Gifted with Redemption

Redemption has many meanings and practically infinite applications. The idea behind it is payment of a debt, setting free from slavery or captivity, or buying back something sold. Jesus, our mighty Redeemer, does all of the above! That’s the meaning—treasure it in your heart. Then saturate it with faith and spread it all over every troubled area of your life. The application has endless possibilities…

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25

All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

Our Relentless Redeemer

Redemption is probably not a word that is easy for most of us to define, though we do have common everyday experiences with it. Nevertheless, we have an instinctive sense that it is important. In fact it is woven into the very fiber of God’s secret, unceasing labor in our daily lives. Some of the most powerful Christian songs focus on Jesus as our Redeemer. Follow this link to hear Keith Green's "There Is a Redeemer."

Have you ever pawned something, but eventually had enough money to redeem it? Redemption at the pawn shop means buying back the thing you still want. Have you ever disappointed a friend, and later tried to find a way to redeem yourself? Personal redemption is making amends for social blunders. When you have coupons, do you look for opportunities to redeem them? Redeeming a coupon is getting an actual cash value for an otherwise worthless piece of paper. When you read a novel or watch a movie, aren’t you hoping for a good ending to redeem the hero or heroine’s suffering? Wanting good to triumph is looking for redemption.

From Trivial to Titanic

These trivial uses of the term give us tantalizing hints of the reality scripture seeks to describe. We have a God who will stop at nothing to buy us back. We sold ourselves into slavery and captivity to sin, Jesus paid the price of our redemption with His own Blood.[1] We have seriously disappointed the heart of God and could do nothing to redeem our failures.[2] The Father sent Jesus to be our Redeemer—only He could make amends to God and satisfy the Father’s heart. Now that He has redeemed us, Jesus is able to “cash in” on His investment and bring forth our true value as Bridal lovers.[3] These are tremendous acts of redemption.

Good triumphing over evil is the ultimate demonstration of redemption.[4] That’s probably why every “good” movie has powerful undercurrents of redemption to it. Something has gone wrong. How can it be overturned? People are suffering, but the problems seem insurmountable. The ending has to more than make up for the struggle the main characters have had to go through. These images are so powerful; the hero/heroine’s final triumph touches us so deeply. No wonder we love to watch good movies!  

A Lifetime of Redemption

Welcome to your new life in Christ.[5] You, too, have a Hero who is completely committed to overturning all the works of spiritual darkness in your life. His first task has been to free you from spiritual blindness and separation from your God. Now that you know your Redeemer lives you can cooperate with Him as He works to rebuild your life upon His ways. He sees the gold of His own nature inside of you and is eager to lead you into becoming the person He created you to be.[6] Not only that but He is determined to overturn every evil the enemy has ever sent or will send against you. That’s a lifetime work of redemption!

The “magnificent promise” of redemption is Romans 8:28. That’s what I always call it for nothing describes better the way my heart feels about it. Coming out of immense and intensely oppressive spiritual darkness, I needed a LOT of redemption. That story is told in Rescued from Hell. The essence of what I learned along the way is this: You can release any damage, any loss, any failure to God and feel very good about the whole thing, IF you learn to believe this one promise over each remembered point of pain:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 WEB

Everywhere the curse has gone, everything the enemy has bent or twisted, now is subject to our Redeemer’s secret, relentless labor to overturn it and make it serve his redemptive purposes. I have learned to take every negative or broken thing in my life as a captive to Romans 8:28.[7] Holding the offense up to the light of Christ, I pray my heart into the power of believing that somehow it is being made to work for my good, the greater good and God’s glory.[8] Then the river of peace is released. That’s magnificent redemption!

Next "Free Gift" to Open

Gifted with Regeneration  Regeneration simply means that we have been brought back to life: re-generated. Of course it can be made much more complicated than that by asking the obvious question: "Was I dead and didn't know it?" Yes, that's it! "But in what way dead? And how was I brought back to life? And why didn't I know it? And why don't I always feel more alive?" Now, that's too many questions!

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Redemption Scriptures

What one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make you a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeem out of Egypt? 1 Chronicles 17:21 WEB

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. Job 19:25-27

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14

Israel, hope in Yahweh, For with Yahweh there is loving kindness. With him is abundant redemption. He will redeem Israel from all their sins. Psalms 130:7-8 WEB

Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Isaiah 50:2

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Romans 3:23-25

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 WEB

He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14