Ephesians 1:7 Explained

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" — Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)

Part of a single enormous sentence in the Greek, and the last clause sets the measure of everything before it.

Read it in context: The Book of Ephesians. Also gathered under verses about grace.

Ephesians 1:7 in context

What does Ephesians 1:7 mean?

'Redemption' is a market word — the price paid to free a slave — and 'through his blood' names the price without euphemism. Then the measure: 'according to the riches of his grace', not out of them. Giving out of riches leaves the riches diminished; giving according to them makes the wealth the standard of the gift. The distinction is the whole difference between forgiveness that is rationed and forgiveness that is not.

What is the context of Ephesians 1:7?

Ephesians opens with a blessing that runs, in the original, without a full stop from verse 3 to verse 14. Paul is piling clause on clause deliberately. Verse 7 is one link, and lifting it out loses the breathlessness that is part of the argument.

How do I pray Ephesians 1:7?

Pray the last clause over a sin you keep bringing back. Ask whether you have been treating forgiveness as coming out of a supply that might run low. The preposition is the pastoral point of the verse and it is easy to read past.

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