The Redeemer

Identity Found in God

The Redeemer and the Redeemed
The Redeemer
The Day Before the Cross
The Day of the Cross
The Day After the Cross
Living as the Redeemed

The Redeemer
 
​For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  I Peter 1:18-19
 
I am always intrigued when I sit down and study the concept of redemption.  First let’s run through a scenario of purchasing a house.  It’s the one you know is just right for you and your family.  You fell in love with it.  For one reason or another (this isn’t a lesson on financial decisions J), you have just a percent of the money you could use to put down on the house.  In the lending field, this is called a down payment, or a deposit.  The down payment is your current investment, what you give to the bank that says, hey, I’m serious about this house being mine.  This is what I will give you now, and the rest will come.  This deposit is an “in the meantime” kind of deal.  During this time period, you dwell in the home, knowing that at some point, the home won’t just be temporarily yours or on loan.  There comes a day, maybe later than sooner, when the deal is complete, and the price has been paid in full.  You fully encompass the home.  It now completely, can function as yours one hundred percent.
 
This may help us understand the person of Jesus as our Redeemer.  You see God created us in His image to dwell in the garden with Him in perfection.  But then sin entered the relationship, separating mankind from God.  God had a plan.  He wants to have us back, and sent His son, Jesus, to redeem us, to buy us back, to rescue us with a price.  A price needed to be paid.  A ransom for our sin.  God loves us that much – so much that He wants us back, and was willing to come to earth and offer His life for us, on our behalf.  And so, He is our redeemer.
 
Now here comes the next layer to this.  We have hope and can be confident that when we choose to follow Christ, and believe we are saved through Jesus, that we can spend eternal life with Him.  But it’s not quite time yet to abide in the perfection of our heavenly home.  There is this “in the meantime” part of the deal.  Jesus has already come, and those who believe and commit to follow Him are, in a sense, His.  Just as the house, in a sense, is ours, but there’s a bit more needing to be done to seal the deal.  So what do we do in this temporary space?
 
Let’s keep going – God has given us a down payment in the redemption process.  Paul describes the amazing plan God has in II Corinthians 1:21-22, “ Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  The same idea is explained in Ephesians 1:13-14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”  This pumps me up!  So basically, God is buying us back.  Jesus paid the price, and He gave us the Holy Spirit during this “in the meantime” phase, guaranteeing us that we indeed will continue our relationship with God, inheriting all that is in store for us in heaven!  What we experience now, as the Holy Spirit resides in us, is simply a taste of what it will be like when we can once again be fully in His presence, forever!
 
We are His!  He bought us!  He has left in us His Holy Spirit who will lead us, guide us, comfort us – in the meantime.  May we embrace the Truth in His Redemption.  Believe that we are saved and that we are bought back.  We belong to Him – He put His seal on us.  While we wait for the final move from these earthly tents, anticipating even more that awaits us in heaven, let’s tune our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and enjoy the fruit of His Spirit – in the meantime!
 
Consider what it means to you that God has bought you back, and that He is your Redeemer.  Jesus paid it all!  What can you do to recognize the down payment of the Holy Spirit who has been left for you?