Redeemed - What Does God Want Us to Know?

Organization isn’t my strong suit. Oh, to have a personal assistant that would take care of all the details in my life would be glorious!

I’m working on it though and by the grace of God I’ll get better. So, with that said, I’m trying to plan ahead with a certain theme for the upcoming month. If you have any thoughts or questions as we dig into what God is revealing to me this month please feel free to contact me at lmhicks@gwtc.net.

God has been speaking the word “redeemed” over and over again to my heart for the past several months. I’ve started really digging into what it means. Not just on paper, but what it means for us in our own lives. So, I thought we could explore this a bit more together.

Redemption in the ancient world “includes the ideas of loosing from a bond, setting free from captivity or slavery, buying back something lost or sold, exchanging something in one's possession for something possessed by another, and ransoming.” (Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology)

Yahweh was called Israel’s “Redeemer” as He had delivered His people from captivity in Egypt. With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home.

Exodus 15:13 (NLT)

God had redeemed the Israelites from slavery. Their bonds were loosened and they were set free.

The original Greek word in the New Testament for “redeem” is apolýtrōsis (from/apó, "from" and /lytróō, "redeem") So properly that would be redemption which is literally, "buying back from, re-purchasing (winning back) what was previously forfeited (lost)." So we see that apolýtrōsis ("redemption, re-purchase") emphasizes the distance ("safety-margin") that results between the rescued person, and what previously enslaved them. (Strong’s Concordance, 629)

As believers, we can view the word “redeem” in the light of the original translation and see God’s grace at work as He purchased us back from the debt of sin. So then we can walk out into our new identity in Christ We are redeemed!

The song below is so powerful! Only God has the power to redeem. Let’s walk in our true identity as a redeemed child of God this week and beyond.