"THE MAJESTY OF REDEMPTION" (An Article by Christian Henry) ~ 8/18/26

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8)

These two verses may seem unrelated, since they come from different letters, but together they paint a vivid picture of redemption. Both were written by the Apostle Paul, of course, but the first text was directed to both Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome, while the second was sent to the church at Ephesus. Both letters seek unity among the people of God, endeavoring to create a new Christ-centered humanity. Taken together, these verses show the true beauty and splendor of salvation by grace. I’ll cover the verses individually and then bring them back together at the end.

The first verse, from Romans 3, describes humanity's natural state. Everyone fell in Adam. All are guilty of it, polluted with it, and condemned for the sin of our first parents. It may seem unfair for everyone to be judged for the shortcomings of people we’ve never met, but in reality, what this did was crack the door open for us to live in sin. Since the fall, the lost have chosen to swim in the river of wrong, as they all are sinners in themselves and by their own actual transgressions.

Thus, they fall short of the glorifying of God (sinners are incapable of fulfilling this duty), glorying themselves before God (there’s nothing in the sinner’s arsenal capable), having glory from God (sinners can never expect any on their own account), or of the glorious grace of God (which sanctifies, pardons, and provides justifying righteousness). Whichever way you view the ‘glory’ in this verse, it is a prize to be won, but those in sin will always come short of it. Sinners are deprived of God’s righteousness, holiness, wisdom, and knowledge.

What a miserable state! Dead in trespasses and sins, only focused on the things of this world. Awful. We deserve severe punishment for willfully acting contrary to God. But, thankfully, this is not the end. As we read in our second text, we can live a new life by God's grace. Salvation was not only secured in the covenant of grace for believers, but it was actually obtained and bought on the cross. Because of its certainty, they are said to be saved already. All people were once children of wrath, but thanks to the gift of God's grace, salvation can be theirs.

This gift is entirely owing to the free favor of God, to which all branches of salvation (election, justification, pardon, adoption, regeneration, and eternal glory) are ascribed. Salvation comes through faith, and that is not to say that our faith is the cause of our salvation or that it adds anything to the blessing itself; rather, it is the instrument God has appointed for the receiving and enjoying of it. Salvation is truly not of ourselves - not of our desiring, deserving, or performing - but is 100% reliant on the free grace of God. We were once alone in our sorrows and dead in our sins. We were lost without hope, with no place to begin looking for it. But God’s grace, so free, washes over us. He has made us new despite our past, and this is the majesty of redemption.