Gracious Redemption

Our gracious Redemption

v.7:

Redemption doesn’t come for free, there was a price paid for our redemption, and the price was blood.

without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

Hebrews 9:22

Hebrews 9:22 NKJV

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Had this price not been paid by another, the bill would fall on us.

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 NKJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That blood belonged to Jesus Christ. He paid the bill. He was the Perfect Lamb of God, sacrificed once for all.

Hebrews 9:11-12

Hebrews 9:11–12 NKJV

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

This purchase of forgiveness was was initiated by the Grace of God.

v.8:

With the gift of salvation comes the gift of grace. God’s grace abounds to us, according to His riches. That means that His grace is endless.

Grace has been defined as “getting what you don’t deserve, and not getting what you do deserve.”

It could be viewed as the dispensation of His love.

However, He doesn’t haphazardly dispense that grace, He uses wisdom and prudence.

The application of grace

He demands the same with our dispensation of love to others.

Philippians 1:9

Philippians 1:9 NKJV

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

First and foremost, God defines and initiates love.

1 John 4:19

1 John 4:19 NKJV

We love Him because He first loved us.

Because love is of God, we need to handle it the way he does.

That our love should grow in knowledge and discernment, speaks volumes.

Godly knowledge and discernment are the keys to knowing how to love someone in the way that is best for them.

Love is not blind, but perceptive, and it carefully scrutinizes to distinguish between right and wrong.

This falls in line with 1 Thessalonians 5:21

1 Thessalonians 5:21

1 Thessalonians 5:21 NKJV

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

A summary of 1 Corinthians 13 would tell us that true love would always do what's best for someone.

While love often entails helping someone, if not properly applied, our "help" can do more harm than good.

In short, love would never enable someone to continue in sin, nor would it ignore their sin.

Love would acknowledge sin, and try to help someone out of their sin.

So, as noted in our passage, God uses wisdom and prudence to determine how His grace is dispensed.

He wont grant something just because you want it, He’ll only do what’s best for you.

As scripture demands, this should also be a model for us.

v.9:

“He purposed in Himself” there is no higher authority, so what He does, He does entirely of Himself.

God’s redemption and grace brings all things back to Him

v.10:

unite all things: At the end of this world as we know it, God will gather believers together in the millennial kingdom.

This is what our passage refers to as a “dispensation (God’s plan) for the fullness of times,”

The fullness of times would the completion of this current history, and the beginning of the millennial reign.

Revelation 20:4-6

Revelation 20:4–6 NKJV

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

After that, God will gather everything to himself in the eternal future, and the new heaven and new earth will be created.

Revelation 21:1

Revelation 21:1 NKJV

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

The new universe will be totally unified under Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:27-28

1 Corinthians 15:27–28 NKJV

For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Philippians 2:10-11

Philippians 2:10–11 NKJV

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Our unity with Christ will bring our inheritance in Him

vv.11-12

It has been predestined for the believer, by God, that we obtain this inheritance.

Christ is the source of the believer’s divine inheritance, which is so certain that it is spoken of as if it has already been received.

In due time, we will clearly see that this is God’s will, any everything has ultimately worked toward this purpose.

As such, God’s glory is the main purpose of redemption.

Remember: It’s all about God!

He deserves our praise

As Christians, we should be all about His glory, and praising Him always.

Philippians 4:4

Philippians 4:4 NKJV

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Psalm 86:12

Psalm 86:12 NKJV

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.