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READ:

Jeremiah 31:3b

^3b Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

EXHORTATION:

The LORD has been revealing, through His prophet, the future restoration of Israel, which faced destruction and dispersion for provoking God with their wickedness. Israel, as a nation, wandered away from their God and set up altars to the heathen gods. That nation lived like an unashamed adulterous wife, provoking the LORD to punish them.

Notwithstanding their unfaithfulness, the LORD declares His unchanging love for the nation of Israel, His chosen people. His love for His people is from everlasting to everlasting, not confined to time or nullified by eternity. Here the LORD once again reiterated His everlasting love, which He has freely bestowed on His people, Israel.

God had made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:7-21), which He subsequently renewed with his descendants, the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:3-8; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28:1-30:10). He vowed to stay faithful to His covenantal commitments to her. So, Israel can look forward to experiencing God’s blessings of redemption and restoration.

Like the nation of Israel, we are also objects of His love. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we also have received God’s wonderful and abounding love. Oh, what surpassing love the LORD shows to His people! He loved us even before we knew Him! Let us now look back and remember how His love spared us when we once delighted in sin. The Lord did not cut us off in our unbelief. Oh, what tender love He displays towards us! We also notice that His loving kindness is the drawing force that moves His people to return to Him from their backsliding and seek Him: “therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” It is His love that chastises us for wandering away from Him defiantly. His stern dealing with us is the restraining power of His love. Because the Lord draws us constantly, we are also held back from plunging into the deepest abyss of sin.

Irrespective of our wandering from Him, He declares to us, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love”. Oh, what a glorious assurance from the LORD to undeserving sinners like us! He loved us before the foundation of the world. He will love us even after the sun and moon stop giving their light, and will continue to do so after the present heaven and earth shall pass away – His love shall abide with us for ever and ever!

READ:

Colossians 1:12

¹² Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

EXHORTATION:

Gratitude is due to God, our Father in heaven. Heartfelt, genuine thankfulness should grow out of our daily experiences of God’s goodness. God’s children should never forget what God has done for them as their loving and most benevolent Father. God, who has given us His only begotten Son to be our Sin-bearer and Saviour, will also freely give us all things (Romans 8:32).

The apostle Paul has taken special care to emphasise the necessity of thanksgiving in all his epistles. In fact, in this epistle to the Colossians alone, the apostle has at four other times instructed believers to be grateful to God (1:3; 3:15-17; 4:2). In Colossians 3:17, he reminds us, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

The ground of thanksgiving mentioned in our verse for today, is that God has made us fit for “the inheritance of the saints in light”. Though we are unfit in ourselves, God has made us fit to partake of the inheritance of His holy people. No one has ever made himself fit for spiritual blessings or heaven on his own merits. But by His grace manifested through Christ, we are made partakers of the inheritance of saints. So, the Christian inheritance is not won by our merit, but given by God’s goodness.

The word “inheritance” is reminiscent of the inheritance of the Promised Land by the Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 14:2). Admittedly, our use of “heir” and “inheritance” is rather limiting, being confined to succession upon death. In Scripture, however, it implies possession by allocation, and points to the fact that the people did not win their land on their own, but God had given it to them. Here, Paul applies that situation in Israel to the believers’ allotment. God gives believers a spiritual inheritance, namely the redemption that is in Christ with all its accompanying blessings, including the inheritance of heaven. The inheritance allotted to us is referred to as “the inheritance of the saints in light”. In other words, God has given us an inheritance appropriate to and promised to the saints. It refers to all the blessings reserved for Christians. The location of the inheritance is the kingdom of light. We are no more damned as children of darkness, but made fit to inherit the blessings of the saints in light!

READ:

Psalm 21:13

¹³ Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

EXHORTATION:

David spoke these words at the end of a psalm in which he delineated the struggles he had against the enemies of the LORD. Earlier, he spoke of men who acted wickedly against God. He said, “For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform” (v. 11). He was thankful that the wicked were not allowed to carry out all their schemes fully. He also expressed his expectation that the LORD would defeat the enemies and cause them to retreat: “Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them” (v. 12). So he expressed his desire to have the LORD’s strength be exalted over all His foes.

