📖 Passage Breakdown — Ephesians 1:7 — Redemption Through His Blood

📜 Background, Setting & Purpose

✍️ Author:

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1–2).

👥 Written To:

The saints at Ephesus and all believers in the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:1)—Jew and Gentile alike.

⏲️ When:

Around A.D. 60–62, during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment.

🌍 Setting & Purpose:

Paul writes from prison to reveal the believer’s spiritual blessings “in Christ.” This letter emphasizes our heavenly position right now, the mystery of the Church—the Body of Christ—and the riches of God’s grace freely given through the finished work of Christ.

Ephesians 1:7 anchors this entire theme: our redemption, forgiveness, and acceptance before God are found only “in Him.”

🔍 Ephesians 1:7

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

✨ Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

“In Him we have redemption…”

• Our salvation and every spiritual blessing are found in Christ—not in religion, ritual, or law-keeping. 
• “Redemption” (Greek: apolutrōsis) means to buy back by paying a ransom. Christ purchased us out of sin’s slave market. 
• The verb “have” is present tense—we possess redemption now, not someday. 

“…through His blood…”

• The blood of Christ is the divine payment. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). 
• His death was not symbolic but substitutionary—the sinless Son of God bore the full penalty of sin. 
• Our forgiveness is not earned; it was bought at infinite cost. 

“…the forgiveness of sins…”

• Forgiveness (aphesis) means release or freedom from bondage. 
• God has removed sin’s penalty and its record forever (Colossians 2:13–14). 
• Forgiveness is not based on confession, repentance, or ritual—it is grounded entirely in Christ’s finished work. 

“…according to the riches of His grace.”

• Notice: according to, not out of. God doesn’t give from His riches but in proportion to His riches—an inexhaustible measure. 
• Every believer stands forgiven and redeemed because of God’s overflowing, boundless grace (Romans 5:20). 

❌ What This Passage Does Not Mean

• It does not suggest that redemption requires our works or performance. 
• It does not imply partial or temporary forgiveness. 
• It does not depend on our ongoing effort to “stay saved.” 

✅ What It Does Mean

• Redemption and forgiveness are present realities for every believer. 
• Salvation is through Christ’s blood alone, not through human merit. 
• God’s grace is immeasurable and inexhaustible, securing the believer forever. 

🙏 Devotional Summary

The believer’s entire standing before God rests on one truth: “In Him we have redemption.”
The blood of Christ satisfied the justice of God, erased the record of sin, and made us complete in Him. Nothing needs to be added—no law, no ritual, no human merit.

The riches of God’s grace not only redeem the sinner but sustain the saint.
The same grace that saved us keeps us.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”