Redeemed by the blood
Easter, God’s Love.
We are redeemed! Am I right? We have so much to celebrate in our homes this Easter season! Sure, the past few years have been difficult. There has been a lot of pain and sadness. Hearts have been broken; relationships badly damaged. But when we reflect on the redemptive work that God has done in our family, how can we do anything but rejoice? He has breathed new life into places that were long dead. We are believing Him to continue that work and see it through to the day when He returns and completes what He has started in us.
During this Easter season, I reflect on His work and I’m so humbled by my Lord and Savior! He is so faithful and good to me. I am nothing; a wretched sinner. My heart apart from Him is black as night. Yet He saw fit to call me out of that sorrowful state and offer redemption through the blood of Christ. He set me free and made me new. Since that day, He has loved me and cared for me and given me grace upon grace. Praise the Lord, He has done the same for my wife! Our entire family is united in the salvation that comes through Christ alone. He has offered it to you too, and it is my prayer that you, precious reader, have experienced His saving grace. If not, I ask that you read on as we look together at 9 passages that explain Christ’s redemptive work and consider the gift you’re being offered.
1. 1 Peter 1:18-20
2. Hebrews 9: 11-15
3. Romans 3:23-26
4. 2 Peter 3:9
5. Romans 8:18-21
6. Colossians 1:19-22
7. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
8. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – 21
9. Titus 2:14
1 Peter 1:18-20
We are all born into sin. No one has to teach us how to be selfish or unkind. We just are, inherently. Our sin separates us from God, who is perfect and holy and can not abide with sin.
As 1 Peter 1:18-20 enlightens us, there is nothing any of us can do to atone for our sin either. We can’t repair that broken relationship on our own. We can’t earn right standing with God.
But long before He made the world, God put into motion a plan that would offer us a way back to Him. (Because He loves us so much!) All throughout history people waited expectantly for that Savior until finally He was revealed in Jesus Christ. He came to this earth as a human baby, lived a perfect (sinless) life, and then willingly offered that life as a ransom for us.
It was the only commodity worthy enough to cover our very great sin debt. No gold, or silver, or precious stones could do it. Only the blood of one who was perfect – sinless and spotless, could cover our sin.
Thanks to the Bible, we now have the privilege of knowing and understanding God’s wonderful plan of salvation revealed in Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9: 11-15
Praise God, we are no longer bound by the first covenant. We don’t have to make trips to the temple and sacrifice an animal to cleanse us from our sins. Christ made that sacrifice once for all, as Hebrews 9: 11-15 guides. He did away with that system when He entered that Heavenly Tabernacle and secured our redemption forever and became our eternal Great High Priest. The curtain here on earth was torn in two – forever symbolizing that “It is finished!” Forever setting us free from the penalty of our sins. Why? So that we can worship the LIVING GOD!
Romans 3:23-26
People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice as recorded in Romans 3:23-26 shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.
Our part is so simple. We must simply believe. Believe in the work Jesus did on the cross. Believe that we are sinners in need of a Savior. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t be good enough, and we can’t earn our way back. The only thing we can do is believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will be saved!
2 Peter 3:9
Just as God’s people waited thousands of years for Him to reveal the Messiah, we too are waiting for the final fulfilment of His promises when Christ returns. It’s easy to become impatient as we wait to realize, not just this grand promise, but even the smaller, more personal promises in our daily lives. We can begin to doubt. How humbling it is when we realize that it is only out of His great love that He waits.
2 Peter 3:9 is an encouragement that He wants to give us all time. Time to repent. Time to come to Him! I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful He waited for me. That He waited for my love. That He waited for our three precious children! I can’t know who else He’s waiting for, but I’m sure I’ll be glad He did! Is it you dear sister? Is He waiting for you? He does not want you to be destroyed – and that is what will happen to anyone who ultimately rejects Him. Don’t put it off another day.
Romans 8:18-21
The message in Romans 8:18-21 teaches us it’s not just humans that suffer from the consequences of sin! All of creation is fallen. The whole world is waiting to be redeemed when Christ returns. Waiting with “eager hope” to be set free. Surely this is a truth that proves the Bible’s message.
We don’t have to look very far to see pain, suffering and death. It’s everywhere. We begin to die the day we’re born, and the same is true for every living thing under the sun! Yet, isn’t there an inner longing inborn into each of us that hopes for something more? Don’t we instinctually know there is freedom from all this somewhere out there?
The beautiful truth is that those of us who belong to Christ KNOW there is. We are waiting with complete confidence and the security that comes in knowing whatever we have to endure in this life will be totally worth it when we reach that promised eternity with Him in heaven. Do you know that peace and confidence? You can!
Colossians 1:19-22
The blood of Christ, which He shed for us on the cross was enough. Colossians 1:19-22 is proof His blood was sufficient to redeem us all. To reconcile every fallen piece of creation to Himself and restore that perfect relationship He designed from the beginning. Once we are covered by the blood of the sinless, spotless Lamb of God we can come into the presence of Almighty God and stand before Him completely clean!
Can you even fathom that? Standing before the Lord God Almighty without a single fault? To be at peace with Him for all eternity? Never again having to wrestle with the secret, shameful ugliness we all know resides deep within, because we know, it’s forgiven!
Brothers and Sisters, these verses do not say that Christ will reconcile us, or that He will bring us into His own presence, holy and blameless. No. It says he HAS – it’s already done! If we’ve accepted the free gift of His salvation, then we are already there – standing before Him without a single fault. As He said on the cross – it is finished!
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
There is only one appropriate response to what Christ did for us: Humility. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, it’s not through anything we have done, so there’s no place for pride. It is not by our works that we are saved. May we all fall on our faces in humble gratitude before our Lord and thank Him for calling us, for redeeming us, for making us pure and holy and free!
May we all fall on our faces in humble gratitude before our Lord and thank Him for calling us, for redeeming us, for making us pure and holy and free!
2 Corinthians 5:17 – 21
What amazing victory is ours if we belong to Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17 – 21 displays how he has made us a brand new creation! Whatever mess we’ve made, whatever shame we carry is part of the old life. We can put it behind us knowing that a new life has begun. If you’ve never done it before, dear sister and brother, I pray you do it right this very minute.
Confess your sins to Him. Ask for His forgiveness. Ask to be covered in the cleansing power of His blood, and ask God to become the ruler of your life for all eternity. God will never count your sin against you again! Praise God!!!
As we recognize this amazing gift that God has given us, our response should be an unquenchable desire to share that mighty miracle with others. To become ambassadors for Christ, pleading with those who are still lost to that life of sin to turn and come back to God! It is never too late. No one who is still living is ever beyond His reach. May we each reach as many as possible for Him!
Titus 2:14
Jesus Christ gave his life so that we could be clean. Titus 2:14 is our affirmation, we are free! Let’s never again live our lives as the slaves to sin that we once were! Instead let’s live our lives in the freedom that is ours, as His very own people. Let’s be totally committed to doing the good that He has called us to do. We are the redeemed of the Lord! Let’s praise Him and then, let’s go make disciples!