With the title of this blog being Nichole Redeemed, I can go no further with my posts without first exploring this whole “redemption thing”. I will look at what the dictionary says, what scripture says, and share with you how this gift that I received can also belong to you. This post was particularly hard to write, not because its hard to explain or understand, but because there’s just so much I can say about it. I tried my best to include all i could while keeping it simple. I pray it blesses someone.
Dictionary.com defines redemption as the following:
noun
an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or the state of being redeemed.
deliverance; rescue.
Theology. deliverance from sin; salvation.
atonement for guilt.
repurchase, as of something sold.
paying off, as of a mortgage, bond, or note.
recovery by payment, as of something pledged
Some synonyms include: atonement, reclamation, reparation
In reading the literal definitions you can gather that redemption involves the repayment of something. The payment results in freedom from a debt or makes a wrong right. Therefore in order for me to be redeemed, I had to have a debt, and someone had to pay it. If as a result of that payment came freedom from the debt, then redemption has to be a gift that was given to me.
Let’s take a look at some scriptures that talk about redemption. (NLT/NIV Translation)
- Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”
- Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
- Titus 2:14 “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds”
- Colossians 1:13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son”
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
- 1 Peter 1: 18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ
In looking at what the scripture says and combining it with what we’ve already learned from the definition it begins to come together.
The Debt: My sin
The Price: The blood of an unblemished lamb, someone without any sin – Jesus Christ.
The Gift– Salvation – freedom from the bondage or debt of my sin
When you really break it down like that, the whole concept of redemption is mind blowing. A man laid down his life for the mistakes I make every day, paying a price that was so high that every future debt I create has already been paid off. When I think of sin I imagine it as being a revolving debt, never ending, that I’m continually racking up and trying to pay off; but the reality is that my debt was cancelled with the blood of my savior and will continue to be paid in full as long as I choose to continue to receive it.
So yes, redemption is a gift BUT it is also a choice. While the gift is free for anyone to have, God is not going to force you to receive it because He has also given us free will. God requires one thing for this gift…..that we choose to live for HIM. Why? He gave His one and only son as ransom for our lives to buy us back (redeem) from the world of our sin, so why would He then want us to continue living for that same world?
The reason some people have trouble receiving this gift is because they think their debt is too high. There is no debt that was not paid for with His blood, so it doesn’t matter what mistakes you have made. Comparing your mistakes to the ransom that was paid for your life is an excuse, and a scheme of this world to keep you shackled to those mistakes.
The bible says in Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
After His crucifixion came His resurrection. How amazing! He laid down his life and then went on to conquer death. When He rose again we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit which covers us in grace. Grace is the mercy shown to us for the mistakes we will still make, without accruing a new debt. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “For what I received I passed onto you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures…..”)
I had every excuse in the world as to why I shouldn’t receive this gift. I too looked at the tally of my mistakes and couldn’t imagine all of those wrongs being made right; I thought it was impossible. And who was I that this man should lay down His life for ME whom He calls friend? Then I looked at the tally of my pain, trying to rationalize that not even such a gift could heal me.
But wouldn’t you know that the same God who paid my ransom with the life of His one and only son, still extended grace to me before I chose to receive my redemption?
I love God so much now and strive to live for HIM daily, but realistically when I should have I didn’t; I didn’t choose God He chose me. John 15:16 says “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
You who are reading this He has also chosen YOU. He has no respect of person and I’m no more special to Him than you are. You can be saved you can be redeemed, even if the world tries to convince you of otherwise. Because I received the gift of redemption God can now use me to share the gift with others, and He wants to give you the same assignment. Your testimony won’t be the same as mine and neither will your audience be the same as mine. In redeeming you God also redeems your mistakes, so what you may have done wrong will be used to do right. You will literally be given a clean slate, expunged record, to be remembered no more.
Just as in my previous post about pain never being wasted, when I said that someone else’s pain is counting on your pain to bring them through. Someone else’s redemption is counting on you making the choice to receive it.
Nichole is….still a sinner, still makes mistakes, thought she was broken beyond repair, and initially rejected the gift but still received grace.
But I made the choice…..and now I am Nichole Redeemed.
Fill in the blank with you ____________ Redeemed.
Don’t you want to be redeemed too?
Send prayer requests and questions to nicholeredeemed@gmail.com
Nichole Redeemed 
Leave a Reply