The servants of the LORD do not seek their own exaltation, for their ultimate desire is that the LORD and His power be exalted above all else. Our strength is but little. Our hearts are often afraid; our hands tremble for fear. When we are so incapacitated by our infirmities and debilitated by our fear, let us trust our Almighty God for our deliverance. Let us put our trust in the LORD, and pray that His mighty arm would prevail against all the wicked devices of men that are wrought against the Lord’s work.

When we feel weakest and are in despair, as when temptations and troubles of our enemies abound, let us like David cry out to the LORD that He would exalt Himself by delivering us by His mighty arm. Let us beseech the LORD to take the situation in His own powerful hands and work out His righteous plans for His own glory.

Let us manifest godly boldness by trusting in the LORD’s glorious power and wisdom. Let us seek His help in our adversities. Let us encourage ourselves by trusting in the LORD’s great power, just as David did. Let us press on. By believing in His strength, let us rise above our feelings of despair and hopelessness.

Like David, let us look forward to sing and praise His power. Let us praise Him for every help and deliverance we receive from Him. The more we feel our inability and weakness, the more we should resolve to glorify Him with our songs for the help and triumph He bestows upon us. When the LORD magnifies Himself, we should exalt Him with our praises.

READ:

Psalm 30:4

⁴ Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

EXHORTATION:

The Word of God exhorts us to be singing saints! God’s people must sing to give thanks to the LORD. Though we can give thanks to God without singing, such as by prayer, we are here encouraged to sing to give thanks to Him. Psalm 147:7 likewise tells us to “Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God”. Our singing should never be without thanksgiving to God.

God’s saints ought to get together to sing His praises in thanksgiving. Let there be joyful singing unto His name among His people. Let our homes be filled with songs of His praise, rather than the music of the world. Let us also sing praises to Him in our hearts.

Render not our voices to stir up the memories of carnal pleasures and unholy mirth. Instead, as our text reminds us, let us sing and give thanks “at the remembrance of his holiness”. We should not sing to promote sin, but to exalt the holiness of God!

Those who sing and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness are those who love His holiness. They are thankful that they are saved from their sin and imputed with His perfect righteousness. They are thankful that they are called to be partakers of the blessings of His holiness. They rejoice in the holy laws of God that keep them away from sinning. They rejoice in the unfailing promises of their holy God, who is ever faithful to keep all His words to them.

God’s people should not be singing the carnal and unholy doctrines of men, which corrupt themselves and their hearers. Their pleasure must be in the songs that promote the holy doctrines which the LORD has given unto them in His Word. Let the testimony of Psalm 119:54 be true of us that “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” Pilgrims to heaven are happy to sing the songs of their holy God. They endure their trials and overcome their temptations as they journey through this world by singing unto their LORD, who is holy. By singing unto the LORD, they strengthen their resolve to be holy unto Him. May our singing always stir within us a grateful consecration to divine holiness. Oh, what delight it is to turn from the misery of sin to the beauty of His holiness! Oh, rejoice and praise our most holy God with our songs!

READ:

Hebrews 10:12

¹² But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.

EXHORTATION:

The writer of Hebrews has been discussing Christ’s atoning death in the light of the Old Testament sacrifices. In our verse, Christ is contrasted with the ministry of the Old Testament priests whom he mentioned in the previous verse. They offered sacrifices daily. They stood all the time while they ministered. They repeated their sacrifices in the morning and in the evening. Yet those sacrifices could not take away the sins of the people. In that verse, it was said concerning their ministry that “every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (v. 11).

But Christ, our High Priest, had offered one sacrifice. His sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins was so perfect that having ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He sat down on the right hand of God the Father. He does not continue to stand like the Old Testament priests who could not offer a perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. He sat down to return no more for the purpose of offering another sacrifice for our sins. Moreover, the fact that Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of God proves that His sacrifice for our sins was perfectly pleasing and acceptable to God. Christ’s place on the right hand of God betokens the highest honour that He is endued with for offering the perfect sacrifice for His people’s redemption.

