Redemption

Redemption is payment or ransom paid to get something back. The price of our redemption was Christ’s own blood to redeem us. Enslaved by sin and powerless to free ourselves, Christ purchased us at an infinite price.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, saying, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us” (Eph 1:7-8).

We experience redemption through forgiveness and God’s grace. When we have been forgiven, that redemption changes the way we think. It helps us to see the world differently—the way God intended for us to see it. Peter says that when we realize that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, we begin to understand how much this redemption costs (1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus referred to his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Forgiveness is God’s invention for coming to terms with a cruel world where people are hurt. Even people with their best intentions will hurt and disappoint others. God began by forgiving us. And he invites us all to forgive each other. Forgiving seems almost unnatural. Left to ourselves, we don’t want to forgive people who hurt us. Our sense of fairness tells us people should pay for the wrong they do. But redemption changes our hearts. God’s grace changes our hearts, and forgiveness radically changes our lives.

The theme of the entire Bible, from the first book to the last, is redemption. Nothing in the world is as powerful as redemption. God takes the broken, sinful, and rebellious and redeems them. This redemption begins when we repent and turn from sin, and then God’s lavish grace goes to work on our hearts.

Paul says that God has given his gifts to us “in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” John D. Rockefeller, one of the world’s wealthiest men, used to stage moments where he gave gifts to some poor soul. What he gave was petty amounts in comparison to what he had. Rockefeller never gave in accordance with his wealth. God gives to us “in accordance with the riches of his grace.” He gives from his unlimited resources. When we begin to understand how wonderful redemption is by being forgiven and forgiving others—we begin to appreciate God’s grace at work in our lives.