whereby each member of the Godhead participated in our salvation.

We were redeemed by God the Father sending Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-5, “But‍ God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“.

We were redeemed by Jesus’ obedience even to death. Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,‍ 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,‍ being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” The Son agreed to this covenant and submitted himself to take our sins in his own body and die our death for us.

We were redeemed by Holy Spirit’s calling and converting. 1 Corinthians 12:13a, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body”. Jesus said he would send the comforter who would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. This convicting is essential to a person coming to faith. Holy Spirit works in us before salvation to convince us of our sin and draw us to the goodness of God causing us to want salvation. Then he brings us into the body in salvation. Praise God – we needed redemption and God planned before the world was created to bring his people to salvation.

What does this redemption do for us?

Redemption frees us from bondage. Romans 6:17-23, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

“20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We were slaves to sin but are made free to become bond servants of Jesus Christ bound to him by his love and our love for him.

Redemption gives us a new allegiance. Colossians 1:11-14, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks‍ to the Father, who has qualified you‍ to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” When a believer comes to faith in Christ the kingdom of darkness is no longer home. The believer is transferred to the kingdom of the beloved Son of God.

Redemption makes us children of God. John 1:12-13, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” He has caused the believer to be born again – becoming a part of the family of God.

Paul wrote the Corinthians, “He (God) is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” We should praise God that we do not have to earn wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption because it is impossible for us to do so. We are redeemed by the blood of the lamb of God. And that redemption is not by our works done in righteousness but by his own mercy. Praise God!