What a perfect Saviour we have in Jesus Christ our Lord! He “offered one sacrifice for sins”, and it was a perfect sacrifice. He, being sinless, was perfect as our High Priest and our sacrificial lamb. He needed to sacrifice only one sacrifice for all His people. So in His case, there is no perpetual standing by the altar to repeat His sacrifice for our sins. His precious blood shed on the cross for our sins was a perfect sacrifice. Not only are all His people cleansed by it, but they are also all fully and eternally cleansed! As Hebrews 9:12 declares, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Again, Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” He will come again, not to offer sacrifice for sins, but to receive unto Himself all His people whom He has saved by His death on the cross.

Sermon Text: Hebrews 7:24–25
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 20th April 2025

READ:

Romans 14:9

⁹ For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

EXHORTATION:

There is, of course, a sense in which Jesus has always been Lord, for He is the Creator, Governor and Provider of all things. By virtue of His divine nature, He is indeed Lord of all. But Paul is not talking about that. He is referring to His Lordship in view of the atoning work that He accomplished through His death and resurrection. Some theologians correctly call it “the lordship of redemptive relationship”. In a very special sense, Christ is Lord of those to whom He brought salvation through His death and resurrection. Christ secured the indisputable right to exercise Lordship over both of those believers who have already died and those who are still alive on earth. By means of His substitutionary death, followed by His intercessory life in heaven (Hebrews 7:25), Christ as their Lord sees to it that whatever He has merited for His people is bestowed on them, whether dead or still alive.

The connection between the Lordship of Christ and His death and resurrection is emphasised here. He is no doubt Lord over all mankind, but what is asserted here is a Lordship which only true believers acknowledge. Paul depicts both the dead and the living as under this Lordship of Christ. Christ died and rose again as a representative character of all His people, both dead and alive. As the Mediator between God and men, He had gathered up all the interests of all His people. Dying and rising again, He stands before all His people as their Lord.

Let us consider the implications of the Lordship of Christ over His own people who are now dead. As one who died and rose again, He gives to all His people who are now dead the assurance of victory over the sting of death. In due time, their mortal bodies shall be fashioned like unto His own glorious resurrected body. He would lead them to the many mansions of His Father’s house, and there He shall live with His people as their Lord and King forever and ever. Now unto all His people who are alive, He is their Lord. They should submit their lives to Him to do His will. Self-surrender to His Lordship is expected of all His people while they live and serve Him here on earth. It is a most wonderful blessing for all His people (both the living and the dead) to have Him as their Lord. It is a source of confidence and joy to the living and the dead in Christ alike.

READ:

Luke 24:6

⁶ He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee.

EXHORTATION:

This was the angelic declaration on the day of Christ’s resurrection. Thus they announced the grand truth of Christ’s resurrection to the women who went to His tomb on the third day of His burial.

The angels indisputably announced, “He is not here, He is risen!” Though He is not there, He assuredly was once there in the tomb, for He was crucified, dead, and buried. These women had been there at His tomb when He was buried (Luke 23:55-56; Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47). They were the last to leave His tomb after His burial, and the first to arrive at the risen Christ’s empty tomb. What great delight it must have been for these godly women to be instructed of their beloved Master’s resurrection! May our hearts also rejoice in His risen glory.

Christ Jesus the Lord, who died for our sins, is risen for our justification. With His great resurrection miracle, His work of our redemption was triumphantly consummated! By springing up from the grave to life, Jesus became our Great Saviour. Oh, what a glorious victory He has achieved for us by His resurrection! Sin and death no longer have power over our souls.

We also notice a gentle reproof in the words of the angels to those pious women. It was apparent that they lacked conviction about Jesus’ prediction that He would resurrect on the third day. Though it was the third day, they arrived at the tomb with spices to embalm His body. They appeared to have disregarded the fact that He would rise on that day. Thus, the angels reprovingly reminded those holy women, “remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee”. It was indeed a vain effort to search for the living Christ in the abode of the dead!

