Knowledge and Insight

Ephesians 1:8b-10 declares the sixth of eight great riches we have in Christ—Revelation: 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 fulness 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.

French philosopher André Maurois (1885-1967) said, “The universe is indifferent. Who created it? Why are we on this puny mud-heap, spinning in infinite space? I have not the slightest idea, and I am convinced that no one has the least idea.” Countless other philosophers have either directly or indirectly mocked God with such comments. French philosopher, Voltaire (1694-1778) who held up a Bible and said, “In 50 years I’ll have this book in the morgue.” Well, in 50 years he was in the morgue and the Geneva Bible Society owned his house and used it as a place to store Bibles that they first printed on his press.

We should also mention the empty ramblings of existentialist Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980). In his book Being and Nothingness (1943), what has been called his “monumental philosophical treatise,” he presents the main tenets of his existentialist thought. In it he “delves into the nature of existence, rejects the supernatural as well as any preconceived notion of humanity or morality, and argues that existence is pointless, ‘contingent,’ and absurd. Each object simply is and has a ‘being-in-itself,’ and, by virtue of their abundance, all objects encroach upon people. The human being is distinguished from the rest of the universe by consciousness, ‘being-for-itself,’ and by the freedom to form an identity” (Grolier Encyclopedia).

And so it has gone for centuries. Man has blathered on about “nothingness” and has been “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Tim. 3:7). Man refuses the notion that even Shakespeare recognized, as Hamlet said to Horatio, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

In contrast, to man’s empty philosophies, the Apostle Paul declares that the second result of redemption is that God, through Christ, has given us wisdom and prudence—or, “knowledge and insight.” How profound this is! Only through Jesus Christ can we have true knowledge and insight. Men have been groping for millennia for these, when all they have to do is open the pages of God’s Word.

The idea behind wisdom (sophia) is a deep knowledge of the things that really matter, that is, the truths of God, truths such as: life and death, God and man, righteousness and sin, heaven and hell, and so on. Does the world have knowledge of such subjects? No, but the true Christian Believer does. The idea, then, behind prudence (phronesis) is insight, emphasizing how to make knowledge practical for everyday living. Paul, therefore, uses these two terms to show that the believer has been given both knowledge and insight to thoroughly equip him for life.

But God does not just give us knowledge and insight “in general,” rather He gives both in specific ways. First, He makes known the mystery of His will, which refers to His explaining to us the incredible miracle of bring­ing man back into fellowship with God through the redemption in Jesus Christ. Second, he also shows us the dispensation of the fulness of times, a term that speaks of God’s working in History. History and current events will seem meaningless until we realize that God is in control and is ultimately bringing together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him. And for what purpose? His glory and our good.

Forgiveness of Sins

Ephesians 1:7-8 declares the fifth of eight great riches we have in Christ: the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us.

Back in 1981, shortly before his death, Nazi leader Albert Speer, the architect who built Nuremberg Stadium and other Nazi monuments, and who was made Hitler’s minister of armaments and directed Hitler’s war production using slave labor, was interviewed on the Good Morning America program as a promotion for his then new book, Infiltrator. Of the twenty-four war criminals convicted at the Nuremberg Trials, Speer was the only one to admit his guilt and spent twenty years in Spandau Prison. The interviewer read a passage from one of Speer’s earlier books: “You have said the guilt can never be forgiven or shouldn’t be. Do you still feel that way?” A profound look of sorrow came on Speer’s face as he responded, “I served a sentence of twenty years, and I could say, ‘I’m a free man, my conscience has been cleared by serving the whole time as punishment.’ But I can’t get rid of it. This new book is part of my atoning, of clearing my conscience.” The interviewer pressed the point: “You really don’t think you’ll be able to clear it totally?” Speer shook his head and said, “I don’t think it will be possible.”

Tragically, Speer never knew that forgiveness is possible in Jesus Christ. While there certainly would still have been consequences for that sin, even something as horrendous as the Holocaust could be forgiven. The first and foremost result of our redemption in Christ is that our sins are forgiven. Primarily, redemption brings forgiveness.

The Greek word Paul uses here for forgiveness (aphesis) literally means “release, pardon, or cancellation.” It means “the voluntary release of a person or thing over which one has legal or actual control.” Ponder a moment three aspects of our forgiveness.

First, in legal terms, forgiveness is a judicial release from the guilt and punishment of sin, which is death. Primarily, forgiveness is a legal transaction. This is a vitally important point, for we who were under the legal sentence of death according to the Law, are now forgiven by legal transaction. The Law can never save; it can only reveal guilt and condemn us, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20), and “no man is justified by the law” (Gal. 3:11). This is, in fact, Paul’s thrust throughout the first half of the Epistle to the Romans, to first show man’s quilt and then show God’s grace.

