On Good Friday we enjoyed a fellowship meal together before our service. During that service we looked at the fact that by His death on the cross, Jesus redeemed us from our sins – a fact prophesied before His birth! (see Luke 1:68) In Colossians, we read ‘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, the forgiveness of sins.’ (Col 1:13-14) In Ephesians 1:7-8, Paul writes, ‘In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.’ (Eph 1:7-8) These verses remind us that part of our identity as God’s people is that we are redeemed.
‘Redeemed’ and ‘redemption’ are words we don’t us a lot nowadays, but this means to be bought back, rescued from the enemy’s ownership and restored to God. Paul tells us that ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.’ (Gal 3:13-14) Good Friday sees Jesus paying the price for our sin and therefore we can enter into God’s blessings now.
Forgiveness of sins means the slate is wiped completely clean; we are now given a new legal status, that of justified people. The redemption Christ has purchased for us is eternal: ‘He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.’ (Heb 9:12) The Israelites were rescued from slavery and redeemed and led into a new country. (Deut 7:8) They knew freedom; they were God’s people. We too have been set free and redeemed, forgiven, justified and given a fresh start as God’s people, all because of Christ’s death for us.
