In Ephesians 1:7 redemption is immediately followed up with forgiveness. Redemption deals with the price that was paid to set us free from the penalty and slavery of sin, which opens the door to the “forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” In forgiveness all the sins with their eternal consequences are taken away as God says in Hebrews 8:12, “their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” He will not recollect our sins which implies that He will not inflict, reward, or render punishment on us for them; because every sin that is under the blood Jesus He has already borne that reward and punishment for! God gives us a complete picture of this in Leviticus 16 where on the Day of Atonement two goats representing the work of Jesus become one offering; one of them was slain and its blood was used to make atonement for sins and uncleanness, while on the head of the other Aaron laid his hands confessing the peoples sins placing them on the head of the goat that was then taken away to the wilderness from where it should never return! What a picture of the dual work of Jesus in redemption and forgiveness. Also Micah 7:19 declares “You will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” And Corrie Ten Boom is said to have commented that He put up a sign saying “No fishing allowed”! The Psalmist in 103:12 uses a different metaphor to describe this, saying, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Since there is no East pole or West pole, as there is for North and South, which when you reach one or the other you then go in the opposite direction, you can only go East or West hence we can say the distance is immeasurable. I am forgiven, my sins are gone, and Jesus is Lord!
On the kingdom way
By Rose Hill
What a blessing we are forgiven,
And on our journey, the way to heaven.
In His Kingdom we now have a place,
All because of the riches of His grace.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright …1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.