Praise God for Our Salvation, Part 2: Praise to the Son.

In Christ, we are chosen by God and predestined to adoption as sons and daughters. These spiritual blessings are from the Father (Eph. 1:3-6).

Ephesians 1:7-12 explains the role of the Son of God in our salvation and how the church can praise God for His glorious grace.

Praise Him for Redeeming Us

We praise God that Christ has redeemed us (Eph. 1:7-10). Redemption means the release of a slave from bondage. The New Testament audience would not have thought spiritual but commercial or financial slavery.

In Hebrews 11:35, the saints of the Old Testament are described as having been tortured but not accepting their release so that they might obtain a better resurrection. The word for "release" and "redemption" are the same, meaning something must be paid for release or redemption to occur.

Ephesians 1:7 describes saints as having been released from their slavery to sin. We have been redeemed by the ransom of the blood of Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed by violent actions for this to be payment for our sin. Though brutal, this represented God’s wrath and was His plan for our release from sin.

The Christian who once was enslaved to sin is now set free from the bondage and penalty of sin to be a slave to righteousness (Romans 6). Therefore, a Christian’s obedience is inevitable, while prior to salvation, only spiritual failure was possible.

It cost Jesus greatly for the redemption and forgiveness of our sins which He lavished on us (Eph. 1:8), the staggering magnitude of which we cannot comprehend (Romans 5).

Our redemption has two aspects: the ransom from guilt and condemnation and the ransom from sin’s power. In Christ, we have redemption, which is available, understandable, and accessible to all (Eph. 1:9-10).

Though once a mystery, the faith community now understands what Christ accomplished on the cross (Eph. 1:9). This picture of redemption, revealed to both Jew and Gentile, is a taste of things to come (Eph. 1:10), a future where everything in heaven and on earth are united under the reign of Christ. The value of our salvation cannot be realized in this life alone for the fullness of our salvation is to come (Eph. 1:19-23, 1 Cor. 15:19).

Praise Him for Claiming Us

We praise God that Christ has claimed us (Eph. 1:11-12). Depending on the Bible translation, the church has obtained an inheritance, or the church is chosen, or the church is the claimed inheritance. The Greek language indicates the Ephesians are the inheritance similar to Israel being the inheritance of God.

The important thing to know about this passage is that God is the One acting, while the church is the recipient of the action. Our position in Christ is part of God’s overarching purpose. The use of the word "inheritance" in reference to the church speaks to a close relationship between Christ and the saints. This inheritance has been part of God’s plan all along.

In Christ, we are claimed. Our union in Christ is the basis by which we enjoy our position and blessings in Christ.

Consider how God and His sovereignty are described in Eph. 1:11. He is in complete control of everything, working all things according to the plan of His will. In this context, "all things" includes all of God’s activities in creation and redemption.

God’s plans are not based on whim or snap judgement but on His careful thought and interaction within the Godhead. All of God’s activities in creation and redemption were carefully and intentionally deliberated then worked out in such a way that His will was perfectly accomplished.

Each individual part of our lives, each event, is within the framework of God’s plans for our lives. Like a recipe we might use for cookies, the individual ingredients on their own are often not appetizing, but when mixed together, the desired final product is achieved. Therefore, each ingredient is needed.

Often, we are frustrated with God, focusing only on the individual ingredients of our lives. However, our lives, which are intended to be to the praise of His glory, are the combination of the ingredients with the desired final product being Christlikeness.

In the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1), we read the names of those who had difficult and even sinful experiences. Yet all were used to lead to the birth of Jesus. God had an amazing and even controversial plan for the incarnation of Christ.

Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are perfectly pictured in Acts 2:22-23. The people responded in repentance (Acts 2:37-41) and were saved that very day. Taking the sin of those who crucified Jesus, God used it to accomplish our redemption and to claim us as His own.

God takes those things we consider unusable and brings about something good, something that makes us more like Jesus to the praise of His glory.

God in His wisdom gets the glory for His plan for our lives, and we must praise Him for that plan.

Application Points

• Do you believe that in Christ your obedience and growth is inevitable? In Christ, you have redemption through His blood which cost Him greatly. No longer enslaved to sin, you are now a slave to righteousness.
• Do you believe that each part of your life, each circumstance, is within the framework of God’s plan for your life? God would have you praise Him for the wisdom of His plan being worked out in your life to the praise of His glory.