In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
Ephesians 1:7-8a NIV
This is an amazing statement. God has lavished his grace on us. The word “lavished” carries the idea of holding nothing back. I have been on two cruises in my life. The first was when I was in the Navy. That cruise was not fun. I had a job to do, slept in a room with 65 other men, and ate whatever food the ship’s cooks decided to feed me.
My second cruise was on a cruise liner. I had no job, nothing I had to do. I had my own stateroom that I shared with my wife. There was a great variety of food and entertainment. And that cruise is what I think of as “lavish.”
But rather than material pleasures, God has lavished on me the riches of his grace. Not just a little grace. Or enough grace. But abundant grace. God’s grace toward me knows no bounds. The spiritual blessings in this passage are all because of the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on me.
And he does this, not because I am worthy of it, but by his good pleasure (Eph. 1:5). Because he is love (1 John 4:16).
