“Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head…” – Isaiah 51:11 (KJV)
My first recollection of the word ‘redeem’ was in a pawnshop where I accompanied my mother as a little girl. She had visited that pawnshop several weeks earlier and left a piece of jewellry in exchange for money that was needed at the time. Now we were here again to redeem, or reclaim, repossess, buy back, that piece of jewellery.
Some years later, in my teenage years, drawn to a crusade held in my village, I heard the word again and immediately understood when the evangelist said Jesus paid the price to redeem us, to buy us back after we had sold ourselves to the devil through sinful living. The price for our redemption was not in money or any such. It was the precious Blood of Jesus shed through His death on the cross, the only payment that was appropriate and acceptable. In the same way that my mother could not reclaim that piece of jewellry unless and until she had paid the full sum of money agreed on, just so Jesus had to give His life, the full sum, to redeem/reclaim us.
God’s plan of redemption was not an afterthought. It was conceived through the foreknowledge of God even before man was created. Jesus was in full agreement with the Father from the beginning that He should be the one to pay the price for our sins, for no one else was found worthy. He was the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). His blood was shed, for without the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sins. The redemption which Christ obtained for us holds out hope for every human being of every kindred, nation, and tongue. If only we could all understand and embrace this truth.
Brethren, let us keep Christ Jesus at the centre of our lives and allow the Word of God to dwell richly in us (Colossians 3:16), permeating every aspect of our lives so that we can teach by our example and give an answer to those who enquire about the hope that is in us. Christ came to save sinners, and we know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Our hope is in Him.
Read: Psalm 103:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:22
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 98; I Corinthians 11:2-34; 2 Chronicles 7:11-22; 2 Chronicles 8; 2 Chronicles 9
