Redemption Through His Blood

Excellent — that’s one of John MacArthur’s richest early expositions on Ephesians 1:6–10, part of his 1978 Grace to You series on The Body of Christ: God’s Eternal Design. Below is a comprehensive, structured summary written in the same detailed style as the one I gave you for his sermon on election, including context, exposition, theology, and application.

Ephesians 1:6–10 — The Doctrine of Redemption

Series: The Body of Christ: God’s Eternal Design Preached: Grace Community Church, 1978 Text: Ephesians 1:6–10

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, through which He hath made us accepted in the beloved One. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him.”

1. Context and Overview: From Election to Redemption

MacArthur begins with an anecdote—his wife once collected Blue Chip and Green Stamps for a “Redemption Center,” exchanging coupons for goods. The word redemption, he observes, is common in everyday speech yet misunderstood theologically. Scripture alone reveals its true depth: deliverance by the payment of a price.

Position in Ephesians

He reminds listeners that Ephesians is Paul’s panoramic view of the Church as the Body of Christ—Christ incarnate again in the world through His people.

Chs 1–3: the theology of the Church’s origin and calling.

Chs 4–6: the practical outworking of that theology.

Verses 3–14 of chapter 1 form one long, breathless doxology that describes God’s eternal plan:

Election (vv 4–6a) — the Father’s choice before the foundation of the world.

Redemption (vv 6b–10) — the Son’s work in time and history.

Inheritance (vv 11–14) — the Spirit’s sealing and guarantee of the future.

Thus, redemption is the present aspect of God’s eternal design, bridging His sovereign election to our ultimate inheritance.

2. Definition of Redemption

“Redemption is an act of God by which He Himself pays, as a ransom, the price of sin which has outraged His holiness.”

At its simplest, redemption means deliverance by payment of a price. The Greek terms illuminate its meaning:

WordMeaningUsageagorazō / exagorazō“To buy out of the marketplace.”Purchasing property or slaves.lutroō / apolutrōsis“To release by paying a ransom.”To buy in order to set free.

The latter—apolutrōsis—is used here. In the Roman world, a man could purchase a slave not for service but to grant him liberty. So Christ purchased us not to enslave us but to set us free.

3. The Need for Redemption: Humanity in Bondage

Every person enters the world as a slave of sin:

John 8:34 — “Whoever commits sin is the slave of sin.”

Romans 6:17 — “Servants of sin.”

Romans 7:14 — “Sold under sin.”

Romans 8:21 — “In bondage to corruption.”

Sin is both the captor and the cruel master. Its demand is unrelenting:

“The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23)

The only way to free a slave is to pay the price sin demands—death. Hence, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin” (Heb 9:22).

Christ paid that price, dying in the sinner’s place to secure freedom forever.

“He paid the price to set us free.”

4. Legal and Theological Comparison: Five Aspects of Salvation

MacArthur contrasts redemption with four other legal metaphors from the Greco-Roman world to show the full spectrum of salvation:

DoctrineGreek TermLegal SenseSpiritual ApplicationJustificationdikaiōsisAcquittal in courtThe sinner stands accused but is declared righteous.ForgivenessaphesisCancellation of a debtThe sinner stands as debtor and his debt is erased.AdoptionhuiothesiaLegal placement as a sonThe sinner stands as stranger and is made a son.ReconciliationkatallassōSettlement between partiesThe sinner stands as enemy and is made a friend.RedemptionapolutrōsisPurchase to set freeThe sinner stands as slave and receives liberty.

Together these five facets form the “diamond of salvation.” Each depends entirely on Christ’s payment—He bore the penalty, paid the debt, restored the relationship, adopted the outcast, and liberated the slave.

5. The Five Aspects of Redemption in Ephesians 1:6–10

MacArthur structures his exposition around five movements:

The Redeemer

The Redeemed

The Redemptive Price

The Redemptive Results

The Redemptive Reason

(1) The Redeemer — “In the Beloved One” (v. 6–7)

The Redeemer is Christ, “the beloved One.” Because believers are in Him, they share His acceptance before the Father. God said of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11), and therefore He says of every believer in Christ, “This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

The Greek phrase literally reads: “By grace He graced us in the Beloved.” We might say, “He drenched us in grace.” To be redeemed is to be immersed in divine favor.

“God can say of every Christian, ‘This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.’”

(2) The Redeemed — “Us” and “We” (vv. 6–7; 2:1–3)

Who are the redeemed? The pronouns us and we point to sinners saved by grace. MacArthur walks through Ephesians 2:1–3, 11–12, 4:17–19 to paint the grim portrait:

Dead in trespasses and sins.

Walking according to the world and the devil.

Children of wrath by nature.

Without Christ, without hope, without God.

Darkened, ignorant, greedy, and blind.

