Day 8 Ephesians 1:7

Day 8

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

Too often we attempt to define God by the perspective of human experiences. For example, one of the most difficult things in life is to ask for forgiveness. One of the few things that is more difficult than asking for forgiveness is actually forgiving someone who has wronged you. Because we know and feel the difficulty in forgiving someone who has hurt us, we assume that God must have the same reticence in forgiving us. When combined with our natural distaste for seeking forgiveness, it is not difficult to understand why we struggle in seeking God's forgiveness.

These human experiences however bear no resemblance to God's perspective on forgiveness. There is no reticence in His heart to forgive. This verse reminds us that Jesus willingly shed His blood in order to forgive our sins. That forgiveness is unlimited. That is why His forgiveness is “according to the riches of His grace.” This verse contains many important truths. It is possible that no truth is more valuable to us than to understand God's perspective of forgiveness. Remember, you can never out sin God's willingness to forgive because His grace is so rich it never runs dry.

This verse also makes it clear that you do not earn this forgiveness – it is not of your doing. You are free from any effort. The only thing you must do is trust in Jesus – trust “in Him.” Do not be afraid to approach Him for forgiveness. Do not be afraid to ask Him to forgive because He shed His blood in order to forgive you. There is no scenario in which your honest repentance and trust “in Him” would not result in His forgiveness – that is the richness of the blessing Jesus purchased for you with His blood.