REDEMPTION
By Keith Howard
O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. (Psalms 130:7)
Redemption means to set anyone free from bondage or slavery. We can see the concept of redemption in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, it was mandatory to offer animals or birds as a sacrifice to get delivered from the penalty of sin as it is a covenant given by God. It means that the birds or animals are sacrificed as a substitute in one’s place for his/her sins. However, these sacrifices covered the sin temporarily; there needs to be a permanent solution so that the sins of all humanity would be redeemed and delivered permanently.
Redemption requires a price paid, but the plight that demands such a ransom is moral, not material. God the Father gave his only begotten Son for us to come out from the bondage of sin and to enter heaven. It is not feasible without shedding the pure, holy blood for the sins. Jesus gave himself for this redemption process so that you and I can be with Him forever without any transgression of this world.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We did not deserve great unconditional love, but Jesus took the cross and died on the cross bearing all the shame, nakedness, and suffering.
His death was in exchange for our life. Scripture is quite clear that redemption is only possible “through His blood,” that is, by His death (Colossians 1:14).
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” He became sin, and we became righteous in the eyes of the Lord through the blood of Jesus. Jesus traded all the sins of the world on the cross to make us righteous and the way to eternity. This process is impossible if a pureblood hasn’t gone through the process of redemption.
Jesus, by paying the price for our sins, gifts us the forgiveness of sins as something that is already accomplished and that the effect of this redemption is that we are not even to be conscious of sin (Heb. 10:17; Jer. 31:34). The redemption has made us perfect in the eyes of God the Father. Since Jesus has paid the price, eternity is guaranteed for all who believe in Him.
I don’t care what you have done; I want to let you know that God Loves You. Put that drink down, stop smoking or snorting those drugs, stop committing fornication, change your mind about whom you think you are and believe in whom God made. You have not gone too far that Jesus can’t reach you. Call on Jesus, and He will rescue you. I did that same thing, and He saved me.
The price has been paid, and it is our responsibility to claim the blessings of redemption through faith. All He expects in us is to submit ourselves to the Lord and ask for forgiveness of our sins. When we repent ourselves to the redemption power in God’s presence, He directs us correctly in the track which He wants us to walk. The prodigal son left the father’s love and was involved in every bad habit.
Once everything was lost, he thought of the love of the Father that he had before. He made up his mind to get back to the Father’s love. The scripture says, “Father ran to the son.” God always takes initiation to reach us when we return from our sin and to get back to the Father. God wants our relationship with Him. We, too, often did the same as the prodigal son. We receive the blessings and move out of the relationship of God many times. Still, He is faithful to us, loves us, and wants to redeem us. Do you want to restore your sinful life to God? He is ready to love you unconditionally. Repeat this prayer and mean it from your heart. Dear Lord Jesus, I have made a mess of my life and need your forgiveness; I ask you to cleanse me from all filth and shame. I believe that Jesus is Lord and that God raised you from the dead. I ask you to come into my life as I surrender myself to You. I thank you now. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
If you prayed that for the first time, let us know by texting us at +1 (954) 657-3041 or email me at keith@beaconlightmin.com
