Redeemable People

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

Psalm 44:26

“…redeem us because of your unfailing love.”

 

Some months ago I took a trip up to Oregon and early one morning I decided to take a long walk. A few cars were on the road but I saw no one venturing out so soon. Then I heard a strange noise behind me like metal cans and glass bottles banging against one another. I looked behind me, and walking across the street was a bearded man in dirty clothes carrying a huge clear plastic garbage bag full of recyclable pop and beer cans and bottles. As he crossed the street his bag would swing back and forth causing the contents of his precious redeemable cargo to clutter and clank together. I thought about how important these cans and bottles might mean to this man’s meager existence. He must have spent a lot of time searching the byways and highways of Oregon to gather such a large collection. They probably provided funds for much needed food and clothing.

 

Most people ignore cans and bottles that lay by the roadside. Many of us simply throw our aluminum and glass containers away, too busy to bother with redeeming them. But some people see the value in these containers and seek to rescue them from the landscapes of our roads, ditches and fields so they can be redeemed and be for cash and useful for other purposes. Then I thought of how God is in the business of redeeming people much like how this man was in the business of redeeming cans and bottles. We’re all in great need for being redeemed. We are born into sin and are in a sorry state of affairs when it comes to right thinking and right living. Our flesh taints our life as well as our relationships. Until we accept Christ as Savior we are not friends of God and are under His judgment. But He sees value in us, and that is why He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins so that He might redeem us. He redeems us not just to save us from His judgment, but also to serve and obey Him so we can help build His Kingdom and bring Him honor and glory. Much like aluminum cans and glass bottles that are melted down and to be reformed into new cans and bottles, we are made new creatures in Christ when we accept the redemption offered in Jesus our Savior.

 

Numerous examples exist in scripture of men and women and even nations of people whom God redeemed for His purpose and will.

 

Moses was born a Jew and was actually redeemed twice (Exodus 2). First, his mother placed Him in the Nile River to save him from being killed by the carrying out of Pharaoh’s decree. Pharaoh’s daughter discovered him floating in the river in a basket and rescued him and raised him as her own. Secondly after he killed an Egyptian and fled Egypt he tended sheep in the wilderness for 40 years. God used this time to prepare him for leadership and redeemed him for ministry at the end of this time.

 

David is another individual whom God redeemed for service. While David was a godly young man and ruler, he fell into sin. Had he not repented of his actions God would not have granted forgiveness. God disciplined David for his actions but this was part of the redemption process. Sometimes God disciplines us or allows consequences for our sins to fall upon us for our own good. But He does this so that we can learn from our mistakes, grow in our faith and be better used to carry out God’s will.

 

David wrote in Psalms 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” David wanted to be pure and renewed and God granted Him this request. A contrite heart and broken spirit are conditions that God can work with in His work with redeeming people for service (Psalm 51:17, Isaiah 57:15, 66:2).

 

Israel is an example of a nation that was redeemed many times. They strayed from their faith in God. They complained and grumbled against God. They worshipped false Gods and failed to obey Him, but He continually redeemed them for service to His will because they were and are His chosen people. Often God would allow Israel to be cast off into bondage by other nations to discipline them for their rebellion and spiritual adultery but He always worked in redeemable ways to restore them as a chosen people for His purposes. Ezekiel 11:17-21 illustrates this point.

 

“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

 

Paul is yet another example of a man whom God redeemed. Of all the men of scripture, Paul might be considered someone unredeemable. He persecuted Christians and participated in the death of Steven. He went out of his way to not only frustrate the spread of Christianity but also to eliminate followers of Christ. But in Acts 2 we find Jesus intercepting Paul on a journey to confrontationally attempt to redeem him from his pernicious behavior of persecuting Christians. God saw value in Paul and sought to intercede in Paul’s life so that he could be redeemed for service to God. We now see that this act of love on God’s part enabled most of the New Testament to be written by Paul, a redeemed man.

 

Peter is another man whom God redeemed. Called personally by Jesus to be a disciple he stumbled and bumbled his way through Jesus’ training. Jesus had faith in him though and even warned of a future failure that would take place in his life (Luke 22:31-34). Eventually this would come true and Peter would deny his knowing Christ at all (Matthew 26:75). But God redeemed Peter even after his denial of Christ. Peter would receive the Holy Spirit and become a great preacher and evangelist. In God’s act of redeeming Peter, despite his failure, gives us hope as we struggle in our own walk with the Lord at times.

 

God deals with us compassionately and appropriately whenever we disobey and stray from His will. He wishes to redeem the lost and He desires to redeem us again if we stray from the righteous path. In Galatians 6:1 He expects us to do the same as we deal with other Christians who have sinned against God. It says, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.”

 

We see from all the examples I have shared, and these are only a sample, that God values the souls of people and wishes to redeem them. He desires for us to have this same passion for souls and commands us to go out find those that need to be redeemed. Much like those who search every nook and cranny to find aluminum cans that can be redeemed, our Heavenly Father wants us to continually search for lost souls that He desires to redeem. They may be family members, our neighbors, our co-workers or complete strangers, but every single individual that does not know Christ as Savior and Lord is in need of redemption that only God can provide.

 

God’s desire to redeem people is reflected in the last command Jesus gave before He ascended to Heaven. This passage instructs us to be out and about looking for those that need to be redeemed by the Lord.

 

Matthew 28:18-20

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

In Titus we are told about the new path we walk as new creatures in Christ after we have been redeemed. This passage also talks about how this redemption was made possible and why it was offered up as a holy sacrifice. It also states the new mindset we have as new creations in Christ. Bottles and cans thrown away by society are often dented, bent, dirty and cracked, but once they are redeemed and reformed for use, they are shiny and clean, sparkling and sturdy. This is who we are in Christ, pure and holy in our standing before the Lord. Our task is to live out this justified new life in the Lord by living godly lives and seeking to tell others of the redemption that can be theirs.

 

Titus 2:11-14

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

 

Psalms 49:15 gives us a great hope regarding our redemption. We will not rest in our graves forever. We will not cease to exist. We will be taken to the very presence of God after we die because our Heavenly Father has redeemed us. The Heavenly Father planned this. Jesus made it possible. The Holy Spirit seals us and verifies it. We have a great honor to be redeemed by our loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

“But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”