Redemption Through His Blood

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Ephesians 1:7-8

Redemption, in the ancient world, meant buying back a slave in order to set them free. Redemption through his blood tells us that we were slaves to sin. We were bound! Another verse says we were "foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures..."

We were enslaved by passion
We were enslaved by pleasure
We were enslaved by sin

God desires to have a people. He desires to have children who willingly serve him - who are free to serve him! He wants children who are free to be and do all the good that he has in store for them!

The problem is that sin brings death. Physical death, the death of dreams and plans, emotional death, and even spiritual death all come from sin. Those enslaved by passion have passion on the brain! Those who are enslaved by pleasure, have pleasure on the brain, those who are enslaved by sin, have sin on the brain.

But God created us for more than that. He created us to succeed in life, to pursue and achieve amazing things! He created us to do good works, not just wallow in our own filth.

When we're slaves to sin, it's as though we live like animals, gratifying base instincts. When we decided, like the prodigal son, that we were tired of living in the pig-pen filth, we had already lost the title of sonship, and we were incapable of cleansing ourselves.

Sin can't be washed off
Sin can't be made up for
Sin can't be worked off
Sin must be paid for - and the wages of sin is death! Sin only ever earns you death!

The Blood of Jesus
But if someone said, "I realize they owe you their life for all that sin they committed, so I want to pay for it with my life in their place - problem solved - provided that the one paying has no indebtedness of their own sin to pay for - and provided that we accept that solution, by believing that it works and receiving it!)

He Sets Us Free! We're Free to be a New Bread of Human!
Free to live for God
Free to be amazing friends
Free to be amazing parents
Free to be amazing spouses
Free to be amazing employees
Free to be amazing employers
Free to be amazing students
Free to be amazing worshipers

We're free to be amazing thinkers, and creators, and artists, song-writers, doctors, dairy farmers, technicians, truck-drivers, ministers, worshipers... whatever you are, whatever you do - God wants you completely free to do your best and to prosper! Free to succeed and thrive and flourish in Christ Jesus!

We're free to be the amazing children of God!

[Photo by: kwerfeldein on Flickr]