redemption in Christ Jesus
it sounds silly, but when I see the word ‘redemption’, I often think of coupons. whether you find them online, in a mailer, or even if you still bust out the scissors and clip them from the newspaper, all coupons state what they are redeeming, and where this redeeming can take place.
when you ‘redeem’ a coupon, you pay less (or sometimes nothing) for a product. the important thing is that the price and value of the product has not changed, but when you hand over that coupon, you do not pay that price because it has already been paid for you. the coupon is a gift that just needs to be acted upon.
the entirety of scripture is filled with accounts of God’s redemptive work among us, a redemption that we cannot ever possibly earn enough to pay for ourselves. not even close! it is a gift of God’s grace alone. through the blood of Christ the price has already been paid, and we simply need to embrace and proclaim this truth.
justified by God
even in his grace, can we truly be justified before God? we may often ask ourselves this question, just as many have asked it for generations before us. throughout scripture we see the question written ‘in between the lines’, and solomon clearly states that “in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness” [ecclesiastes 3:16].
yet true justice is found the justice that comes from God. the justice he offers us through his redemption is completely unmerited, and unrestrained by anything that we consider to be ‘just’. the good news of the gospel is that we who are guilty before him can be justified, the price of redemption has been paid, and God’s justice is satisfied.
the gift of grace
earlier in romans 3, paul drives home the fact that we are all sinners deserving of God’s wrath, but he doesn’t end the discussion there! he continues on into verse 24 with the truth that we are justified through the gift of grace! titus ecohes this thought, as he writes, “being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” [titus 3:7].
through this gift of God’s grace, we are justified, made clean, made holy, and given the opportunity to share this grace with those around us.
the freedom that we have in Christ springs from the fact that his grace is free, his justification is final, and his redemption is complete. this allows us to live unhindered by shame and guilt, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, and equipped to do what only he can do in and through us.
~ jason soroski