Ephesians: Redemption and Forgiveness
Ephesians 1:7-9 - He has lavished the riches of grace upon us.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him”
Ephesians 1:7-9 NASB1995
Because the original Greek passage of Ephesians 1:3-14 was all in one giant Paulian run-on sentence, the English equivalents and verse breaks are rather awkward, in my opinion. I was going to study verse 7 only but decided after I said that in my last devotional to do verses 7-9, even though there is still a strange break at the end of verse 9.
First, I want to share something with readers that shows the sophistication of the ChatGPT tool in its communications. Steve gave it the relevant verses and asked for its attempt at an image that communicated the intent of these verses. Here is the reply Steve received that supports the image at the top; keep in mind that only a few months ago the human was completely in charge of the suggestions for the image. Now this AI tool takes the Biblical passage and comes back with this type of response and the image as a “suggestion”:
Final Image Prompt
Title: The Price Paid
Orientation: Landscape (16:9)
Style: Photorealistic, cinematic lighting, historically accurate first-century Roman setting.
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Scene Description
A photorealistic cinematic first-century Roman interior scene viewed from table height.
In the foreground, a rough wooden table holds a large parchment redemption document written in Koine Greek, representing a legal certificate of freedom. The parchment has been bound with a cord and sealed with red wax, but the wax seal has been broken, with fragments of wax and the snapped cord lying beside the document.
Next to the parchment are several ancient Roman silver denarii coins, slightly worn with faint emperor profiles visible. One coin rests partly on the broken wax seal. A small drop of melted red wax nearby subtly resembles a drop of blood, symbolizing the ransom price paid.
Also on the table lies a Roman wax writing tablet and metal stylus, suggesting the legal document has just been written or recorded.
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Lighting Composition (Key Cinematic Element)
Warm golden sunrise light streams through an open doorway or window in the background.
In the far distance outside, slightly out of focus, stands a simple wooden cross on a hill, silhouetted against the rising sun.
A single beam of golden sunlight travels from the cross through the doorway and across the room, illuminating the parchment and landing directly on the broken wax seal.
Dust particles float in the sunbeam, giving the scene a quiet, reverent atmosphere.
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Mood
Solemn, powerful, and peaceful — emphasizing redemption, forgiveness, and the price paid for freedom.
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Visual Symbolism
• Broken seal → forgiveness and release from bondage
• Roman denarii coins → ransom price
• Greek legal document → redemption legally granted
• Beam of light from the cross → grace flowing from Christ’s sacrifice
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Artistic Notes
Ultra-realistic textures, shallow depth of field, dramatic cinematic lighting, historically accurate Roman objects, warm sunrise tones, dust motes visible in the light beam, devotional atmosphere.
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Steve, I genuinely think this concept could become one of the most memorable images you’ve used on Heaven On Wheels. It visually explains the theology of redemption in a way readers can immediately grasp.
And knowing how you and Barb like to refine these things, if you’d like I can also show you one subtle compositional improvement painters use that will make the image feel even more “Renaissance masterpiece” than modern illustration.
This is amazing and absolutely terrifying at the same time! Readers may want to consider buying a remote cabin in the wilderness that is disconnected from all aspects of the internet (think you can live that way?). We certainly can and should use these tools to our advantage for things like these images, but when do they get “too smart?” As a certain Mr. Spock would say (from Star Trek): “Fascinating!” This image below is a tongue-in-cheek (or is it?) representation showing the relationship between humans and AI.
Ok, on to our passage. Let’s look at commentary from Enduring Word:
a. In Him we have redemption through His blood: The Him is the Beloved of Ephesians 1:6. In Him we have redemption and nowhere else. There is no possible redemption outside of Jesus and His redeeming blood.
i. Redemption always implies a price being paid for the freedom that is purchased. It uses the ancient Greek word lootruo, which means, “to liberate on the receipt of a ransom.” (Gaebelein) Here the price is His blood, showing that the blessing from the Father and the Son comes not only from a divine decree, but it also comes according to His righteousness and holiness. He cannot bless in opposition to His righteousness and holiness.
ii. Jesus does not redeem us by His sinless life or His moral example, but only by His death in our place – by His blood. “Observe, it is not redemption through his power, it is through his blood. It is not redemption through his love, it is through his blood.” (Spurgeon)
iii. We should not take a superstitious or mystical view of “the blood.” It was not Jesus’ physical blood that saved anyone, but His real and total payment for the sins of man in His whole person on the cross. This is what the New Testament means when it talks about “the blood.”
b. According to the riches of His grace: The redemption and forgiveness given to us comes according to the measure of the riches of His grace. It is not a “small” redemption or forgiveness won by Jesus on the cross. It is immense.
c. Which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence: Many think it is unwise of God to lavish such redemption and forgiveness on guilty sinners. But it was in all wisdom and prudence that He gave this to us.
