"Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, 'Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine." Isaiah 43:1
It is a crying shame today that we find the word "redeem" to by only synonymous with "rescue". There is an element of rescue in redemption, to be sure; but that is not its fundamental meaning. At bottom, "redeem" means "to claim," or "to reclaim." It implies the idea of ownership. If you "redeem" something, then that something becomes yours. You have not merely rescued it; you own it as your own.
"I have redeemed thee...thou art mine." That is the definition of redemption: not "we are set free," but rather "we belong to God." In the redemption of Christ, we are not unbound from sin and made independent agents; we are unbound from sin and bound to God. We have been "bought with a price," says the Apostle Paul, and purchase implies ownership. "Ye are not your own," says God, "I have redeemed thee. Thou art mine." To be unbound from Sin is to be bound to God; to leave off one master is to submit to another. We cannot escape this; we can choose which master, but we must choose a master. The question is, to who or whom will you belong to: God or Sin? To who or whom will you be bound: Life or Death?
"Unto You I now belong.
To be free from You
Is to be lost in sin..."
-Jon Vowell
It is a crying shame today that we find the word "redeem" to by only synonymous with "rescue". There is an element of rescue in redemption, to be sure; but that is not its fundamental meaning. At bottom, "redeem" means "to claim," or "to reclaim." It implies the idea of ownership. If you "redeem" something, then that something becomes yours. You have not merely rescued it; you own it as your own.
"I have redeemed thee...thou art mine." That is the definition of redemption: not "we are set free," but rather "we belong to God." In the redemption of Christ, we are not unbound from sin and made independent agents; we are unbound from sin and bound to God. We have been "bought with a price," says the Apostle Paul, and purchase implies ownership. "Ye are not your own," says God, "I have redeemed thee. Thou art mine." To be unbound from Sin is to be bound to God; to leave off one master is to submit to another. We cannot escape this; we can choose which master, but we must choose a master. The question is, to who or whom will you belong to: God or Sin? To who or whom will you be bound: Life or Death?
"Unto You I now belong.
To be free from You
Is to be lost in sin..."
-Jon Vowell
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