Ephesians 1:6-8 (WEL) To the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He has graciously accepted us in the beloved. V7 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. V8 Which He profusely gave to us, in total wisdom and insight.
V6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He has graciously accepted us in the beloved.
Paul is overwhelmed with joy and praise that he and all believers in Jesus Christ are adopted by God the Father into His family.
God’s grace is not earned through some holy person, priest, etc., or something we do. There are no rituals that we do which earn or reward God’s grace. Grace is a gift from God, not a payment for doing some ritual. God did not have to do anything good for us, but He did do much which should cause all of us great joy and a great thank you to praise Him.
V7 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Redemption is buying back something. When I was young, you had saving stamps, and when we had enough of them, we could trade (redeem) them for goods. The same goes for banking certificates and other financial instruments. All believers are sold as slaves to sin (Romans 6:16-17). We were redeemed from that slavery by Jesus Christ because we believed in Him and His Gospel (Romans 6:22-23, Galatians 3:13-14, and 1 Peter 3:18).
When we were conceived, we were sinners (Psalm 51:5). When we took our first breath, we started lying (Psalm 58:3). The principle of the sin nature is “Me first.”
The Bible is clear that there is no redemption without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). The shed blood signifies a substitute death from a sacrifice. Since animals are not a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:12-13), the Lord Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice, the Passover Lamb for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Sin can be forgiven if another pays the penalty (death) and the person asks for it believing it to be true (Acts 16:31 and John 3:14-18).
Sometimes people wonder at the time of faith that all my sins are atoned for, but what about the sins I did afterwards? Jesus died as the Passover Lamb about 2,000 years ago, so all your sins and my sins were future and are forgiven when we believe. We need to acknowledge ourselves to be sinners and ask daily for God’s forgiveness. All sins have been forgiven. We are called to be blameless, not sinless. See Philippians 2:15, Luke 1:6, and Colossians 1:22.
Salvation is not something God had a necessity to do; He wanted to do it because of His love for all humans. Yet, most reject His love and offer of salvation (John 5:40).
V8 Which He profusely gave to us, in total wisdom and insight.
The grace that God gave was not a small amount or even barely enough; it was copious and way beyond what was necessary. All of God’s goodness before salvation, for salvation, and after salvation was planned, executed, and effective because of God’s decision. All of God’s plans and decisions are from His love, holiness, wisdom, and insight.
The difference between wisdom and insight is this:
Wisdom: G4678 σοφία sophía, which means (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (Louw & Nida)) “the capacity to understand and, as a result, to act wisely.” (AMG’s Comprehensive Dictionary of New Testament Words) “Deep understanding of things with the skill of practical application; sound judgment, natural and moral insight.”
Insight: G5428 φρόνησις phrónēsis, which means (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (Louw & Nida)) “the psychological faculty of thoughtful planning, often with the implication of being wise and provident – thoughtful planning, way of thinking, outlook.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged – Little Kittel)) “phrónēsis. In Luke 1:17, in a liturgical context, the forerunner’s task is to bring back the disobedient to the manner of thought and conduct of the just. Ephesians 1:8 also has a liturgical ring; God has graciously endowed us with wisdom and understanding whereby we know the mystery of His will.”
(New Living Translation (NLT) Study Bible Notes) Wisdom and understanding come from the revelation of God’s mysterious plan regarding Christ. In Paul’s writings, mysterious plan (traditionally mystery) often refers to a divine truth formerly hidden but now revealed in the Good News (see 3:9). Here it refers to how God will bring everything together under the authority of Christ, so that he may be universally recognized and respected as Lord (see Phil 2:9-11; Col 1:16-20, 26-27; 2:2, 19; 4:3). Ephesians focuses specifically on the inclusion of Gentiles as well as Jews in God’s redeemed people (see 3:3-6; 6:19; cp. Rom 16:25-26).
Precept Austin: “Harold Hoehner feels that “God’s grace is given to enable believers to understand His will. God gives them wisdom (sophia; cf. Ephesians 1:17; 3:10; Colossians 1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5), objective insight into the true nature of God’s revelation, and understanding (phronēsei), the subjective apprehension of it. So believers are able to grasp something of the divine purpose of the ages and to see its relevance in the present time.”
We learn:
- The necessity of a perfect, sinless Savior, the necessity of His death, and the greatness of His grace.
- The understanding of His grace because He made it understandable.
Questions:
- Do you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
- Are you rejoicing in the greatness of His grace in wisdom and insight?