Second, in ethical terms, forgiveness is a release from the terribleness of sin that affects the conscience. In other words, salvation changes the sinner ethically. The Christian no longer desires the things he or she used to desire.

Third, in personal terms, forgiveness is a cessation of God’s intended wrath upon the sinner. A vivid illustration of this is in the Old Testament scapegoat in Leviticus 16. That was The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The High Priest chose two unblemished goats, one of which he killed and sprinkled its blood on the Mercy Seat. With the other goat, Aaron the High Priest, then “[laid] both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess[ed] over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and [sent] him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat [boar] upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited.”

That is the thrust of Psalm 103:12, which declares that God has removed our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west,” which is, of course, a symbol of infinity. If you travel north, you will eventually round the pole and start going south. But if you travel west, you can continue on forever going west and will never go east.

That is what it means to have forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

The Price of Redemption

Ephesians 1:7—In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins—makes a controversial statement: that redemption is by blood.

Many in our day advocate Jesus as “a good example to follow” or speak of Him as “a good moral compass.” They tell us that Adam was the bad example and Jesus was the good example and then conclude that by following Jesus’ good example we can be “rescued” from sin. “If we just follow Jesus’ moral example and live a good life,” they say, “we will be delivered from our shortcomings, frailties, and low self-esteem.”

To demonstrate how long this trend has been developing, I read an incident that Martyn Lloyd-Jones recounted back in 1954, as he was preaching on this subject. He tells of reading an article in an evangelical magazine several years before titled “The Message of the Gospel.” He observed that “the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was literally not mentioned at all. He was depicted as Saviour, but only as the risen, resurrected Lord. According to that message it is Christ’s life that delivers us: the Cross was not mentioned. There was no mention of our Lord’s death, still less of His blood. The Cross was by-passed. The writer went directly to the risen resurrected Lord. The atoning, sacrificial, substitutionary death was absent from the article. But that is not the truth taught in Scripture. I will go further; that is not salvation.”

In contrast, Paul specifically speaks of the blood of Christ, that is, not His life but His death that redeems us. It was His blood that paid the purchase price. Here, indeed, is the epicenter of our salvation.

Granted, no one likes to talk about blood. It truly is a sticky, messy, graphic thing. Most people abhor the picture of a bloody Savior. Occasionally they are willing to speak of His death but never His blood. They do not want to think of a Savior hanging on a cross with blood pouring out of His body and dripping into puddles on the ground.

Many decades ago a stately widow came up to the late Dr. G. Campbell Morgan. Holding a lorgnette (eyeglasses mounted on the end of a stick), she looked at Morgan and said, “Dr. Morgan, I don’t like to hear about the blood. It is repulsive to me and offends my esthetic nature.” Dr. Morgan replied, “I agree with you that it is repulsive, but the only thing repulsive about it is your sin and mine.” Indeed, sin is the thing that is repulsive about the blood redemption.

Some hymnbooks even remove the hymns that speak of His blood. Some modern Bible translations do the same. Good News for Modern Man (Today’s English Version), for example, mistranslates haima (or haimatos) as “death” when it means “blood.” This Greek word, in fact, forms the basis for several English medical terms, such as, hemoglobin, hemorrhage, hemostat, and others, all of which relate to blood.

In contrast, Paul specifically speaks of the Savior’s blood as the redemptive price, and does so quite often. “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:25). “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). Peter also reminds us: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:18-19).

Why emphasize the blood of Christ so often? Why not speak more of His life than His graphic death? Because, as Hebrews 9:22 declares: “Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” That is a dogmatic statement, indeed. The Greek for “remission” is the same word translated forgiveness in our text. Because of sin and guilt, blood must be shed for forgiveness. In the words of our Savior Himself: “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). As in the Old Testament sacrifices, blood must be shed for sin.

Redeemed By Christ (3)

We contemplate Ephesians 1:7 once more—In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins—because it is a subject that is just hard to leave behind. The words in whom immediately draw our attention to the one who obtained our salvation, The Lord Jesus Christ. These words connect verse 7 to the words “in the Beloved” in verse 6.

All this reminds us never to forget one principle, namely, Christianity is Christ. This sounds obvious, but in our day is really not obvious at all. Christianity is not the teachings of Christ. Christianity is not creeds or doctrines. Christianity is Christ. It is the only faith in the world that rests solely upon the person of its founder. Other faiths might be named after their founder, but they have nothing to do with the person the founder was. A person can be a Moslem, for example, and believe the teachings of it without having to concern himself with the person of Mohammed. The same is true of other faiths. People can believe all the teachings but ignore the founder. In fact, in some cases, the last thing the followers want to be reminded of is the shortcomings of their founder.