“Not a very scintillating group, frankly.”

Yet these are the very ones God chose to redeem. Titus 2:14 — “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity.” Grace shines brightest against the backdrop of human depravity.

This truth establishes true self-worth: our value lies not in our merit but in God’s eternal choice and costly redemption.

(3) The Redemptive Price — “Through His Blood” (v. 7)

The price was Christ’s blood, a metonym for His sacrificial, substitutionary death. He bore what justice demanded—death in our place.

“He couldn’t just bleed on someone and redeem them; it means He poured out His life.”

This single offering accomplished what centuries of animal sacrifices could only symbolize. 1 Peter 1:18–19 calls it “precious blood,” and Revelation 5:9 records the eternal anthem:

“Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood.”

Through that payment, Christ broke sin’s grip and turned slaves into sons, making them co-heirs with Him.

(4) The Redemptive Results — Forgiveness and Insight (vv. 7–8)

Redemption produces two magnificent outcomes:

a. Forgiveness of Sins

Forgiveness (aphesis) means “to send away, never to return.” MacArthur recalls the Day of Atonement ritual: one goat slain, another—the scapegoat—sent into the wilderness, symbolizing sin removed forever.

Scripture celebrates this truth:

Psalm 103:12 — “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions.”

Isaiah 44:22 — “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud.”

Micah 7:19 — “He will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”

Thus forgiveness is complete, eternal, and predetermined “before the foundation of the world.”

“Why should you remember what He forgot before the world began?”

MacArthur rebukes the tendency toward self-condemnation:

“If you can’t forgive yourself, you’ve got a God complex… You’re saying you know more than He does.”

True self-acceptance comes from grasping divine forgiveness and acceptance in Christ.

b. Wisdom and Prudence

“He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.”

Redemption not only cleanses the past but illuminates the mind.

Sophia — spiritual understanding of divine and eternal realities.

Phronēsis — practical insight for daily living.

The believer thus possesses both theology and discernment—wisdom for heaven and prudence for earth.

“We’re not just pie in the sky; we know how to live in this world.”

James 1:5 confirms that God gives wisdom “liberally and without reproach.” This insight is an evidence of God’s abounding grace—He doesn’t dispense in stingy measure but “according to the riches of His grace,” not merely out of them. He gives proportionate to His infinite wealth.

(5) The Redemptive Reason — The Ultimate Purpose (vv. 9–10)

Why did God redeem?

“That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ.”

Redemption serves the cosmic goal of unifying the universe under Christ’s headship. At present, creation is fragmented and hostile—Satan rules, sin divides, death reigns. But God’s redemptive plan moves history toward a climactic restoration when every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord (Phil 2:10–11).

“Fullness of times” = the consummation of history, the millennial kingdom, and ultimately the new heavens and new earth.

“Gather together in one” = to sum up or reunite all things in Christ, harmonizing heaven and earth in His lordship.

“Right now the universe is splintered… God will call all things into one in Christ.”

This is the grand telos of redemption: Christ exalted, creation restored, God glorified.

6. Past–Present–Future of God’s Eternal Plan

AspectTime FrameKey TermAgentGoalElectionPast (before creation)ChoiceThe FatherHolinessRedemptionPresent (in history)PurchaseThe SonForgiveness, wisdomInheritanceFuture (consummation)PossessionThe SpiritUnity, glory

7. Practical Application

Gratitude and Worship — “No wonder heaven sings, ‘Worthy is the Lamb!’”

Assurance and Self-Worth — Our value lies in God’s eternal love, not human achievement.

Freedom from Guilt — “There is therefore now no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus.”

Wisdom for Living — Redeemed people live intelligently and purposefully, knowing God’s will.

Hope for the Future — All things will one day be gathered into the perfect harmony of Christ’s reign.

8. Concluding Prayer and Appeal

MacArthur closes with pastoral warmth:

“Jesus Christ wants to set you free. He offers you a gift—and a gift is something you just take.”

He urges unbelievers to receive that gift of redemption and exhorts believers to rejoice in the full acceptance they already possess in the Beloved.

9. Summary Chart

ElementDescriptionVerseRedeemerChrist, “the Beloved One”v 6RedeemedSinners dead in sin, made alive by gracev 7; 2:1–3PriceHis blood—substitutionary deathv 7ResultsForgiveness and wisdomvv 7–8ReasonCosmic unity in Christvv 9–10

10. Theological and Homiletic Tone

Christ-Centered: Every benefit flows “in Him.”

Doctrinally rich yet pastoral: Deep theology turned into worship and assurance.

Evangelistic: Ends with an invitation to accept the gift.

Exalting: The sermon crescendos in praise—“to the praise of the glory of His grace.”

Reference

John Macarthur. https://www.gty.org/sermons/1904/redemption-through-his-blood