“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
TEXT — Ephesians 1:7-10
One of the best-known Christian hymns is Amazing Grace. It is a poem written in 1772 by John Newton and describes the joy and peace of a soul uplifted from despair to salvation through the gift of grace. The words are also a vivid autobiographical commentary on how Newton was spared both physical and spiritual ruin. It relates to the happy ending of the tale of a defiant man who managed again and again to escape danger, disease, abuse, and death, only to revert to “struggles between sin and conscience.” It is the story of a man on whom grace had been lavished but not wasted. This is why on his tombstone is written this epitaph: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”
The Christian life is a testimony to the power of grace. This is what the Apostle Paul reveals in this introductory part of this epistle. He extols the grace of God that has been so richly and abundantly lavished on the believer. It is this grace that brings redemption and forgiveness of sin and reveals the full purpose of God which is to take us ultimately to heaven.
Sin makes us so wretched and impoverished that we have no good in us that could merit salvation. No one can boast of obtaining redemption and forgiveness of sin as a result of any effort of his. It’s all of grace! We are saved by simply believing and accepting this offer of grace by faith.
The Christian life commences by grace, continues by grace, and is consummated through grace. However, grace does not absolve us of our responsibility to live right; rather it imbues us with the strength and ability to do so as we continually rely on the Lord. And in the words of John Newton, this grace that brought us thus so far is what we should rely on to lead us home!
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
