Posts: Redemption

Redemption

“Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His spirit a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27 – 28) Christian husbands serve their Christian wives in the same way, modeling the behavior of Jesus so that outsiders can understand this unique leadership style. (Ephesians 5:25 – 29) Jesus redeemed all at once (1 John 2:2) to set all people free from slavery to fear of death, past mistakes, and future repercussions.

“…being justified freely in His grace through the full redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24) All those who believe (verse 22) are declared acceptable (justified) in God’s consistent collection of character traits (grace) by virtue of the offering by Jesus of His blood in the tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 9:12 – 15) which released us from our rationalized “dead works.” God designed the universe knowing that the one essential trait necessary for an eternal family was mutual trust, so He paid out our debt. In those with trust, He builds character.

“We who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23) Redemption, in addition to referring to the once-for-all offering by Jesus of His own blood in the tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 9:12 – 15), also describes the rescue of the faithful from their physical bodies to their spiritual bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35 – 58). That eager anticipation is an essential characteristic of Biblical faith. Think as a spirit.

“But out of Him [God], you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30) Throughout history, philosophers have debated the nature of wisdom. One logical system could not be proved better than another. So, God provided what no other system has: physical evidence. Jesus is our illustration of how wisdom works in life, how to choose the right thing, how to be focused on a purpose, and how to choose a rescue without compromise.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace…” (Ephesians 1:7) Redemption and forgiveness both arise from God’s gracious nature, but are very different concepts. Jesus redeemed all people at once (1 John 2:2), paying off the entire right-and-wrong system. Forgiveness is not a ransom or a rescue, but the “pushing aside” (the literal meaning of the Greek word translated “forgive”) of the untrustworthiness of the faithful to re-establish a relationship based on a fresh start.

“Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the down-payment of our inheritance into the redemption of the purchased possession.” (Ephesians 1:13 – 14) God installs the Holy Spirit in the faithful as a down-payment toward the full purchase price, eternal life. The major tasks of the indwelling Spirit are character development, identification, motivation, and prayer editing. What is God buying with the indwelling Spirit and eternal life? Faith: the most valuable commodity, the essential ingredient for a big family that will last.

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed into the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30) The faithful will be rescued from the downward spiral of the physical universe on the last day. Until then, the Holy Spirit dwells in the faithful as a down payment, the full payment being a life free from the limits of this creation, as God corners the market on mutual trust. Make this a good investment by letting the down payment build the character that makes the family functional.

“He has delivered us out of the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13 – 14) Paul’s Hebrew poetic parallelism aligns redemption with delivery and transfer with forgive. Rescue from the power of darkness frees us to take on the character of Jesus. Being transferred into the eternal kingdom while still on earth illustrates that God has pushed aside (forgiven) our well-earned untrustworthiness so that we can reconnect, spirit to Spirit, through mutual trust.

“…who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14) When Jesus returned to heaven and entered its tabernacle, He offered His blood to ransom all. Further, He sprinkles the faithful with the same blood to purify and dedicate us to godly purposes. Both are necessary. If we were only redeemed, we would do no better, still trapped by our self-inflicted damage. Cleansing our consciences (Hebrews 9:14) gives us a fresh start to become very special people.

“Others were tortured, not accepting redemption, that they might obtain a better resurrection.” (Hebrews 11:35) In the first century, redemption was not necessarily a religion word. Slavery was common, usually a result of war or debt. Relatives often tried to redeem them. Political prisoners could be redeemed by recanting their views or bribery. But sometimes the transaction incurred greater harm than the slavery. Some early Christians weighed the costs of both disavowing Jesus and of bribery, and found them both too high. Are we that confident?

“…knowing that you were not redeemed by perishable things, by silver or by gold, from your aimless lifestyle handed down from the past, but with the precious blood of Christ…” (1 Peter 1:18 – 19) People often attempt rescue with money: bail, cover-up, lawyers, political favors. Non-criminals redeem time with that which costs money: hobbies, possessions, travel, sports. People even seek redemption from pointlessness by hard work. These all achieve only escape, not purpose. God’s purpose is to build a big family that will last, for which Jesus paid.

“Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the Law.” (Galatians 3:13) Paul used a different word, translated redeemed, meaning to buy out of the common market, making a bit of a pun in Greek, the place where the lowlifes do their business. Certainly, law is for the lawless (1 Timothy 1:9). The outside world focuses on the boundaries and reacts to violations, a dismal way to live. The faithful have been bought so they may focus on making the next good choice, endeavoring to be filled with the Spirit, to be transformed into the character of Jesus.

“…that those under the Law He might redeem, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:5) Although Paul’s argument was directed at those under the Law of Moses, the concept is the same for all because we all live under some sort of system of laws. Jesus purchased us out of the common marketplace of authority so that we could be adopted into the family. God’s purpose is not to be in charge, but to build a big family that will last.

“Redeeming the time for the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) Without a purposeful effort to do what is wise, the world will continue on its downhill spiral. But the odds seem stacked against the minority of decent people; we can feel overwhelmed and powerless. Paul did not stop with this one line. The prescription for overcoming this world is (1) being filled with the Spirit, (2) singing to and with other faithful people, (3) being thankful, and (4) letting other faithful people take the lead sometimes. Use the power of God, not the ways of the world.

“Walk in wisdom toward those outside, redeeming the time.” (Colossians 4:5) The faithful are to buy back time on the open market in the same way that Jesus bought them back from the authority-driven world into a big family based in mutual trust and selfless concern. The faithful have been repurposed just as they now repurpose time, buying shrewdly, dispensing graciously, being appropriate and interesting in the moment. The thought-provoking comparison is not so much between Jesus and the faithful, but between the faithful and time.

“For You were slain and have redeemed us to God in Your blood” (Revelation 5:9) This line from a song was being intoned by fantastical creatures and 24 elders in heaven when Jesus, recently returning victoriously to heaven, was about to open the scroll containing the plan of God. In the rest of the song, those purchased were from every ethnicity, to become a kingdom of priests as they reigned on the earth. Redemption does not leave us defective, but enables the faithful on earth to be powerful and essential to the objective of God: a big family that lasts.