In Christ You Are Redeemed

Understanding God's call on your life is crucial for every believer in Jesus Christ. God's call rests on everyone who is "in Christ." With fifteen occurrences, the key phrase in Ephesians is "in Christ" or "in Him." "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7). In Christ you are both redeemed and forgiven. That is why Paul prayed "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:17).

When you trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior you are "in Christ" and "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). In Christ you are changed, and you become a child of God: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26). In Christ the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you: "The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:17).

Every true believer knows something about the salvation God has given them in Christ. They know the gospel message, "that Christ died" on the cross "for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3), "and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day" (v. 4) defeating death itself. They know they are saved by God's grace alone through faith in Christ: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). But what many do not realize is that when God "saved us" He also "called us… according to His own purpose and grace" (2 Tim. 1:9).

God's purpose for your life is far greater than you can even begin to imagine. It is beyond anything you have ever dreamed of. Listen to what Paul says: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9). God has plans for you that are literally beyond belief. And He reveals those plans to you by His Spirit as you need to know. Paul explains, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (v. 10). The Spirit searches the depths of God's truth and reveals His purposes and His plans to us.

Again Paul explains: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (vv. 11-13). That last phrase is rendered, "combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words" in the New American Standard Bible (NASB). "Spiritual words" explaining "spiritual thoughts"—that is the inspired Word of God (W.E. Vine, M.A., Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Unabridged Edition, [MacDonald Publishing Company: McLean, Virginia, no copyright], 1087).

You are redeemed in Christ. Therefore, you should live your life every day in Christ. As Paul says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3:16). Amen.