May we live in the joy and blessings of our Lord’s resurrection. Let us not conduct ourselves as though our blessed Master is not alive. He is certainly not among the dead. He lives! So let us live to know Him who is risen and lives today. Let us follow our Risen Saviour to know the power of His resurrection. May the empty tomb of Christ drive away all our gloom and anxieties. He is risen, and He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by Him. The Lord is risen! He now lives and prepares a place for us in heaven. He is coming soon again for us. Oh, let us rejoice for our Lord Jesus Christ lives today. He is not among the dead. Hallelujah!

Transfer of Membership

Daniel Svasti

I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour in the early 70’s. It was a time of much confusion and change concerning many doctrines preached in the local churches. Particularly in the doctrine of eschatology and the study of Revelation, where many lessons were being aired and shared in Sunday Schools and various Christian Fellowship groups. But many of these views were incorrect, in the light of what I’ve been enlightened by years later, through faithful Scriptural teachings from Pastor Tow Siang Hwa, Pastor Quek, and Pastor Koshy (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16-17; 5:9-10).

I also witnessed the shift of many Bible-believing churches turning Charismatic and falling away. Debating with many of my classmates and schoolmates on what the Bible taught was in vain, and I am thankful that our LORD has looked after me through His divine providence all these years. And I am glad that I have received Jesus Christ – the Living One and only begotten Son of God, who was crucified, died, and was buried and whom God raised from the dead on the third day – as my personal Saviour. I take great comfort in God’s continual care and guidance for us: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

As the days on earth are dwindling to the end, I want to walk circumspectly and redeem the time, for the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15-16). We must be good witnesses to our children and to all whom we meet, and reflect Christ’s love through us. At the same time, we must be vigilant. There will be many false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:24). We need to watch out for them as listening to them will lead to death. And I feel strongly that I must earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3), and that the KJV Bible is a faithful translation of God’s true and preserved Word. “For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).

Truly, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift (our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ) [2 Corinthians 9:15]!

Stella Svasti

As I reflect on my journey of faith and how God has redeemed me with His precious blood and saved me from my sins and the curse of the law, I humbly give Him all the praise and honour and glory (1 Peter 1:3). 

I was raised in an idol-worshipping home. But God, in His abundant mercies, moved my mother to send me to a Methodist school, where I started to learn about the Lord Jesus Christ. Then it was a daily affair to have morning devotion, reciting the Lord’s prayer daily and attending weekly ‘Ethics’ lessons, where the love of God was shared through Christian teachers. I realised that the Gospel seed was sown through those devoted teachers, and I am still thankful to the Lord for them. The school had a tradition of devoting 3 days in a year to conduct Religious Emphasis Week (REW), where pastors were invited to preach the Gospel. When I was in Secondary Two, at one of those REW sessions, ending an altar call, I surrendered my life to the Lord, my gracious Redeemer. 

I then searched for churches to attend. Most of my friends attended Methodist churches, and I followed suit. But I did not grow as I did not understand what it meant to follow Christ, and I was not motivated to read and search the Scriptures regularly. After my marriage to Daniel, we attended Wesley Methodist Church, but we found the doctrines diluted, which did not promote Christ of the Bible. 

We subsequently attended the Sunset Gospel Hour (at Calvary Pandan), and heard Pastor Koshy’s preaching. We decided to find out more about Gethsemane BPC, and the Lord guided us to various materials and resources, which we thoroughly enjoyed for our spiritual growth and learning. The teaching and preaching from Gethsemane’s Pastor and preachers are biblical, sound and faithful. Through the teachings in the BP churches, we learnt that the Bible is a divine, personal and meaningful Book, the Greatest Book of all times and ages (Psalm 119:105). When I face challenges, struggles, fears, doubts, or sin and temptation, I will seek the Lord’s wisdom, strength, and help in His Word to overcome them. What joy and privilege to appropriate God’s wonderful promises to help me cope through all the changing scenes of life. He is moulding and guiding me moment by moment, till I see Him face to face.

