"In Whom we have redemption." In strong contrast with the alien position of the

Gentile by nature who was in a state described as "having no hope", these believers

"have" redemption, even as they "have" access and "have" boldness. The extremely

useful office which the verb "to have" fulfils as an auxiliary may obscure a little its

primitive force which is that of possessing and holding. We can say "I have lost a penny"

without any sense of contradiction, the auxiliary here, having lost its prime meaning, but

where it is used in its original intention, to have is to hold and to possess. As John has

declared when speaking of eternal life "He that HATH the Son HATH life"

(I John 5: 12), and it would be quite as true to say "He that hath the Son", hath peace, or

redemption or any other of the blessings that flow to us in grace as a consequence of His

finished work. When this great fact becomes a reality to the believer, he will see that

redemption cannot be looked upon merely as a price paid on our behalf by someone else,

but that it involves either by reckoning or by some other process yet to be discovered and

revealed, that there is an intimate relationship indicated by this work of redemption, it is

not only "in Him" that we have it, but severed from Him it can never be enjoyed. This

feature will come out more clearly presently when we are examining the references

which associate the redeemed sinner "with" Christ in His death and resurrection, an

aspect of redeeming love which carries us a stage further than this initial aspect set forth

here in Eph. 1: 7.

"Redemption."  Redemption in the Authorized Version is the translation of the

Hebrew words geullah a redemption by a kinsman, who is the gaal or kinsman redeemer,

or of peduth and pidyom, a word that means primarily to make a division or a difference.

In the New Testament redemption is the translation of either lutrosis or apolutrosis, both

of which are compounds of luo "to loose". In addition the verb "to redeem" translates the

Hebrew padah "to free", paraq "to break off" and qanah "to acquire", while in the

New Testament we have in addition to lutroo and lutrosis, words of special import

implying the paying of the price necessary to set a slave free, namely agorazo and

exagorazo.  The very recording of these precious terms illuminates the essential

characteristics of scriptural redemption, but we are sure that no reader would be satisfied

if we left the matter here. There is enough matter of solid worth in the examination of

this one great term, upon which all our salvation and subsequent hopes are built, to justify

the devotion of a complete article to its exposition. Rejoicing therefore in our present

knowledge namely that in Him we have redemption, we must now address ourselves to a

fuller understanding of that which is not only ours in Him, but ours by precious blood,

and not only ours through precious blood, but ours in such a way that it leads to the

inestimable benefit of the forgiveness of sins through matchless grace.