God of Mercy and Forgiveness

#VOTD (Verse of the Day): Ephesians 1:7 (NASB)

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

God's Word is special to me. I start my day with it and I already feel that my day is complete with it. Without it, I find myself longing something that is missing. You see for me, as a Christian man who is into a health and wellness, and direct-selling business in Santé Barley, God's Word is a basic necessity. It is very much like a physical food, only that it is a spiritual one. So, kindly take time to eat your spiritual food too. It is good for the soul; most nutritious above all because it comes from our Creator Himself.

Today, I am going to share to you a commentary on this particular verse by Charles John Ellicott, a distinguished English Christian theologian, academic and churchman. 

Like to see more commentaries for this verse? Click this link to go to BibleHub. 

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.

According to the riches of his grace.--As above, in relation to praise, stress is laid on the gloriousness of God's grace, so here, in relation to enjoyment of it, on its overflowing richness. (See Ephesians 2:7; Ephesians 3:8; Ephesians 3:16; and Romans 3:24; Romans 9:23.)

That's it! I hope you share the Word to your loved ones and friends, even those you don't know yet. 

Godbless!

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