Advent Words Day 10 ~ Redeem

 

Day 10: Redeem

"...Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us from all wickedness" Titus 2:14

 

Yesterday we looked at the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Today we look at the first of two reasons Paul gives us in Titus 2:11-14 as to why Jesus made that sacrifice. To redeem us from all wickedness.

 

From the words of the Lord’s angel to Joseph, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21), to Jesus' own words, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28), we are told that His purpose in life was to redeem His people.

 

In the Greek culture, the word "redeem" was used of buying a slave out of the market for the express purpose of giving him his freedom. The ransom was the amount paid for release from bondage.

 

So, how were we enslaved? The Bible is clear on the source of our bondage.

"I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." John 8:34

 

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

 

Slavery to sin is spiritual death, causing us to be alienated from God.

"For the wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23

 

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath."  Ephesians 2:1-3

 

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior." Colossians 1:21

 

How, then, are we redeemed?

"You were bought at a price." 1 Corinthians 6:20

 

"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 ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19

 

"...and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." Romans 3:24-25

 

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." Ephesians 1:7

 

His God-given call on his life was to redeem God’s people from the curse of sin.

 

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” Galatians 4:4-5

 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

 

Jesus Christ is our Great Redeemer. He paid the price for our sin with His own blood, thus buying our freedom and reconciling us to God. We, the redeemed, are now servants of God.

"...Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us from all wickedness" Titus 2:14

 

“But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:18-19, 22

We have been set free from the bonds of sin to purify God as His people, the second reason for Christ’s sacrifice, which we will dig into tomorrow.

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