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What Is Redemption?
There is a human need for finding peace with
God. Why don't we have peace with God? Why do we feel
compelled to search for that peace? The original condition of man was
perfect fellowship with God. The Bible tells us that Adam and
Eve were friends with God, not enemies. Man had perfect joy,
rest, and peace, including a perfect relationship with his wife.
Then, man chose to sin.
He no longer had peace, or rest, or fellowship
with God. God is perfect righteousness (Ephesians 4:24ff).
God is true righteousness and holiness. God cannot tolerate sin.
Genesis 2:17 says, "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Genesis 3:6 says, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree
was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."
This sin erected a huge wall of separation between God and man.
This separation was shown by the symbol of the clothes they made from
fig leaves. In Genesis 3:7ff, we read that they sewed fig
leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then they hid from
the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Their sin brought shame upon them.
Sin is our failure to meet God's perfect righteousness. Sin
occurs when we fail in thought, word, and deed. The Bible tells us that
we are guilty of two basic types of sin.
First, we are guilty of imputed sin, because our forefather, Adam,
sinned. We are sinners because Adam was a sinner. We
are identified as a member of the family of Adam. Romans 5:12 says that
sin entered the world through one man, and in this way through that one
man), all sinned. Verse 19 says that through the disobedience of the one man, the many were made sinners.
We are also guilty of personal sins. Galatians 5:19-21 says, "The acts
of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity
and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy;
drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before,
that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Have you ever hated anyone? Have you been jealous of someone else? Have
you been envious of someone else's possessions?
Have you acted selfishly? I'm ashamed to say that I have. The Bible
says that if you have done any of these things, you have sinned, and
you are not worthy of heaven. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God." The Bible tells us that the
penalty for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). We are in need of redemption.
Death means separation, and there are three forms of death or
separation that result from sin. First of all, sin results in spiritual
death. Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God.
What a terrible condition. Ephesians 2:1 says, "You were dead in your transgressions and sins."
Sin also results in physical death. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body, and we're all familiar with physical death.
Finally, sin results in the second death. The second death is ETERNAL
separation of the soul and body from God. It is eternity in Hell, or
the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15 says, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who
was seated on it...The dead were judged according to what they had
done...The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not
found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
At the great white throne judgment of God, all unbelievers will be
judged by God. They will all be found lacking, and they will
be cast into the lake of fire. If we die physically while we're
spiritually dead, we will eventually enter the second death. There is
no way for man to remove the wall that separates him from God, not even
through the church
or by water baptism. How can the wall of separation
between God and man be removed? We need a redeemer.
John 8:31-36 says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free...Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is
a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a
son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Do you want
to be free? If you accept what the Bible says, you will know the truth.
Jesus Christ is telling us the truth. The truth of Jesus Christ will
set you free. And if Jesus Christ sets you free, you will be free indeed!
We were born as slaves to sin. Sin placed man into a slave
market of sin. A few years ago, a friend of mine was arrested, and put
in jail. He later told me how terrible it was. He said he just wanted to ask the guard to let him go outside for one
breath of fresh air. But he knew he couldn't. He had lost his freedom.
We are slaves to sin, and we need to be freed. We need someone to pay
the price to buy us out of the slave market of sin. A slave
cannot purchase himself, and he cannot purchase another slave, because he has no property to offer. Only a person in fellowship with
God can purchase someone out of the slave market of sin. A sinner
cannot purchase another sinner out of the slave market. All men are sinners. Romans 3:12 says, "There is no one who
does good, not even one." If we cannot redeem ourselves, then who will redeem us?
What we need is for a perfect man to purchase (redeem) us out of the slave
market of sin. We need a redeemer, and Jesus Christ is the One. He
redeemed us through His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus Christ knew no sin.
Christ is the only person free of personal sin through His perfect
life. He is free of imputed sin through His virgin birth.
Christ purchased freedom for all through His death on the cross. This is the doctrine of redemption.
We have been freed with the precious blood of Christ. He removed the
wall of separation between God and man. He removed our enslavement to
sin. He made it possible for man to have peace with God. Now
the only wall of separation between us and God is the wall of the
cross. You can remove this wall through your simple acceptance of the
truth from Jesus Christ. Through Christ's redemption, we have been
purchased out of the slave market of sin. Revelation 5:9 says, "With
your blood you purchased men for God." Romans 6:17 says, "Thanks be to
God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly
obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. God has provided a redeemer for us.
We have been set free. Luke 1:68 says, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people."
The price of redemption was Christ's death on the cross. 1 Peter
1:18-19 says, "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 forefathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."
1 Corinthians 15:22 says, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all
will be made alive." This release is received by Acts 16:31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
eternal life." Christ died for the sins of all men. Freedom is
available to everybody. Christ's sacrifice covered everyone. Now, only unbelief causes people not to be saved.
1 John 2:2 says, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
Are you redeemed? Are you free? Christ died for you, but have you accepted His
redemption? One of two verses is true about you today. If you are a
believer, then John 3:16 applies to you. You believe in Christ, and you
will have eternal life. However, if you're not a believer, then
Revelation 20:15 applies to you. Without the saving blood of Christ, you will be cast into the lake of fire.
You enter the family of God by 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, "For what I
received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." Christ's redemption of us is a fact, ready for us to accept.
Thank God that He has removed the wall we built between Him and us. We have been redeemed. We need only to accept this truth.
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Believe the truth, and be set free.
Owen Weber 2008 |
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