The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 20

~ins, which is, however'. the p~,ma.ry element in it; nor the mere adoption, though that 1s the coni:equenoe of it-for we a.re redeemed that we may receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. iv. 4'), but the completed sanctification of our souls and the consumm&ted redemption of our bodiea. The price of redemption is the blood of him who is here described as" t-he Beloved." I. Tm;: REDEM:PTION 1B NOT, ANY MORE THAN THE ADOPTION, EPFEOTED BY TBE INOAB- NATION! BUT BY THE DEATH OF CHRIST. More was n~ded for redemption than the mere birth of the Redeemer, else he need not have died. Therefore we preach, not the person of Christ, nor the child born, but Christ crucified, "the wisdom of God and the powe~ of God." Some lay stress upon his life rather than upon his death. ' But the one nghteousness on the ground of which we are justified, consists at once of the obedience of his life and of the sufferings of his death. Our Saviour was our Substitute both in life and in death. Yet Scripture assigns the greater prominence to the death. We are "bought with a price;" "We are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.' Not only is redemption set forth objectively in Christ's person, because he is of God made unt.o us "redemption" (1 Cor. i. 30), but the ransom price is definitively described as " his blood," considered as the reality of the ancient sacrifices and as procuring the full salva.tion which they only figured forth. II. THE BEDEKPTION IS NOT A MERE :HORAL RENOVATION. Some divines say the ~ork. of redemption is wholly subjective, its sole aim being the moral transformation of the sinner, or the rooting of sin out of the souL They say, indeed, that no such thing as remis.si.on of sin is possible, except through the previous extirpation of sin it...self. Bot, according t.o Scripture, redemption includes everything necessary to sal,ation, both the change of condition and the change of character-both justification and sa.nctiiication. And both these come to us in virtue of Christ's blood. If nothing was reqwred for salvation but the exercise of spiritual power upon us, uo person need ha,e come from the bosom of the Godhead, and there need have been no crucifixion. The double aspect of Christ's death is presented in such passages as these : "He bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness" (1 Pet. ii 24); "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus ii 14, 15). That is, his ultimate design is to deliver us from sin itself. But the moral power of the cross depends upon those substantial objeotive benefits which it procures for us. On the theory of some modem divines, the redemption cannot extend to Old Testament saints at all, for they have not seen the manifestation of Divine self- sacrificing love which we have seen in the cross. , Ill. IT IB A BEDEllP'l'ION STILL IY PROGRESS. The original word implies this-" we are having" this redemption. Naturalistic writers give us a dead Christ. But we ha,e a livin~ Saviour who, because he was crucified once, is dead no more, but "ever liveth w make inrercession for us." He is now carrying on in heaven the work of our redemption. The Holy Spirit applies to 118 all its blessings, and seals us unto the day of reciempti.on.-T. C. V«. 7.-Theforgif1t:IIOS of ,m.s. Redemption consists essentially in forgiveness u its primary fact in respect of importance and of order, not as a mere element belonging to the more advanced stages of Christian life, nor ss dependent on the renovation of our nature. I. 8cmPTuRE ASSEBTS A DIBEOT OAUBAL CONNEOTION BETWEEN THE BLOOD Ol!' OllBJST il"'D THE FO&GIVID,"'EBB OP IIDl'S. There is no absoluto forgiveness. Christ's blood 'WU shed for the remission of sins (Matt. xxvL 28). The original word for forgiveness is a judicial term, referring to deliverance from the punishment due to sin rather than deliverance from its power. Scripture does not say that Christ contemplated a mere moral redemption-though sanctification as well as justification is included in his work ; nor does it teach that his death was a mere example of self-sacrifice, or merely rlesigned to confirm the truth of his doctrine or to ratify the promise of an absolute for- giveness. In that. case, the Old Testament saints could have no share in the benefits of Christ's death. But Scripture clearly teaches that forgiveness is the direct result of the atoning death, with.iut an:, addition of works of ours or works of Law to aecure exemption from punisb.mmi, OJI, I, 1-23.] THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 17