Redeemed

In Maine and several other locations, we have heard the term redemption center, referring to places that buy back recyclable goods. It’s buying trash back to reuse it for something useful.

There is a story I ran across from some old materials from Good News Publishers that I wanted to share this morning that illustrates wonderfully what it means to be redeemed.

Tom carried his newly made boat to the edge of the river. He carefully placed it in the water and slowly let out the string. How smoothly the boat sailed! Tom sat in the warm sunshine, admiring the little boat that he had built. Suddenly a strong current caught the boat. Tom tried to pull it back to shore, but the string broke. The little boat raced downstream.

Tom ran along the sandy shore as fast as he could. But his little boat soon slipped out of sight. All afternoon he searched for the boat. Finally, when it was too dark to look any longer, Tom sadly went home.

A few days later, on the way home from school, Tom spotted a boat just like his in a store window. When he got closer, he could see -- sure enough -- it was his!

Tom hurried to the store manager: "Sir, that's my boat in your window! I made it!"

"Sorry, son, but someone else brought it in this morning. If you want it, you'll have to buy it for one dollar."

Tom ran home and counted all his money. Exactly one dollar! When he reached the store, he rushed to the counter. "Here's the money for my boat." As he left the store, Tom hugged his boat and said, "Now you're twice mine. First, I made you and now I bought you."

There is so much richness in 1 Peter, that I fear, even using short sections for my messages, that I am not doing justice to the depths of the love and encouragement that is penned in this writing. I leave it to the Holy Spirit to enlighten you exactly according to what is necessary in your particular life.

Here is what we need to focus on, not only for today, but always.

That is

We are free from sin because we have been redeemed by God.

The Blemished and the Blood - 1:18-19

It has been stated the God’s love for us provides our highest motivation to live holy and God-honoring lives. We have already been introduced to and reminded of the facts of our salvation and have been encouraged to live holy lives since we are saved. Yet, the questions arise as to the how and the when and the why, not even mentioning the Who.

1 Peter 1:18–19 NASB95

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.

1 Peter 1:18=

It helps to be reminded that we, and all humanity, were actually slaves to sin. You might say that we were completely blemished and marred. We lived a life of depraved emptiness, attempting to fill it with everything else that was just as dead as we were. For some time, we lived confused and deceived lives, thinking that we were experiencing fulfillment and happiness, when really we were on a spinning wheel hoping to land on just the right thing that would meet our desires. The reality is that whether we knew it or not, we needed to be set free.

It helps to be reminded that we, and all humanity, were actually slaved to sin. You might say that we were completely blemished and marred. We lived a life of depraved emptiness, attempting to fill it with everything else that was just as dead as we were. For some time, we lived confused and deceived lives, thinking that we were experiencing fulfillment and happiness, when really we were on a spinning wheel hoping to land on just the right thing that would meet our desires. The reality is that whether we knew it or not, we needed to be set free.

1:18a-19

We understand that Peter’s readers would have completely understood this concept. In the first century, the Roman Empire actually contained at least 60 million slaves. Quite a few actually became followers of Christ and would worship with other Christians. Yet they were still slaves in the earthly sense. But a slave could actually become free if he could somehow gather enough money to purchase his own freedom. Another option would be if the slave’s master would sell him to someone else, hoping that the new master would be willing to set him free. Thus the picture of redemption was a very meaningful word. To redeem means to set free by paying a price. This was also a technical word that described payment for the freedom of a prisoner of war.

However, spiritually speaking, we know that there is not enough money on this planet, nor is there enough good deeds that could be done that would ever be able to purchase or redeem any single person from the slave market of sin to freedom in Christ. The only way that humanity could experience freedom would be if someone would be willing and able to redeem us. That Person was none other than Jesus Christ, our true Kinsman-Redeemer. Jesus did this by shedding His precious blood Peter tells us. Jesus redeemed us by purchasing or redeeming us out of slavery to sin and giving us eternal freedom in Christ.

Peter also uses a unique phrase showing us the holiness and sinlessness of Jesus, as well as the fact that He came as a substitute for us. As of a lamb unblemished and spotless . . . The picture throughout the Old Testament of the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the people is that of an innocent victim that gave his life for the individual(s) who were guilty. We see it on various occasions throughout the Bible. Even John gave prophetic testimony to this.

John 1:29 NASB95

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

We recall how a lamb was to be sacrificed in Egypt as a substitute for the first born child. Because of the lamb’s sacrifice, the first born child was spared. We also can’t overlook the redemption of the Israelite people from the slavery to Egypt to freedom to be God’s chosen people to serve Him and how that served as a type of what Jesus did for us.

Let’s take a little time to look at what we’ve been set free from which Peter has referred to earlier. This would describe the Christian’s life B.C.; before Christ.

Earlier, Peter spoke of former lusts which seems to be a drivenness to doing evil. Whatever bad could be imagined, we were enslaved to that way of life. We were also ignorant in that we were trapped in a stupor regarding the understanding of the things of God. We were wandering around in darkness, unable to see the forest in spite of the trees. Everything which we did in our flesh was just an empty waste of time and energy, doing nothing but dragging us deeper into slavery.

