Redeemed

This week's blog posting is - and the sermon will be - by Paul Goebel. Thanks to him, I am able to take a week off at The River. Thanks, Paul!

Text: Colossians 1:13-14

Broken, a mess, dead in sin, a sinner, lukewarm, rascal, empty, unrighteous, distant from our Father…the list goes on. These are all terms I’ve heard used by pastors and others referring to us as Christians in our walks of faith. While much of it might be true at a certain level, I believe that we often can use these definitions as a means of justifying the behaviors that would be consistent with these terms. “If I’m broken, then sin can’t help but overcome me”. As broken people, sin, and distance from our Father, Savior, and Spirit, becomes justified actions when we consider ourselves as sinners. 

Ruth, Leviticus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, and numerous (really numerous) references in Paul’s writings essentially tell us what Paul says in Colossians: “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption…”

So, we are no longer broken, we are no longer dead in sin, we are no longer unrighteous if we truly believe in Jesus. We are REDEEMED now, not tomorrow, not when we die, not at some point when we truly grow up. Jesus did not die “halfway” to save us from death, he was “all in” and died completely to save us. Therefore, we are not partially redeemed, we are not lukewarm, we are no longer broken, if we truly believe in Jesus, we are 100% and completely WHOLE. Not redeemed some of the time and not redeemed others, not redeemed when we come to church, not redeemed just when we pray. Every breath, every moment, every day, we are redeemed in Him.

It is time to start thinking and acting like whole followers of Jesus. It is time to take the strength and consistency of redemption into every day, every moment, every relationship. It isn’t time to think of ourselves as broken, the urgency of redemption and salvation tell us to live as redeemed followers of Christ, this day, this moment.

When I think of myself as broken, I am broken and so tempted by sin. When I consider myself redeemed, my decisions and actions change completely. The strength that comes to me when I decide that I am redeemed is truly amazing, truly life changing. It changes the way I look at life, the “filter” is completely different. It makes me realize that, even though my body is broken, sick, dying, diseased, and finite, my spirit is fully and wholly ALIVE in a risen Savior. What a truly simple and beautiful realization that is.