In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
whom.
Job 33:24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
Psalm 130:7 Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
Daniel 9:24-26 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy…
the forgiveness.
Exodus 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Psalm 32:1,2 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered…
Psalm 86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
to.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Ephesians 2:4,7 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, …
Ephesians 3:8,16 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; …
we have redemption
Redemption in the biblical context refers to the act of being set free from bondage or slavery, often through the payment of a ransom. In the Old Testament, this concept is seen in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Exodus 6:6). In the New Testament, redemption is spiritual, freeing believers from the bondage of sin and death (Romans 6:18, 1 Peter 1:18-19).
through His blood
The shedding of blood is a critical element in the atonement for sin, rooted in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus' blood signifies the ultimate sacrifice, fulfilling the requirements of the Law and establishing a new covenant (Hebrews 9:12-14). This phrase underscores the cost of redemption and the depth of Christ's sacrifice.
the forgiveness of our trespasses
Forgiveness is a key aspect of salvation, involving the removal of guilt and the restoration of a right relationship with God. Trespasses refer to sins or violations of God's law. This forgiveness is not earned but granted through Christ's atoning work (Psalm 103:12, Colossians 2:13-14).
according to the riches of His grace
This phrase highlights the abundance and generosity of God's grace. Grace is unmerited favor, and its riches imply an inexhaustible supply. God's grace is the basis for redemption and forgiveness, emphasizing that salvation is a gift, not a result of human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-7).
- Everything in this verse starts with our location: “In Him.” If you have trusted Christ, you are literally placed into Him, united with Him in a living bond (John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
- That union means His victory, His life, and His blessings are yours. Colossians 2:9-10 reminds us, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Him,” so there is no spiritual blessing you lack.
- “Have” is present tense—redemption isn’t a future hope but a present possession.
- Redemption speaks of being released from slavery and brought into freedom. Colossians 1:13-14 echoes this: “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness... in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
- Jesus paid the price (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19), and believers now live as freed people, liberated from sin’s penalty and power.
- The price tag of redemption was no less than the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 9:12 says He entered the Most Holy Place “by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
- Blood sacrifice stretches back to Passover (Exodus 12:13) and finds its fulfillment at the cross. Without it, “there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).
- Because of that shed blood, we can say with Revelation 1:5, “To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.”
- Trespasses are willful steps over God’s boundaries, yet they are fully forgiven. Psalm 103:12 celebrates, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
- Forgiveness is not probation; it’s complete cleansing (Isaiah 1:18).
- Acts 13:38-39 declares, “Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is justified,” underscoring the totality of this pardon.
- God doesn’t forgive sparingly; He forgives “according to” (in proportion to) His infinite wealth of grace.
- Ephesians 2:4-9 reminds us we were dead, but “because of His great love... it is by grace you have been saved.”
- Where sin abounded, “grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20-21). God’s storehouse never runs dry; He lavishes grace on us (Titus 3:5-7; 2 Corinthians 8:9).
Ephesians 1:7 paints a sweeping picture of salvation: united to Christ, believers presently possess freedom purchased at the highest cost—the blood of Jesus. Our every trespass is wiped away, and all of it flows out of God’s limitless grace. Nothing could be more secure or more generous than what the Father has provided “in Him.”
(7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.--This passage is identical in sense and expression with Colossians 1:14, except that the word here used for "sins" means, properly, "separate acts of transgression," while the word there is the more general word for sin in the abstract. (In Ephesians 2:1, both are used.) In both passages we have united, as correspondent to each other, the two expressions under which our Lord Himself describes His atonement--in Matthew 20:28, as the "giving His life a ransom for many," in Matthew 26:28, as "the shedding of His blood for the forgiveness of sins." These two expressions appear to be complementary to each other, rather than identical. (1) The primary idea in "redemption" is deliverance from a bondage, mostly the bondage of sin itself (see Romans 8:23; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:15; 1Peter 1:18-21); occasionally (and in this sense with a different Greek word), the bondage under sentence of punishment for sin (Galatians 3:13; Galatians 4:5). Into that bondage man has plunged himself; God's mercy redeems him from it at an unspeakable price (John 3:16; Romans 7:24-25). (2) The primary idea in "the forgiveness of sins through His blood" is propitiation, that is, the offering to God "a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice" for sin, by One who is the Head and Representative of the human race (Romans 3:25; 1John 2:2; 1John 4:10). So St. Paul interprets our Lord's words by the declaration that "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" (1Corinthians 5:7); and it is notable that exactly in His words is the Atonement designated in the earliest apostolic preaching (Acts 2:38; Acts 5:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38; Acts 26:18). Hence the former phrase looks at the Atonement from the side of God, the latter from the side of man; both being wrought by Him who is Son of God and Son of Man at once. Together they represent the whole truth. . . . Verse 7. - In whom we have the redemption through his blood. Some of the blessings referred to in ver. 3 are now specified - be-ginning with redemption (τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν). The article makes it emphatic - the great redemption, the real redemption, compared to which all ether redemptions are but shadows. It is a redemption through blood, therefore a proper propitiation or expiation, blood being always the emblem of explanation, In Christ, or in union to Christ, we have or are having this blessing; it is not merely in existence, it is ours, we being in him by faith: not a privilege of the future merely, but of the present as well. Even the forgiveness of our sins. Αφεσιν denotes release, separation from all the consequences of our transgressions; equivalent to Psalm 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." According to the riches of his grace. The completeness of the forgiveness, its ready bestowal now, the security of its being continued in the future, and such like qualities show the richness of his grace (comp. Matthew 18:27; Luke 7:42, 47).