But again, Christianity is Christ. It has to do with a personal, even intimate, relationship with the founder. The sum total of Christianity is in Christ’s person—not His ideas, His concepts, His philosophies, or His teachings—but Him, His person. For example, how can we possibly possess and live the “fruit of the spirit” (or the “Christian Graces”) in Galatians 5:22-23? Because they are found only in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of His indwelling Sprit, we are becoming more like Him—not more like some philosophy or ethical code—rather more like our Redeemer.

I used to teach New Testament history at a local community college and discussed in detail the subject of who Jesus was. As does Josh McDowell, I present that there are only three possibilities: Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Contrary to the teaching of many, Jesus did claim to be God (Mk. 2:1-12; 14:60-64; Jn. 5:16-18; 10:31-33; etc.). If He wasn’t God, then He was either the most despicable liar who ever lived, or He was the most deluded lunatic that ever lived because He ultimately died for His claims. The only other alternative, which is the truth, is that Jesus Christ was precisely Who He said He was. And because of that, every person must answer that all-important, personal question: “What think ye of Christ?” (Matt. 22:42).

Finally, what a humbling, staggering thought it is to see that we are the recipients of redemption. Why is this so humbling and staggering? Because of what we read in chapters 2 and 4 of Ephesians: we were dead in trespasses and sins (2:1); we walked according to the course of this world (2:2); we walked according to the prince of the power of the air (2:2); we conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh (2:3); we fulfilled the desires of the flesh and of the mind (2:3); we were by nature children of wrath (2:3); we were without hope and without God (2:12); we were far off from God (2:13); we lived in complete futility (4:17); we were ignorant, blind, and without understanding (4:18); we were past feeling, beyond conscience (4:19); and we were lewd, unclean, and greedy (4:19).

That is why His redemption is so humbling and staggering. That is what He came to redeem. When we go down to the store, do we not buy things that have worth, things that in and of themselves have value? But think of it! Our Lord redeemed that which was worthless! Yes, He latter makes us “able ministers” (II Cor. 3:6) and gives us spiritual gifts to use in His service. But before that, we were worthless. Recall the words of our Lord in Mark 2:17: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Why didn’t our Lord come to call the righteous to repentance? Because there were none!

So, we could easily paraphrase our text using an amazed tone of voice: “Think of it! In Whom we have redemption, in Whom even I have redemption.” We are, indeed, the recipients of a staggering redemption.

Redeemed By Christ (2)

Continuing our thoughts on Ephesians 1:7—In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins—an interesting illustration of redemption appears in the Old Testament. As one expositor explains: “In the Old Testament there were two means of redemption—by power and by purchase. The book of Exodus illustrates redemption by power; the book of Ruth illustrates redemption by purchase. It is significant that the first time the kinsman-redeemer Boaz is introduced in the story of Ruth, we are told that he was ‘a mighty man of wealth’ (Ruth 2:1). Only a rich man could redeem. Redemption is a costly business.” What a wonderful truth! The only way to redeem man in His sin was by purchasing him, and the only One wealthy enough to pay that ransom price was God thorough His Son.

We should also note that while it doesn’t appear in our English translation, the definite article (“the”) precedes redemption in the Greek¾In Him we have [the] redemption. This emphasizes two truths: there is only one redemption for sin, and there is ownership by the redeeming person. Many have the mistaken idea that as Christians we’ve been freed from sin and that our life is now ours to live. But the very opposite is true. Redemption always implies ownership. Jesus bought us and now owns us. We, therefore, live the way He wills, as Gal. 2:20 declares: “I am [i.e., have been] crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Our dear Savior did not merely “rescue” us as liberal theology says, that is, “rescue us from ignorance, superstition, and social backwardness.” No, our Lord redeemed us. He bought us. We belong to Him. When you go to the store and purchase an item, does the item belong to itself? No, it belongs to you. You purchased it and own the right to use it in the way that you wish. Likewise, our dear Savior redeemed us and now owns us.

This thought is brought out wonderfully by a particular story that has been around for many years. “In a city on the shore of a great lake lived a small boy who loved the water and sailing. So deep was his fascination that he, with the help of his father, spent months making a beautiful model boat, which he began to sail at the water’s edge. One day a sudden gust of wind caught the tiny boat and carried it far out into the lake and out of sight. Distraught, the boy returned home inconsolable. Day after day he would walk the shores in search of his treasure, but always in vain. Then one day as he was walking through town he saw his beautiful boat — in a store window! He approached the proprietor and announced his ownership, only to be told that it was not his, for the owner had paid a local fisherman good money for the boat. If the boy wanted the boat, he would have to pay the price. And so the lad set himself to work doing anything and everything until finally he returned to the store with the money. At last, holding his precious boat in his arms, he said with great joy, “You are twice mine now — because I made you, and because I bought you.”

