⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
(Ephesians 1:7-10 NIV)

The Apostle Paul continues on with his praise and worship in verses 7 through 10.  As we learned yesterday, Paul is giving an overview of God’s plan throughout history – a “big picture” review, if you will, of God’s plan for mankind.

Today, Paul continues on with his overview, showing us how God loved us so much that He chose to redeem us so that we can spend eternity with Him.

Redemption literally means to buy, with the intention of setting free.  In Paul’s day, human slavery was common.  People were bought and sold like animals or objects.  The person purchasing the slave would normally put them to work in their household or on their land.  In rare cases, however, the person purchasing the slave could, after purchasing the slave, then set them free.  And that is what Paul is saying to us – Christ purchased us to set us free.

What was our purchase price?  A few dollars?  A trade of a few chickens or maybe a goat or even a cow?  No, verse 7 tells us our purchase price was Jesus’ life, His very blood, sacrificed for us.

Verses 8 and 9 tell us that this was a hidden mystery throughout time.  God had promised Messiah, but the details were hidden from the view of the ancients.  And now, in Paul’s day, Jesus was revealed to history as the Messiah.  And we have the benefit of that revealing as well.

In verse 10, Paul fast forwards to the time when Christ rules heaven and earth again, and all who follow Jesus as Lord and Savior are reunited with Him for eternity.  Now that’s something to look forward to!

So, in verses 3 through 10, Paul has given us this sweeping overview of history, from eternity past to eternity future, and has shown us how God the Father has made Christ the key figure in all history in between.

As the old hymn and today’s passage reminds us, God’s grace is greater than all our sin.  Christ bought us and set us free, no longer slaves to sin, but free in Christ.

And what is our response?  To love him and serve Him, and look forward to the day when we will spend eternity with Him.

Lord, is today the day?  Will you come back for us today?  We look forward to Your return, to see You face to face, to spend eternity with You.

Blessings,
~kevin