Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
It was by reason
of sin that we were captivated, and we cannot be released from our captivity
but by the remission of our sins. This redemption we have in Christ, and this
remission through his blood. The guilt and the stain of sin could be no
otherwise removed than by the blood of Jesus. All our spiritual blessings flow
down to us in that stream. This great benefit, which comes freely to us, was dearly
bought and paid for by our blessed Lord; and yet it is according to the riches
of God's grace. [Matthew Henry Commentary]
Popular author and shame researcher Brené Brown recently
talked about coming back to church after years away and the moment "the
whole Jesus thing" finally clicked. She said:
People would want love to be unicorns and rainbows. So
then you send Jesus, and people say, "Oh my god, love is hard, love is
sacrifice, love is trouble, love is rebellious." As Leonard Cohen sings,
"Love is not a victory march … it's a broken hallelujah." Love isn't
hearts and bows. It is very controversial. In order for forgiveness to really
happen, something has to die. Whether it's your expectations of a person, or
your idea about who you are. There has to be a death for forgiveness to happen.
In all of these faith communities where forgiveness is easy, and love is easy,
there's not enough blood on the floor to make sense of that.
All of a sudden, it becomes clear why Christians take
forgiveness to heart. The blood on the floor is Christ's own. [William McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David
Zahl, Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints), (Mockingbird, 2015)]
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and
cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all
our sin!
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