7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
V. 7 - “Redemption” - Forgiveness, bought at a price. The price - His Blood! Redemption denotes also a setting free. Our sins are forgiven. We are set free from the penalty of death.
"forgiveness of our trespasses" - This is not new. God has offered to forgive those who repent and turn to Him from the beginning. Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple echoes this. "When they (your people) sin against you -- for there is no one who does not sin -- and you are angry with them... when they come to their senses - and repent and petition you saying: 'We have sinned and done wrong; we have been wicked'... may you hear their prayer and petitions in heaven, your dwelling place, and uphold their cause. May you forgive your people who sinned against you." (2 Chr 6:36-39 (CSB)) Solomon is not begging in this prayer, he is reminding people the characteristics of God - that He does not approve of sin, but will hear our confession and forgive trespasses if we turn to Him.
“According to the riches of His grace” - This is the source of our redemption - the riches of His grace! That means we do not need to work our way into His favor. We do not need to come up with a payment or sacrifice to cover our failure. By His grace God provided the payment, the sacrifice for our sin. He took our sin upon Himself, because He knew we could not.
V. 8 - He lavished this grace upon us. He gave everything so that we might come to know Him.
V. 9-10 - “He made known to us the mystery of His will,” - Through Christ, God brought about His will and purpose. In His wisdom, and His insight, both of which are far and above anything we can know (See: 1 Cor. 1:18-31). There are verses in Job, Psalms, and Proverbs that show and say the wisdom and knowledge of Jesus and God is beyond ours. (Thank God for that!)
“According to His kind intention” - Note in vss. 5, 6, 7, and 9 that all these things have either been due to God’s good pleasure, or freely bestowed because of His grace. The point to be made here is that none of these things were done grudgingly, but willingly with love toward us.
The mystery has been revealed in Christ. This was God’s purpose. It also included the plan that when everything was just right... (i.e., when the world conditions, the body of believers, etc., were in proposer relationship - whatever that may be - it is God’s plan and He knows just what He is looking for; not only that, He is guiding all things toward that end) He is going to bring everything together in and under Christ Jesus. See: Col. 1:16-18, 2:10, 3:11b; 2 Tim. 1:!2; Heb. 1:13, 2:7,8; Phil. 2:9-11. All things, not only on earth, but things in heaven, too, will be subjected to Christ. He who has suffered all is fully deserving of having all things under subjection to Himself. Note: “In Christ”, again!
V. 11 - “ we have obtained an inheritance ” - In Him (Christ) are the heirs given all the spiritual blessings. (See: Col. 1:12, 14; Rom. 8:16, 17; 1 Pet. 1:4; Acts 20:32; Heb. 9:15)
“Having been predestined according to His purpose” - This really is the definition of ‘predestination’ - it is according to His purpose. Note that God planned all these things (God planned how we would come to a right relationship with HIm) long before the world was formed (See verse 4).
“Who works all things... counsel” - See Heb. 6:17. God, the Trinity, worked it all out, decided how it would be done (“it” being the salvation of souls, Christ’s life, death, sacrifice and resurrection). And then He committed Himself to it. The will - is this not the decision making, action committing part of a person? Again, all the things that happened prior to and during, and after Christ’s sacrifice did not happen by accident. God decided and is in control.
V. 12 - “to the end” - We were predestined with the view that we are to bring to Christ. Christ already has glory, no doubt about that. But our salvation, our lives can bring praise to that glory. People see us, not Christ. Of our lives brings praise to Christ, then people will respect and desire Him.
V. 13 - “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”
We were sealed into Christ by the Holy Spirit when we believed in Christ, because we have heard the Gospel. (See: John 16; 2 Cor 1:21, 22; John 1:35; Acts 1:5-8; Rom. 8:16)
“Seal” - Think of a governmental official seal on a document. The only person that can break that seal is one of equal or greater rank. If we have been sealed into Christ, by God - then only God can cast us out, and He has promised not to do that. It is not a matter of “once-saved-always-saved”, but a matter of assurance - living without fear.
V. 14 - “Who” - The Holy Spirit.
“Who is given as a pledge” - Think of earnest money on a house sale. The earnest is a pledge, a guarantee, a sign to prove an honest and upright end to the agreed upon commitment. In this case: the Holy Spirit is God’s show of that intent. If indeed God does love us (He does!), and if indeed we are His (We are!) - then God has given us part (? - see note 1 below) of himself, the Holy Spirit, to live in us, in the new nature , to conform us to the image of Christ. (See: 1 Cor 1:22; Gal 4:6, 5:5-6, 16-18; 2Cor 3:18; John 16:13-15.)
“With a view to the redemption...” - We see the purpose of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Not that the Holy Spirit Himself saves us, nor brings salvation. As a result of our faith in Christ, our belief and acceptance of Him, the Holy Spirit is given to show us that God is serious and accepts our step of faith. And when we have the Holy Spirit we know that we are redeemed. We have the salvation of the Lord. We are His own! (See: 2 Cor 1:21-22; 1 Pet 2:9-10; Tit 2:14)
Note 1: I am not sure I like the image of God giving a part of himself. I did not read that somewhere, it came out as I tried to imagine we humans having God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit in us. The idea of the unlimited God of the universe inside me is overwhelming in some ways. We do not get ‘part’ of Jesus, or ‘part’ of the Holy Spirit. Thinking of God in ‘parts’ would lead to thinking of Jesus as ‘part’ of the Lord - whereas the Scripture says Jesus is wholly God, as is the Holy Spirit.