Interestingly, Peter uses a phrase in the last part of verse 18, futile way of life inherited from your forefathers. Sadly, they were quite religious people, but it was a waste. They worshipped tradition, man-made rules, culture, but never truly worshipped God. Worship of church, traditions, lifestyles, evil, inclusiveness, separation, anything with a focus other than God is a form of slavery and is what we used to be doing. We needed rescued; somebody to pay the price and release us from these horrors.

Let me repeat what I’ve stated already. Peter reminds us that we know full well that there is nothing on this earth that can possibly come up with the right price to free us. So what can take away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Indeed verse 19 clearly tell us this truth. And to continue to remind us again of the fact that we’ve been made holy because of this precious blood, . . . unblemished and spotless, blood of Christ, we recall Paul’s words to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

It was the shedding of His blood that made it possible for us to be redeemed. There was nothing magical about the blood. It was that sacrificial death which Jesus made on our behalf. A death that was seen by the lifeblood being shed by Jesus. And the wonder of it all is that Jesus did this willingly because of His great love for you and me.

The Plan and Purpose - 1:20-21

Peter also makes sure all the readers to this letter understood clearly that this was not a plan B nor was it an afterthought nor was it an accident. This was all part of God’s sovereign plan.

1 Peter 1:20–21 NASB95

For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

plan.

1:20b-21b

Just as Peter proclaimed at Pentecost in , he states again in the first part of this verse. God had purposed and ordained this before creation had even occurred. He was foreknown. God has planned to send His Son to redeem fallen humanity even before the foundation of the world. This was actually known amongst the religious leaders, yet they refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Peter also uses the phrase has appeared which is written in such a way that it shows Jesus’ arrival and life on this earth was an actual event in history. Also, we recognize in this phrase, the glorious mystery of how the Son of God became human. This is what we celebrate every December, Christ coming to earth as a baby, to grow and to live and to die and to rise in order to purchase our salvation. With the ideas of foreknown and has appeared, we readily understand that the reason for Christmas is Good Friday. The culmination of Good Friday is seen on Easter or Resurrection morning. That completely makes it possible for us to be redeemed.

But why does Peter say in these last times? This was actually a common phrase that spoke about the time period between when Christ was born and when He will come again at His Second Coming.

We also know that Jesus was not killed against His will; He willingly gave His life. Yet, to show even more the complete intentionality and total control and power over the whole purpose, we see that Jesus is alive today. Peter reminds us that as believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory . . . , Jesus is truly alive. This is further evidence of the validity that what Jesus did was sufficient. He was truly the perfect sacrifice for sin. He had done all that was necessary to redeem us from the slavery of sin. In addition, Jesus was given glory upon the ascension of Jesus. And upon His ascension He went to the Father’s right hand.

Yet, to show even more the complete intentionality and total control and power over the whole purpose, we see that Jesus is alive today. Peter reminds us that as believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory . . . , Jesus is truly alive.

That seems like an incredible and amazing thing which Jesus did. But what was the purpose? For the sake of you is what Peter writes. Every one of us who is chosen; we are the redeemed. Jesus did this to purchase our salvation which was planned before time began. And it could only be through Him. Nobody can be a believer in God, except they be born again through Jesus Christ. Anyone who says that they believe in God, yet don’t believe that Jesus is God’s Son, nor believe in His death, burial, and resurrection, nor are willing to admit that it is only through the Lord Jesus Christ in which a person can be saved, is NOT saved and is still a slave to sin. Sadly, they will find themselves in hell facing eternal punishment.

As a result of all this, Peter reminds us that this is so that your faith and hope are in God. Again, we can trust God in all things in the midst of anything and everything because we have been redeemed. Schreiner states: Christ’s resurrection of the dead is the foundation of the “living hope” of believers . . . , so too here the hope of believers is rooted in the resurrection of Christ.

Schreiner states: Christ’s resurrection of the dead is the foundation of the “living hope” of believers . . . , so too here the hope of believers is rooted in the resurrection of Christ.

Conclusion

When we consider that we have been redeemed intentionally at an incredible cost, we should really want to live our lives in such a way that Jesus is glorified in all that we do, regardless of what the circumstances and situations may be.

We are saved by Christ’s willing sacrificial death which purchased us out of the slave market of sin into the family of God where we are free indeed.

So, in light of the fact that we have been redeemed unto God, we would do well to heed what one writer stated: A life of holiness is one in which God is prized above all things, in which believers trust and hope in his goodness.

A life of holiness is one in which God is prized above all things, in which believers trust and hope in his goodness.

Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 89.

We are free from sin because we have been redeemed by God.

By faith, saints presently enjoy the redemption of the soul (“the first fruits of the Spirit”), and by hope they anticipate the redemption of the body from all remaining effects of the Fall.

John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Peter, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2004), 85.

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