I am truly grateful to the Lord for this church, for Pastor Koshy and the preachers, the elders, as well as the deacons and staff. Particularly for Eld Choy, Eld Francis, and all those who labour for Christ behind the scenes, in ensuring the Catechism class to be conducted smoothly for our spiritual learning and benefit. The materials of the Catechism class were so well prepared to help us understand the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, and to motivate us to read the Word more deeply. May I have the spiritual discipline to love and read His Word, and be a faithful servant. I thank God for this church family’s warm fellowship and kindness. I pray that the Lord will continue to help me to love Him with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind and also, to love my neighbour as myself (Matthew 22:37-39). Blessed be His Holy Name!

Joan Cheah

I grew up in a Buddhist extended family, where we practised ancestor worship. When I started secondary school, a classmate introduced me to Christianity, and I attended church once. One day, while working overtime, I received an invitation to a Sunday school Bible study. After attending for several months, my life began to change. Through God’s mercy, I became aware of my sinfulness and recognised that only by grace through faith could I find forgiveness and the gift of salvation from God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

I was longing for something deeper than what the world offered, despite my efforts to find fulfilment in friendships and activities. I started attending church regularly and was inspired by the faith of others. I was baptised on December 25, 1992, marking a turning point in my life. I began reading the Bible, joined various ministries, and found support in my faith journey. I’m immensely thankful to God for His blessings over the past decades. My priorities shifted as I began to value relationships, service, and living out Christ’s love. Though I faced challenges, especially when I got distracted by investments instead of godly pursuits, God’s grace again helped me to refocus and regain my direction, and I held onto His promise in Matthew 6:33, which encourages me to seek Him first. It is only by His grace and mercy that I have experienced growth and learnt to trust God during difficult times.

During the COVID years, I experienced a sudden awakening and understood the true significance of biblical worship. I felt a burden to pray and began visiting various churches, including ARPC @ Bishan, Life BP Church, and Gethsemane BP Church. I thank God for leading me to worship alongside my son, Jeremy, in GBPC. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

By His grace and mercy, I was able to visit GBPC twice in 2023. I began worshipping there from January 2024, where I received a warm welcome from Pastor Koshy, the elders, preachers, deacons / deaconess, and brothers and sisters in Christ. I was further edified through my involvement in Lions Home ministry and Ladies Fellowship. At GBPC, God’s Word is held in great reverence, encouraging us to respond with a filial fear of Him. I embrace the lessons from the sermons that inspire me to be vigilant to prepare for Christ’s return, and to continually live in a way that reflects His teachings. As His sheep, we follow Him (John 10:27). May His grace sustain me until we meet Him face to face. God willing, I hope to deepen my spiritual life through worship, obedience, studying the Word, prayer, fellowship, and evangelism, in my journey of faith alongside God’s people at GBPC.  All thanksgiving be unto God the Father.

Reaffirmation of Faith

Danielle Lim

I am privileged to be born into a Christian family. From young, I learnt about the Lord Jesus and His Word. My parents raised me with love and support, and I am truly grateful for everything they’ve done for me and how they’ve raised me with the Lord’s help. It wasn’t easy, but the Lord has blessed and guided my family through the ups and downs in life. I’m very grateful for this church, which holds many special memories and moments as I grew up here since I was a baby. 

Proverbs 31:30 – “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” – resonates with me as I constantly remind myself what my name means: ‘the Lord is my judge’. Thus, I should not only love Him, but fear Him. I will forever be thankful and grateful towards Him. When I was 9 years old, I asked the Lord to be my Saviour and from then on, He has guided me through thick and thin. He has granted me a good school environment, guided me in selecting my various school activities, and provided me with good Christian friends. Words cannot describe my gratitude for how much He has led me as His child. May God help me to be strong and do my best. I look forward to serving Him with the gifts He has bestowed me with.

