The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Titus 2:11-14,
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Jesus Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness". What does that mean? To "redeem" is not a word used these days as much as it had been when I was a child. (We had S&H Green Stamps back then.) Merriam-Webster defines "redeem" as "to buy back", "to win or get back", "to free from what distresses or harms: as to free from captivity by payment of ransom", "to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental", and "to release from blame or guilt".
When Jesus Christ redeems us, from what or to whom is he making payment, that is, "to buy back" or "to win or get back", to free us from what? What is that "something detrimental" we are saved from?
Paul mentions "all wickedness." As we spend time in the Scriptures we find that the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23. As sinners, we will face God in his court, and his justice for all the sinful things we have said, thought or done requires a penalty to be payed. In Revelation 20 we read of the penalty for sins: cast into a lake of fire for an eternity! It is this certain future we face as sinners that we are redeemed from, when we embrace Jesus Christ on the cross.
When Jesus, a man innocent of any and all sin, died on that cross, he was taking our place, our punishment upon himself, to make payment to God the Father's justice for my sins and your sins. In this sense he has redeemed us from "all wickedness." I note that Paul says it was not for some of our sins, but for all - all wickedness. When Jesus died on that cross, he brought a huge payment in to God's court. A payment that was large enough to cover all people's sins for all time. Some attempt to limit the payment Jesus made in their theology - they fail to see that what Jesus Christ suffered on that cross was payment enough to cover all sins for all people for all time.
In order for Jesus' payment to cover our sins, all he asks is that we trust in him, that we embrace him in faith, "to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12.
It is in this sense that Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Jesus Christ "gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness". What does that mean? To "redeem" is not a word used these days as much as it had been when I was a child. (We had S&H Green Stamps back then.) Merriam-Webster defines "redeem" as "to buy back", "to win or get back", "to free from what distresses or harms: as to free from captivity by payment of ransom", "to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental", and "to release from blame or guilt".
When Jesus Christ redeems us, from what or to whom is he making payment, that is, "to buy back" or "to win or get back", to free us from what? What is that "something detrimental" we are saved from?
Paul mentions "all wickedness." As we spend time in the Scriptures we find that the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23. As sinners, we will face God in his court, and his justice for all the sinful things we have said, thought or done requires a penalty to be payed. In Revelation 20 we read of the penalty for sins: cast into a lake of fire for an eternity! It is this certain future we face as sinners that we are redeemed from, when we embrace Jesus Christ on the cross.
When Jesus, a man innocent of any and all sin, died on that cross, he was taking our place, our punishment upon himself, to make payment to God the Father's justice for my sins and your sins. In this sense he has redeemed us from "all wickedness." I note that Paul says it was not for some of our sins, but for all - all wickedness. When Jesus died on that cross, he brought a huge payment in to God's court. A payment that was large enough to cover all people's sins for all time. Some attempt to limit the payment Jesus made in their theology - they fail to see that what Jesus Christ suffered on that cross was payment enough to cover all sins for all people for all time.
In order for Jesus' payment to cover our sins, all he asks is that we trust in him, that we embrace him in faith, "to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12.
It is in this sense that Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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