There is rich meaning in the word "redeemed".

Redeemed. We hear that word a lot, but what does it really mean?

There was a man I read about once who was a loving husband and father. Being very good to his wife, he provided for all her needs and cared for her tenderly.

But she longed for something else. She was unfaithful to him and ran off with other men. Unlike her loving husband, these men used her and when they had taken all she had to give, sold her into slavery to exchange her used up life for earthly riches.

Imagine how she must have felt standing at the slave auction, chained at her hands and feet. She had all she needed and a husband who loved her and she gave it all up for this?

Just then, she looked up from her dirty feet and she winced as her eyes caught the gaze of her husband standing in the crowd of onlookers. She couldn’t bear to face him. She turned away in shame and disgust at herself.

Bought for a Purpose

In time, the auctioneer came to her and informed her that she had been purchased. He roughly handed her over to her new master who was waiting to take her to his home.

Timidly, she looked up to see what kind of man she would be serving now. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked into the face of her own husband. His face was gentle and his eyes were inviting. The tenderness in his voice showed he still cared. How could this be??!!

Her husband carefully took off her shackles, wrapped his cloak about her and led her home, not as a slave but as his rightful wife. He bought her back from her unfaithfulness to set her free from the painful consequences!

The man’s name was Hosea. You can read their unbelievable love story in the Old Testament book bearing his name. This is such a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. He bought us at the cost of His own life and has set us free that we might live as His beloved bride because His love is far greater than all our sin.

We cannot make God loves us any more than He already does and He will never love us less.

Justified, Righteous, and Redeemed

All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

~ Romans 3:24

What does God give us to rescue us? Two things are mentioned in this verse: Justification and Redemption. Let’s look at those.

Justification is a LEGAL TERM.

It means that God has declared us righteous and given us a new status before Him that is both immediate & irreversible. God chooses to view each sinner in terms of her relation to His Son in Whom He is well-pleased.

God offers us an exchange:

The Guilt of our sins transferred to Jesus
The Righteousness of Jesus credited to us

Redemption, on the other hand, is an ECONOMIC TERM borrowed from the slave market.

Though it cost God dearly, He offers to redeem us at no cost to us. He does not expect us to pay Him back for He knows we can’t.

His grace reaches far past His mercy. Not only has God excused us from the wrath we deserve, He also gives what we don’t deserve. We receive a personal invitation to a position in God’s kingdom at the royal table for the greatest banquet of all time!

Nothing Left to Add

It is critical that we understand all the work that needs to be done for our salvation has already been accomplished.

God had the idea.
He made the plan.
Jesus entered our world.
He sacrificed Himself.

God made Himself a shield to avert His own wrath away from us. We could not fathom a rescue plan for humanity much less have the power to carry it out. It is impossible for us to add anything to what Jesus has already done for us.

We cannot make God loves us any more than He already does and He will never love us less.

God's love and grace are constants. We are the fickle ones.

God is always faithful. Even when we are not.

You Are Priceless!

Jesus bought us with the most valuable treasure that exists--the blood of God. The Immortal one experienced death for us! We can't even wrap our minds around that!

He didn’t get us on sale. It cost Him all He had. God may have found us in the bargain bin, but He insisted on paying full price for us because we are worth it to Him. Jesus purchased us. God owns us. And He has torn up the receipt for our souls.

He will never return us. He won’t change His mind or decide that we aren’t worth that price after all.

You are Free!

Just like Hosea's wife, you have been set free! Jesus purchased you to free you from the consequences of your poor choices. You are redeemed!

Don’t keep on living like a slave. When you belong to Christ, your old slave master called sin doesn’t own you anymore. You no longer have to do his bidding. You are free to follow Christ with all you’ve got, holding nothing back from the God-man who gave up everything for you because He knows you’re worth it!

God saw you at your worst and decided you are worthy of His best. You are redeemed as a priceless treasure to your Maker!

You are a priceless crystal vase! Don’t keep on living like you are nothing but a plastic teacup. That doesn’t honor the One who bought you. Choose instead to live as the Bride of Christ and stop chasing after other things that can never satisfy but only leave you used and broken.

Are you living in a way that shows what you are worth to God? If not, why not?
How will you live differently once you choose to embrace your identity as a priceless treasure?

You can start with this prayer:

Lord, I thank you for paying full price for me even while I was unfaithful to you. The enormity of your sacrifice shows how much you love me. Help me live in a way that puts your great love on display and shows that I am redeemed.

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What Does it Mean to Be Redeemed?