Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace 

A. Blood and relationship with God

At the core of Paul's account in this passage of God's choice of us in Christ Jesus is the redemption and forgiveness of our offenses, accomplished on the cross. 

Let's talk about blood and the relationship with God

• Most things under the old covenant were purified with blood (Hebrews 9:22). 
• When God was making a new covenant with Israel, the blood of bulls and goats had to be poured on the people to signify they were part of the covenant (Exodus 24:3–8). 
• When it comes to the need for the forgiveness of sin, there is blood (Leviticus 4:20, 4:26, 4:31, 4:35, 5:10, 5:13). 

So the blood serves as the bridge between a holy God and sinful humanity. Therefore, God established the blood at the core of His relationship with Israel. 

But Israel was not faithful; He did not keep the covenant not to have any other gods, etc. God was not going to sit on His hands; He declared a new covenant that is at once similar to the Old and yet different from it. 

“Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord. “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people. “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

It is similar to the old because it requires sacrifice, it requires the shedding of blood for ratification and validation. 

It is dissimilar because this time around, instead of the repeated sacrifice, there is one sacrifice. 

You can say God learned (Disclaimer: THIS IS ME USING HUMAN LEVEL ANALOGY) from His failed first company, closed it down, and set up another company. 

Or the previous one was a wonky prototype that broke in different places, but now we have the real final product.

Paul said the old was shadow vs the new: substance, which is Christ (Colossians 2:17).

You can say God learned from his first failed project and now launched another, incorporating the lessons learnt. 

The outline of rejecting/abandoning the first and appointing the second as final is not new: see Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Reuben and Judah, Saul and David.

All these are long-standing outlines that point to the dichotomy between the old and new covenants.

That is history rhyming unto the crescendo of the new covenant in Christ Jesus, with the abandoning of the old built on the blood of bulls and goats, and the founding of the new on his blood.

And Jesus put a bow on that concept (Mark 10:31): But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

• Now, instead of God being in a physical location called a temple, he comes to dwell in us, by the Holy Spirit. 
• Instead of the risk of drawing the wrath of God hanging over us, God's wrath was borne forever by Jesus so that we enter into the era of the grace of God. 

This second project has been derisked. 

B. Holy Spirit and Relationship with God

Liquid substances used in the Old Testament for the purpose of purification include blood, oil, and water. 

Two of them - water and blood - came from the side of Jesus when He was speared (John 19:34), and the Holy Spirit He poured out was always associated with oil (1 Samuel 16:13). Paul mentioned somewhere that he wants to offer God the offering of the Gentiles sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16) - meaning the Holy Spirit marking us as God's. 

And it is Jesus who poured out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). He poured out what He was full of, as it is written that God gave Him the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). 

C. Redemption/Forgiveness of Sin and Relationship with God

"Redemption through his blood" gives a sense of the collective, but "the forgiveness of our trespasses" is personal. That is why the call is still true that we should receive Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior. Hallelujah!

The mention of redemption and forgiveness in the focus verse indicates that the new covenant is a different order of privilege than that in the Old Testament.

Because whatever we have in the redemption and the forgiveness of sin are not temporary, but forever. It is not something we are trying to have; we already have it as a gift in Christ, and it is irreversible. 

The word "redemption" alludes to God's ac freeing Israel from bondage to Egypt. But they went back into slavery. 

Someone may ask, what about what John wrote that God will forgive us of our sins if we confess (1 John 1:9)?

It's the difference between Jesus telling the apostles they are already clean and telling them they still need to watch their feet. 

Jesus replied, "The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not everyone of you." (John 13:10)

Those two things (forgivenesses) exist in two different contexts. 

You enter the kingdom through the forgiveness of sin, through the blood of Jesus that does not speak vengeance like the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24). 

When we talk about needing to ask for forgiveness, we are talking about your ongoing relationship with Chris, which involves not grieving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). 

There are three things that could go wrong here:

One: Pitching Paul against John, not recognizing that they were emphasizing different things. 

Two: Saying that a believer should never ask for forgiveness of sin because of verses like the focus verse.

Three: Saying that every and any sin can cause people to lose their salvation, creating a condition in which people look to their works for salvation rather than to Christ.

D. Grace and Relationship with God

The "riches of his grace" communicate something of largess; it is overflowing; it sustains and supports; it trains and teaches (Titus 2:11-12); it is an ongoing experience of God's ability on behalf of the beloved; it overcomes all limitations (2 Corinthians 12:9), all circumstances, all opposition. 

It is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 13:14). It is God with us - Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

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