Lim Jorim

I thank God for giving me the privilege of growing up in a Christian family. It’s a blessing to be surrounded by Christians since childhood. I thank God for His mercy and grace towards me, to save me from my sins (Ephesians 2:8). Having grown up in Gethsemane, I have been truly blessed to be constantly exposed to the preaching of God’s Word. I also grew in faith and learnt many valuable lessons from GCM, JW and Children’s Bible Study (CBS) as a child, as well as in youth fellowship, in church camps, missionary conferences (and even Tuesday night prayer meetings), from my teenage years. Being in the youth choir also helps me to understand the songs that I sing and to spread the Gospel. 

When I was about 7 years old in primary school, I often broke down due to the fear of being alone in an unfamiliar environment. However, I am thankful for my parents’ constant reminder and encouragement that although they may not be able to be with me every minute of my life, God is always with me, and I should not be afraid. Whenever I feel afraid or alone, I would constantly be reminded of Deuteronomy 31:6. As I matured over the years, this verse was a constant reminder and assurance that God is always with me and will take care of me (even when I am alone), every step of my life. I thank God that I can trust and see His mighty hand working in my life. 

As I continue to grow in my faith and learn from God’s Word, it is my prayer that I will continue to walk closely with God and also be a good testimony for Him. May I be a blessing to others in my life, and remain steadfast in my faith. All glory be to God.

Anna Chong

By the grace of God, my parents have been attending worship services in Gethsemane, which has led me to be able to come to this church since I was a little child. Although I have always participated in the Children’s Ministry classes, and have trusted Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord, there were always some things I still did not understand. However, I’m blessed to be able to attend the Catechism Class, which has helped me to have a deeper understanding of God’s Word. I have learnt many Biblical truths concerning God – His wonderful creation, His Holy Book, how we are all born sinners, how we can rely on Him through all difficult circumstances to live a godly life, etc.

The Bible says, “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23), and “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). This has made me realise that I must constantly go to the LORD, seek Him in prayer, and ask for forgiveness for my sins. I have also learnt that God’s Law helps Christians avoid committing sins, as it shows us the path of righteousness and enables us to walk by the Holy Spirit. Thus, I’m minded to do my daily devotion so that I may learn more through His Word daily. We must abide by His commandments, acknowledge our sin when we have done wrong, and stay close to Him always.

Truly, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statues of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:7-9). May I continue to cherish the countless blessings I receive from the Lord, and bear a good testimony for Him.

(More testimonies of new members next week)

READ:

Ephesians 1:7

⁷ In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

EXHORTATION:

Redemption! What a glorious word! It belongs to everyone who has trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. Only through Christ can one inherit redemption. The Greek word for “redemption” appears about ten times in the New Testament. It depicts the freedom of a prisoner or a slave through the payment of money. The money paid to set the captive free is known as the ransom. This is the idea that Paul had in mind when he wrote, “In whom we have redemption through his blood”. The word “redemption” here refers to our deliverance from sin and from its eternal condemnation, which Christ has secured by the offering of His blood in His sacrificial death on the cross. The ransom or the price that the Lord Jesus Christ has paid for our redemption is His own blood.

The only means for our redemption is “through his blood”. If there were any other means for our redemption, why would Christ die? If a less costly price had been sufficient, Christ would not have poured out His blood. Nothing could have obtained our redemption, but the blood of Christ. The Father would not have sacrificed His Son on the cross, if there were other appropriate and adequate ransoms to be paid. So the apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”. This also shall be the theme of the new song that the redeemed shall sing in heaven: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

As a result of our redemption through the blood of Christ, we now have the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness is one of the most important blessings of the redemption that Christ has achieved for us. When we have received the freedom from the guilt of our sins, God has also pardoned all our sins. Our redemption and forgiveness bespeak the riches of God’s grace towards us. It costs us nothing to have our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins, for God in His infinite grace has given them freely to us. We are redeemed, not by our merits, but by His grace alone.