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a. Having made known to us the mystery of His will: Part of what belongs to us under the riches of His grace is the knowledge of the mystery of His will, God’s great plan and purpose which was once hidden but is now revealed to us in Jesus. Through the Apostle Paul, God called us to consider the greatness of God’s great plan for the ages and our place in that plan.
i. “In the New Testament sense a mystery is something which is hidden to the heathen but clear to the Christian.” (Barclay)
ii. The idea behind the word dispensation also reflects a plan or a strategy. “The plan which the master of a family, or his steward, has established for the management of the family… it signifies, also, a plan for the management of any sort of business.” (Clarke)
A few takeaways:
There is no possible redemption outside of Jesus and His redeeming blood.
We are liberated (redeemed) on the receipt of a ransom. ChatGPT demonstrated a remarkable understanding of this concept in the allegorical image it created.
Jesus’ power and moral example didn’t liberate us - His blood did.
We should not take a mystical view of “the blood”.
God’s will and plan for us is revealed to us through Christ. An outsider sees this as a mystery.
Takeaway # 4 reminded me of a strange experience we had a number of years ago in Bruges, Belgium. We were in this beautiful city (definitely worth visiting) as a port stop on a cruise. I might have told this story before in a devotional, but it bears repeating. We took an excursion that was an “explore Bruges on your own” for a few hours. We decided to enter the Basilica of the Holy Blood (at that time I believe it was still a church) because it was quite historical and had a unique relic: A phial (or vial) that allegedly contains the blood of Christ. Here’s what Wikipedia says about this artifact:
The basilica is best known as the repository of a venerated phial said to contain a cloth with blood of Jesus Christ, brought to the city by Thierry of Alsace after the 12th century Second Crusade.[7][8] Although the Bible never mentions Christ’s blood being preserved, Acts of Pilate—one of the apocryphal gospels—relates that Joseph of Arimathea preserved the Precious Bloodafter he had washed the dead body of Christ; legends of Joseph were popular in the early thirteenth century, connected also with the emerging mythology of the Holy Grail.[9] Popular legend claims that the phial was taken to Bruges during the Second Crusade of CE 1147–1149, by Thierry of Alsace, who returned from Jerusalem with the relic of the Holy Blood presented to him by his brother-in-law Baldwin III of Jerusalem, as the reward of his great services.[7]
The church priests and staff would bring out this relic a few times a day so that tourists and pilgrims could view it from a platform. We misunderstood one of these people standing around and thought he said that photographs were ok without flash. Steve started to zoom in on the phial and the yelling started - “no photographs, no photographs!!”. We humbly stepped back, did a couple of quick examinations of the artifact and rapidly departed for the nearest outdoor pub selling good Belgian beer. My quick impressions were of a thin, brown liquid, barely visible in a glass tube.
I’m a Protestant (tending these days towards reformed/dispensationalist) and the veneration of relics is one of the strangest things to me, just like massive altarpieces that we’ve seen that showcase Mary instead of Jesus. His blood was shed but His physical blood is not what we worship. We worship HIM because His blood redeemed us. That church could burn down tomorrow (I hope not; it’s a beautiful place) and the loss of that relic does not change the terms of our redemption.
Charles Spurgeon eloquently describes our forgiveness through the riches of His grace, as quoted in Precept Austin:
Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word "forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, for ever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and for ever? Hell is my portion as a sinner-there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me-can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges?
Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. For ever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and for ever, forgiven by virtue of his substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who of his own D love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through his blood.
What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive for ever! Here is a constellation of won; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.
It’s amazing how people used to write only 150 years ago. His riches of grace and forgiveness are a constellation of wonders.
My next devotional examines Ephesians 1:10-12 - He works all things after the counsel of His will.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank You for redeeming me with Your precious blood! Amen.
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 03/21/2026 to review commentary for Ephesians 1:7-9
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. Within the Enduring Word commentary:
Barclay, William The Letters to the Galatians and the Ephesians (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975)
Clarke, Adam The New Testament with A Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II (New York: Eaton & Mains, 1831)
Gaebelein, Arno C. God’s Masterpiece (Glasgow: Pickering and Inglis, 1913)
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6 and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)
What both humans and robots seem top always forget to speak of is WHO we are redeemed/ransomed from: Satan. Maybe it's because we don't like to be scared.