“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians.1:7

 

This liberating verse finds it’s emphatic conclusion by saying this all happens not by power or by truth but                by              blood!

 

The book of Hebrews tells us that “there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.” Someone had to absorb the cost that was demanded, it was either us, or Him.

 

What we find out about Jesus is that He would rather die than live without us, so he did die! We have a God who pays for our freedom with His very own blood.

 

Hebrews.9:12 puts it this way, “with his own blood- not the blood of goats and calves- he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever!”

 

Four powerful truths to realize about this redemption secured by his blood for us:

 

1. NOT TEMPORARY

Not a month to month, pay as you go style contract, this was a sacrifice paid up front and to the full extent!

 

2. NOT EARTHLY

When Jesus let out his last breath, the veil that separated man from God in the temple was torn. What’s more, it was severed from top to bottom symbolizing the fact that this was not of man but of a heavenly origin. Heaven determined that the way to the father was open, not our feelings, emotions or abilities!

 

3. COMPLETE

His blood was unreservedly poured out! Not just enough for a certain amount of sins or for a certain type of people. It was so comprehensive that Romans.8:1 tells us that now because of it “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

 

4. ONCE AND FOR ALL

When Jesus declared from the cross with his final breath, “it is finished!” it wasn’t a hopeful cry but rather an exclamation point resounding across all of eternity. An alternative translation of these far-reaching words is “paid in full” meaning that there are no debts out-standing. Never again would another sacrifice be needed. Isaiah.53:11 says (speaking of Jesus) “he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied”

 

 

HIS BLOOD WAS ALWAYS THE PLAN

 

All of this was the fulfillment of how God had always rescued His people. Many generations previously, Israel were enslaved to the Egyptians. Moses, a man with a mission from God to lead the people out of bondage and into freedom declared on God’s behalf to Pharaoh, “let my people go!” The Egyptian King would not budge though and stubbornly responded “No!”

 

What followed were the ten plagues sent by God to loosen Pharaoh’s grip on the Israelites (staff into snake, frogs, locusts, river into blood, darkness etc) but still Pharaoh’s heart was not moved.

 

Eventually God moved decisively, declaring that every first born male in the land would die, except for those who applied the blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their homes. The Egyptians did not, while the Israelites put all their faith and trust into the seemingly strange heavenly directive to trust “the blood”.

 

When God’s words came to pass, Pharaoh finally “let Israel go”.

 

Their freedom had come about not through words, nor by power BUT BY THE BLOOD.

 

God’s pattern and plan was always through “the blood” so that man could not boast in their own strength or fall prey to being held captive to their sin. But it was through the decisive, complete, once and for all shedding of the blood of his son Jesus that our redemption was secured eternally!

 

Blog written by Gabe Phillips

Gabe and Fiona lead the Life Changers Milnerton and City congregations