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Christ would offer in the fullness of time. "It is possible that things may usefully
represent, what it is impossible that in and by themselves they should effect" (Dr. Owen).
Following on the statement that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats
should take away sin, we have the Saviour's own intervention:
"A body hast Thou prepared Me . . . . . we are sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10: 5, 10).
This testimony is not limited to the early ministry of Paul, it is given a prominent
place in that epistle of the Mystery, Colossians:
"In the body of His flesh, through death to present you" (Col. 1: 22).
The impossibility that is announced in Heb. 10: 4 is made understandable by a
reference to resurrection, which most surely includes redemption:
"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead"
(I Cor. 15: 21).
And so, it was necessary that the Saviour be man, and have a body of flesh and blood,
nothing less would avail. "Nothing less", of a truth, but how much more than a mere man
was demanded by the nature of things. Redemption is set forth in the typical teaching of
the Old Testament and foremost among these types, and one that is evidently in view in
Eph. 1: 7, as we shall see presently, is that of "The Lamb". The blood of lambs however
come under the same restriction as that of bulls and goats, consequently, another and
fuller type of the Redeemer is set forth in the Old Testament as "The Kinsman
Redeemer". This aspect of redemption will fall better into place when we arrive at the
fourteenth verse, and so with the recognition that whatever type we may employ,
redemption can only be the work of "The Son", let us turn our grateful and worshiping
attention to the passage before us. In the preceding article we have set out the alternation
of the theme of Eph. 1: 7-9 and have suggested that while redeeming grace "abounds
toward us", the reference to "prudence" belongs not to redemption but to the subsequent
making known of the mystery of His will.
"In Whom." Some commentators render these words "by Whom" and apart from the
bearing and demands of the context, either translation may be the true one. But
translators cannot ignore the context without loss and damage. "In Whom" must of
necessity refer back to "in the Beloved" (6), and is but another link in a chain made up of
the Greek preposition en that binds this section of Ephesians together. Let us note the
recurrence of this preposition and for the sake of clearness, let us translate every
reference by the one word "in", whether that translation makes good English or not. The
saints which are IN Ephesus . . . . . IN Christ Jesus . . . . . blessed IN all spiritual blessings
IN heavenly places IN Christ, according as He hath chosen us IN Him, that we should be
without blame before Him IN love, IN which He hath made us accepted IN the Beloved
IN Whom we have redemption. One of the outstanding testimonies of Paul are those
doctrines and blessings which come to the believer "in Christ".