Redemption is precious to those of us in Christ, especially when we remember its cost.

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)
⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

There are three things that Paul says here that make us appreciate redemption so much. First, it cost Jesus His life. Redemption comes only through the blood of our Savior.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (KJV)
¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

The suffering of our Savior brings sadness to us all. Jesus did not just die for us, He was tortured and treated like a common crook. Isaiah said “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). From a physical standpoint, the death of Jesus was a trag-edy. An innocent man was executed for crimes He did not commit, by the hands of corrupt and wicked men (Acts 2:23). But, from a spiritual standpoint, we know that Jesus was willingly paying the price for our redemption.

Second, the result of Jesus suffering in our place, is “the forgiveness of our trespasses.” Without this, restoration to God would have been impossible. We would have no fellowship with God, no escape from the grasp of the devil, and absolutely no hope of heaven. Jesus saved us from the wrath of God.

Romans 5:9 (ESV)
⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Notice, the salvation in this passage is in the future. Paul was speaking of the day of judgment when the wrath of God is poured out on people sentenced to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Thankfully, as the redeemed, we shall escape this wrath.

Third, we appreciate this redemption because we understand that it was all because of the “riches of God’s grace.” We do not earn salvation; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:9). It was God’s lov-ing grace that motivated Him to send His Son to redeem us (John 3:16), caused Him to stand by and watch as His Son suffer on our behalf (Romans 5:8), and moved Him to raise Jesus for our justification (Romans 4:25). These actions taken by God were necessary for our redemption and salvation, but they were actions that we could not accomplish ourselves. Only the riches of God’s grace could have brought them to pass.

We should all appreciate our redemption. We should thank God for it every day, realizing that it can only be found in one place, that is, in Christ, and, that it is only by the grace of God that we find ourselves in this location.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.