In Christ I Am Forgiven and Redeemed
Bought back by His blood, fully forgiven by His grace
Part 3 of 17 Series — What being “in Christ” personally means to
you
Ephesians 1:7 — “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
Opening Reflection
Many believers carry old failures and lingering shame long after God has forgiven them. The mind replays past sins, the conscience flinches at certain memories, and grace begins to feel partial — as if some debts were still owed. Scripture confronts this directly: in Christ, redemption is complete, forgiveness is full, and both are measured by the riches of God’s grace rather than the weight of human sin.
Taking a Devotional View
Paul opens Ephesians with a sweeping declaration of what God has accomplished in Christ. Two words sit at the heart of verse 7. Redemption is the language of ransom — the price paid to free a slave or release a captive. The cost was not silver or gold but the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19). Forgiveness translates a word that means to send away or release, the cancellation of a debt that can no longer be claimed. Both realities are located “in him” and become the believer’s the moment they are united to Christ by faith.
The qualifier matters: this forgiveness is “according to the riches of his grace.” God does not forgive out of His grace, as if dispensing from a limited fund; He forgives according to it, measuring pardon by His own infinite supply. No sin in the believer’s past exceeds what Christ paid. No accusing memory can reopen a debt the cross has settled. Living in this reality reshapes how a person handles failure, faces the conscience, and extends forgiveness to others — not minimizing sin, but refusing to give it more standing than the blood of Christ has already removed (Colossians 1:13-14; Romans 3:24).
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- Redemption in Christ is the ransom paid in His blood, freeing the believer from sin’s captivity (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Forgiveness in Christ is complete and final, the canceling of every debt against the believer (Colossians 2:13-14).
- This forgiveness is measured by the riches of God’s grace, not by the weight or frequency of past sin (Romans 5:20; Ephesians 2:7).
Ask Yourself
- What past sin or failure am I still treating as if Christ’s blood did not fully cover it?
- Where does my conscience need to be retrained by the truth that I am redeemed and forgiven in Him?
- Is there someone I am withholding forgiveness from while drawing freely on the forgiveness I have received?
Gracious Father, thank You that in Christ I have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of all my sins. The debt I could never pay has been settled at the cross, and I now stand in the riches of Your grace. Free me from the lingering shame that questions Your work, and let the forgiveness I have received overflow into the way I treat others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.