What does it mean to be saved? Often we forget about the meaning of our Savior’s ultimate sacrifice in exchange for our deliverance. How could we not? Every day we face constant struggles. We see sickness, poverty, and conflict all across the globe. It’s like the only regular thing we witness is never-ending turmoil, and I know how tiring it must be for everyone.
After hearing the good news, being baptized, and serving at church, you might be wondering why you still experience trials? Aren’t we God’s children promised to live more glorious lives?
Let us define redemption. According to the dictionary, it is the act, process, or instance of compensating for a defect. This defect of humankind can be traced to the time Adam (the first man) committed the first sin in the garden of Eden. From then, all of his offspring carried that sin so incurable until Jesus Christ substituted Himself on the cross and took on the punishment that we were meant to face.
In the old testament, there were various foreshadowings of God’s plan. Our Lord saw how imperfect humanity is since, ultimately, we can only witness perfection in the Almighty’s glory.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” (Galatians 3:13)
You can go to Colossians by Jack Hetzel or other references to learn about God. When I was a baby Christian, I had this unquenching thirst for the scriptures. But ultimately, for us to treasure the gift of new life in Christ, we must first understand what it means to be redeemed. It means that the following gifts are entrusted to us.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
As God’s precious children, we can now prepare for eternal happiness in heaven after we end our journey on earth. We now no longer fear death, for to us, it is merely transitioning to another life – a far better one. So long as we cleave to the guidance of the Holy Ghost, we will never go astray. We are so blessed to have a Father so loving and kind. One whose love cannot be matched by anyone or any being for that matter.
To be made in His image and likeness awards us an irreplaceable seat in His kingdom. It must have pained him to witness our fall, to lose the intimacy we once had with each other. Still, our Lord’s nature is to be fair and just, which is why he allowed the ultimate punishment – “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust, you will return.” (Genesis 3:19)
Yet we are now saved by Jesus Christ, and we are now no longer destined to fall from His grace.
“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)
We have righteousness, not because of our good deeds, but because we have Christ in us. We are by far no match for our Lord’s righteousness, for He alone is perfect. We can never achieve perfection on our own accord, and with that, we were destined to be damned. But because of Jehovah’s love, our spirit and body are now reborn. With it, we carry God’s perfection and righteousness.
“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7)
We now earn the right to be with our Creator since we’ve been forgiven. Even though this is so, God is not finished yet. We still have remnants of our past sin, and as we dwell in our Lord’s guidance, little by little, we will transform to become our better selves. But we can now rejoice since perfection is within our reach through the Holy Spirit. His cup of grace will continuously overflow with mercy, and now we will no longer struggle whenever we fall short. Blessed are we to be forever in God’s embrace.
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