Freedom From Expectations (In Search Of Truth, Ephesians 1:7-10)

(Ephesians 1:7-10, ESV)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.


v.7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

The Greek word for "redemption" here was used to refer to either slaves or prisoners being set free. It also derives in part from a word referring to ransom, and contains the implication that payment was made to make this release from captivity possible. In the case of our redemption, the payment was made through the blood of Jesus.

The reason for our imprisonment was our "trespasses", which here is a Greek word meaning a lapse or deviation from what is true and upright. But Paul says we are no longer required to pay a debt or serve a sentence for our deviation from God's will. He says that "we have" (in the ongoing present tense) redemption from that.

As if to underscore this even more, he also describes us as having "forgiveness" from our trespasses, a Greek word referring to being loosed from binding and being pardoned as though a wrong had never been committed.

It's fair and just for God to do this for us, because what Christ offered as payment is more than enough to cover our debt. And at the same time it's undeserved, coming necessarily out of "the riches of his grace", because Christ didn't owe us anything.


v.8-9 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

God "lavishes" his riches of undeserved favor on us. He doesn't grudgingly provide just enough forgiveness to balance the scales. The word here implies an overflowing amount that is above and beyond what it needed.

As we become the willing subjects of his grace and forgiveness, we also gain wisdom and insight into the nature of God. The phrase "all wisdom" in the Greek suggests the growth of the partial to the complete. In other words our wisdom begins and then continues to grow as a result of God's undeserved favor toward us through Jesus.

God is revealing to believers a mystery that had been concealed until the redemptive work of Jesus was complete. This mystery was an unrevealed  purpose God had in mind which he put on display in the character and work of Christ.


v.10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

The mystery was a plan to eventually unite all of creation with Jesus Christ. The Greek word for "unite" here means to sum up or gather together. The exact nature of this gathering isn't specified here, but elsewhere in scripture it seems to be described as a universal subjugation under Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, Philippians 2:10-11) Because of what Jesus has done, all who want to be reconciled to God can be, and all who presently want to justify themselves instead will still one day recognize the obvious right that Christ has to rule everything, given his identity, his character and what he has done.


SO WHAT'S IN ALL THIS FOR GEEKS?

The natural philosophy of the world, which has disguised itself and crept its way into many sectors of the Christian church, is that our track record of deeds or misdeeds, even as believers in Christ, defines who we are.

The following isn't new information if you've been an audience to my blabbing for a little while, but it's worth repeating. As geeks we are even more immersed in the philosophies of the world because our playground is where those philosophies are expressed, intentionally or otherwise. In our favorite worlds, heroic deeds define characters and evil deeds define villains. There is little to no talk of intrinsic value to human life. Individual value plays out dramatically in stories that center around the actions of each character, not the love and redemption of the one who made them. And as geeks we feel drawn toward creating our own legend and significance amidst the people around us.

This is the reason that I endlessly replay in my mind conversations in which some inadequacy of mine was revealed. Like when a harmony I chose needs to be corrected during worship practice or when a tough meeting with a teacher reveals a ball I've dropped in my parenting. My tendency, if only inwardly where no one sees it, is to try and justify my "unique creative aesthetic" or accuse the public school system of prioritizing the wrong things.

Here's what makes those situations tricky. There is some truth in my self-justification. But the emotional desire I feel to defend myself is not triggered mostly by some objective, noble desire to uphold truth. I try to call it that, and again, maybe there's some in the mix. But it's also a smoke screen I use so I don't have to admit to myself that I'm not the artist or parent that I want others to see me as.

One simple bit of grammar in this passage from Ephesians makes a lot of difference for us. Before Paul launches into a list of the blessings we have in Christ, he uses the phrase "we have" in verse 7. As briefly mentioned earlier, in the Greek this tense is present and continuous. We have and continue to have no need to "make up for" our sins, no need to excuse or justify ourselves. It's not a blessing we had for yesterday's sins and have to ask for again today. It is an ongoing, irrevocable reality that we are forgiven and freed from being defined by our shortcomings.

And though people around us may view us based on our shortcomings, a time will come when everything and everyone recognizes Christ as the common standard. In the meantime, the more we stay ahead of the curve by comparing ourselves to Christ instead of other people, the more we'll see our need for his grace and forgiveness and the more we'll be set free from the desire to justify ourselves.








Resources used to prepare this study include:
"Expositor's Bible Commentary", Frank E. Gaebelein General Editor (Zondervan Publishing House)
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Blueletterbible.org (primarily for search functionality)