<p>1:7- see on Acts 20:28.</p><p><i>In whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace</i>- Salvation and all the wonderful processes which are a part of it are enabled by being &quot;in Christ&quot;. This is a status we have to decide to enter, of our own freewill. Clearly baptism is &quot;into Christ&quot;, and that surely is why the act of baptism by immersion of an adult is as it is- to provide an opportunity for us to wilfully demonstrate we of ourselves wish to consciously become in Him. We have &quot;redemption&quot; right now in that we have forgiveness of sins (Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30 say likewise); but &quot;redemption&quot; comes to its final term in &quot;the redemption of the body&quot; at the last day (Rom. 8:23; Eph. 1:14), &quot;the day of redemption&quot; (Eph. 4:30). This means that our experience of forgiveness of sins today is the foretaste and guarantee of the final redemption to be given at the last day. If we wonder about our eternal salvation, we need to ask ourselves whether we have known forgiveness now. We should be able to taste that forgiveness; Peter did, and on that basis insisted that he was a personal witness that the Lord Jesus was really in Heaven mediating forgiveness to us. These wondrous things are indeed according to the riches of His grace. To hear all this but turn away from it is indeed to despise the riches of His grace (Rom. 2:4). Paul therefore will pray the Ephesians will perceive these riches of grace (Eph. 1:18). Those riches can be tasted right now; but at the last day, He will lavish the riches of grace upon us in the redemption of our bodies into eternal life (Eph. 2:7). The present experience of the riches of grace is in the receipt of the gift of the Spirit in our minds (Eph. 3:8). To deny these riches is really to despise those riches, no matter how politely worded is our theology in doing so. These riches are described in Col. 1:27; 2:2 as being of Christ in us, the trust we have of our future glorification; and the riches of the full assurance of understanding- that by grace, we really will live eternally in His Kingdom. The experience of the Spirit, of forgiveness, of Christ in us, is the earnest of the possession (:14; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5), the full assurance of salvation (Col. 2:2).</p>