Ephesians 1:6-9
“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,”
So far in this series we have learned that we are forgiven. I illustrated this through the story of my own life. Although WE ARE FORGIVEN, it may take a while to forgive yourself, but when God Almighty looks at us He sees His kids. We are being formed (growing) into His image, and it can definitely be very hard while we are learning to live out our new identity. However He REJOICES in our the baby steps as any good father rejoices in the development of their child. Secondly, we learned that we are CALLED in the sense of being ACCEPTED. We made the team, we’ve been hired, we made the grade, we are in, etc. There are many ways to say the same thing. Paul says it like this, “we have been accepted (received) in the beloved (Jesus).” Nor for anything we have done, he did it all. The Perfect became took on our sin to make the us perfect (Born Again). He did it all, we only accepted His invitation and in so doing we put our trust in HIS ABILITY to save us. Now it is our pleasure to learn of Him.
This Heavenly Romance is what John says in John 3:16 “….For whomsoever would believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ would not perish but have everlasting life.”
Also,
“In Him we have redemption through His blood (redemption literally means to buy back). We were once His at Creation, but we gave our “pink slip” away at the beginning over to the enemy, and again every time we disobey.
How do we stop this and really begin to live a life of victory? Defeating our sin nature? The next verses are super insightful.
Joshua 1:8-9
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
This is how we strengthen our spirit man/woman and stop living defeated lives, and missing out on the joy, peace and love The Lord wants for us. If we do this we will begin to understand what redemption means and more importantly we will begin to live it. The Holy Spirit uses the scriptures to help us mature and in so doing our joy and success with be evident to those that know us, but most importantly to us.
Let me go into a little more detail. Redemption, apolutrosis in the Greek is a key word in Christian theology. Without redemption we have nothing. Our whole salvation pivots on this truth. It has two significant meanings; deliverance from sin & freedom from captivity. In other words, I no longer have to sin because I am no longer a slave to my sinful nature, which up to this point controls me. I don’t have to lose my tempter, fear or feel insecure, lust or seek fulfillment via other means other than Christ. All these other things enslave us. We can literally be a free man or woman when we say yes to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead us.
In the age when slavery was common, you had no rights, and your master could sell you at any time. If you had a family your slave-master could sell them too. If your master was cruel and had you do things against your conscience, you had no choice. You had to go along with the plan or risk of being beaten, or worse, killed. In essence you were no better than a donkey, ox or a beast of burden. You were nothing but a commodity that could be replaced.
If your master decided to sell you and a good and kind master bought you, you legally no longer belonged to the cruel master. You were purchased and had been REDEEMED. You now took your orders from the kind master. One day you are harvesting in your new master’s field and your old master sees you and orders you to work in his field. He could threaten you, he could curse you, but he cannot make you work for him. You are no longer his, he has no power over you. You “may feel” obligated because he was your master for so many years, but that is where the truth of your new status must govern your mind and heart. You legally have a new identity and no matter how hard your old master yells, shouts, curses or tempts you, he knows that to be true.
In James we have this TRUTH.
James 4:7
Therefore submit to God (your new Master). Resist the devil (the old master) and he will flee from you.
This is such an important truth. However, if we as believer do not know this truth our enemy is not going to tell us. One of the main problems with us Christians is that so very few of us know the truth. We go to church once a week and think that makes us Christian. That is no more true than a gymnast going to the gym for and hour each week and thinking that he or she will be ready for the Olympics. Easy physical transformation is not going to happen, and same applies to our spiritual transformation. Without a frequent intake of God’s Word and prayer and a growing reliance on the aid of the Holy Spirit, we will not stand. The Christian life is so much more than just being a nice person. It involves living a holy life. That is something we are not able to do. We become too easily entangled in the cares, temptations, self indulgences, and values of this world. Without the aid of the Holy Spirit holiness is not attainable, yet holiness is what is required.
1 Peter 1:14-16
As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
And why? Because it is only holiness that free us.
It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free, and that FREEDOM is found in knowing and living in a Holy relationship with Him – there is no true freedom apart from this, period. It requires effort, “all hands on deck,” there is Divine work that needs to be done on the inside of me, so….
Galatians 5:1
Stand fast (stand firm, resist, be strong) therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (do not become slaves to principal elements of our flesh).
Romans 7:14
“I know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
Romans 3:23-26
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (fallen short of the perfection of God).”
Romans 7:24-25
O wretched (afflicted, miserable) man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Understanding this battle makes it is easier to understand our need for salvation and our need to be in relationship with Him. There’s an invitation that is presented to us in James 4:8,
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (“rhuomai” is the word for draw, meaning to pull something or someone close to you).
Romans 8:13-17
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are Sons and Daughters of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba (Papa), Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Amen!).
This now becomes my NEW IDENTITY, and this is how we need to think. The Christian walk is not hard, it’s IMPOSSIBLE! Without the Holy Spirit and God’s Word it becomes a religious walk of do’s and dont’s. It is the Holy Spirit that takes God’s Word and applies it to our heart and mind, setting us free. Through it we are encouraged, made wise in the things of God and live a life of truth. All that we will ever need comes from a routine time of prayer and reading and or hearing the Word. Hope and patience become our friends and sanctification (being cleansed unto holiness) is the path we walk.
Having said that I am very aware that the Christian life can be frustrating. At times it feels like it takes forever to change. I’m sure being a doctor is not easy either. It takes many many years of study, then more years of residency before you can actually practice, and more years if you specialize. However in the end, you become a doctor. We are becoming doctors of the soul. We bring truth and hope to the souls that have been weighed down and sickened by sin. To hear that life can be better, brings hope, and hope with practical support brings encouragement and healing. May God grant us the ability to walk in Christ’s footsteps. Amen.
Father God,
Thank you for this study. Help the clarity of what our purpose is ( to be vessels of Your Holy Presence ) and of what Your purpose is, our Strong Redeemer and Savior and joined with prayer and the study of Your Word is an undefeated force. Let us rejoice in the victory of knowing You. Amen.
Go in Grace, Grow In Faith – Arthur