Ephesians 1:9

Mysterious reasons behind our salvation are revealed to us in this amazing verse. The redemption we have obtained through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness that has been granted us, and the riches of His amazing grace that He has showered upon us are infinitely valuable and completely undeserved. Why has this amazing grace been so lavishly bestowed upon us? Because it is God’s good pleasure to do so, for reasons which He purposed in Himself. In short, He did all this because He wanted to.

Just as it gives parents pleasure to give gifts to our children on Christmas morning, it gives God infinite pleasure to give us grace and mercy. This is why the death of Jesus is so precious, because it is the event that changed everything. Because of God’s infinite holiness, He cannot ignore our God-belittling sin. So grievous is our iniquity that all of us deserve nothing but eternal punishment. So impossible was our desperate and sinful condition, it required the death of His perfectly innocent Son to satisfy His requirement of holy justice.

It is just one of the many mysteries of God’s nature that His seemingly opposite eternal attributes of Justice and Mercy could meet in one event: the death of His Son on the cross. Jesus met God’s requirement for Justice on the cross so that mercy could be extended toward us. Praise His holy name!

Tom Day