I love the word “redeemed”! The word itself means that I have traded or bought something that was valued. I either bought it in its purest form or I have paid dearly for something to be restored in original condition. I enjoy watching the programs where men will buy or redeem a vintage automobile that has been left to decay and completely restore it. Usually, cars that originally sold for a few thousand dollars end up being worth much more in their restored condition. That’s a perfect picture of what Jesus has done for us. The currency used for the purchase was His own precious sinless blood. The Apostle Paul sums it up perfectly in 1 Corinthians 6:19 -20 (ESV)
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”.
We no longer are our own to do and live as we please. We are called to love for and glorify Him with our lives. Paul also writes this in verses 9-11
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus issues a powerful call to redemption, reminding His followers of the immeasurable value of even the smallest acts of kindness. Jesus urges them to be mindful of their redemption in all things, drawing strength and understanding from the words of Scripture.
“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Because Jesus has forgiven us, we have the obligation to forgive and be kind to others as much as He has done for us. To be redeemed means to be restored in all things. Jesus’ blood paid the price to buy us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of life. Colossians 1:13 (ESV) reminds us of this.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son”
If you weren’t at church this past Sunday, check out our last service on YouTube or Rumble at “cornerstonefrederick”. Sam Nunez shared his testimony. It is a beautiful story of redemption.
Because we make mistakes, we tend to feel that we’re flawed and can never be fully restored. I’ve been working with a young woman over the last few days who had a child about a year ago after being taken advantage of by a former boyfriend. She could have compounded the situation and had an abortion but she decided to keep the baby, so she is raising a beautiful baby girl as a single Mom. She has had a couple of dates but gets immediately shunned when the gentlemen find out she has a child. Satan, the father of lies, pours on the condemnation so she feels like she is stuck and can only find a husband via the “bottom of the barrel”. Nothing could be further from the truth. When Jesus redeems us, He totally restores our life and relationship with Him. We can be confident of His love for us. He restores all the promises and purpose that He calls us too. I love what the Apostle Paul said about our past in 1 Corinthians 6: 9
Because we’ve been washed in His blood, We’ve been totally forgiven and restored in fellowship to Him. Don’t listen to Satan’s whispers that we’ve been somehow disqualified. His blood has washed you from all defilement and now you are in the process of being restored to walk in glory; to be put on display as a prized possession of the Lord Jesus, Galatians 3:13 says…
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
The curse has been removed. You are now blessed to be a blessing. The next time Satan accuses you, tell him to take his accusation to Jesus. You are no longer your own, you have been bought with His blood. You belong to Him.