Likewise, but infinitely greater, what a wonderful redemption we have in Christ! First He made us, and then he bought us.

Redeemed By Christ (1)

Ephesians 1:7 declares the fourth of eight great riches we have in Christ: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. In only eight words, this statement summarizes the entire essence of the Chris­tian message—redemption.

Tragically, however, this central truth is actually in decline in our day. As one commentator observes: “We are living in a time when there has been a wholesale attempt to reconstruct Christianity apart from its central focus on personal salvation. That is to say, it seems as if people today want a Christianity without redemption. But we cannot avoid the fact that at the heart of the teaching of Jesus and of the apostolic message is a God who redeems his people.” In other words, if you remove redemption, you no longer have Christianity. All you have is another religion, another philosophy, another creed, but you do not have Christianity. Neither do you have any hope of salvation. Redemption is at the center of the Christian message. And what a word it is! Indeed, as we saw back in verses 4-6, when we think of “election” and “adoption,” we rejoice. But even more overwhelming is this word redemption. It is in this word our salvation lies. It is this word that is, indeed, the heart of our salvation.

In the days before Princeton Theological Seminary spiraled into the abyss of liberalism, professor and scholar Benjamin B. Warfield spoke the following in an address delivered in Miller Chapel in 1915: “There is no one of the titles of Christ which is more precious to Christian hearts than “Redeemer.” . . . [It] is a title of more intimate revelation than either “Lord” or Saviour.” It gives expression not merely to our sense that we have received salvation from Him, but also to our appreciation of what it cost Him to procure this salvation for us. It is the name specifically of the Christ of the cross. Whenever we pronounce it, the cross is placarded before our eyes and our hearts are filled with loving remembrance not only that Christ has given us salvation, but that He paid a might price for it.” Much of the address that followed was not phrased in lofty theological terms, nor was it comprised of scholarly argumentation. Much of it consisted of quoting some of the great hymns of the faith that proclaim our Redeemer. How right Warfield was! Redemption should be the most precious truth that the Christian embraces.

There are several words used in the Greek for redemption, and all of them picture paying the price from something. They all graphically picture the ancient agora (above), the open-air market place in ancient cities where goods were bought and sold. Paul used this concept very deliberately to picture where we were outside of Christ¾in the marketplace, the slave market of sin. He wanted to demonstrate that we were “bought at a price,” and therefore no longer belong to ourselves or our father the Devil, but are to “glorify God in [our] body and in [our] spirit, which are God’s (I Cor. 6:19-20).” Just like the some six million slaves that were bought and sold in ancient Rome, we too were slaves to sin and even dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-3), but He bought us and we will never be slaves again. We’ll continue this thought next time.

Adopted In Christ

Ephesians 1:4 not only declares the second of eight great riches we have in Christ, but also the third: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Here is one of the most thrilling truths concerning our salvation: we have been adopted into the family of God by the good pleasure, that is, the good intent, the benevolence, the love, and the gracious purpose of God’s will.

The Eastern concept of adoption goes deeper than our Western concept. Only Paul uses this word in the New Testament. He undoubtedly borrowed it from Roman culture since the Jews knew nothing of it.

The Greek (huiothesia) literally means “son-placing.” Under Roman law a father had patria potestas (Latin, the father’s power) over his children, and that power was absolute. He could make a child a slave, scourge him, even kill him. A child possessed nothing. All he had or received became the father’s property. Any inheritance willed to him, or even any gift given to him, became the property of his father. It did not matter how old the son was, or to what honours and responsibility he had risen, he was absolutely in his father’s power. This certainly does not infer that all Roman fathers were evil monsters, rather it simply reveals the position of a child.

During the teenage years, however, there was a public ceremony declaring a child to be an official member of the family.

After this “son-placing,” he had full privileges and responsibilities. The important truth here is that this was not necessarily a change in relationship, for a Roman father could be just as loving as any other father, and no doubt many fathers had a close relationship with their children. Rather what we see here is a change in position. He was no longer a child; he was a son.

This adoption also occurred between a man and a child who was not his by birth. Christian author William Barkley describes this ritual: “The ritual of adoption must have been very impressive. It was carried out by a symbolic sale in which copper and scales were used. Twice the real father sold his son, and twice he symbolically bought him back; finally he sold him a third time, and at the third sale he did not buy him back. After this the adopting father had to go to the praetor, one of the principal Roman magistrates, and plead the case for the adoption. Only after all this had been gone through was the adoption complete. When the adoption was complete it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and completely lost all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law he was a new person. So new was he that even all debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.”

That is the picture of the adopted child of God. We were of our father the devil (Rom. 8:44; I Jn. 3:8-10). Under him we were, indeed, slaves, slaves to sin, under a sentence of death. But we have been adopted into the family of God. We are members of a new family, all the old debts are paid, and we are new people.