The redemption of man by Christ Jesus

"The redemption of man by Christ Jesus has been tearfully contemplated, angrily debated, reduced to mathematical equations, abandoned as incomprehensible, and, sometimes, made a matter of scorn. Some have thought that the Lord Jesus succeeded in placating a fiercely angry Deity and caused Him to turn His face toward us when hitherto He had been wrathful and unforgiving. Others have regarded redemption like a system of weights, pulleys and strings by which the redemption of man was, as it were, mechanically contrived. Yet others have taken it as a spiritual business transaction whereby the inestimable value of Christ's blood was paid to a being known as the Devil in order to secure the release of sinners from his evil grasp. Some have found it helpful to look upon Christ's death as substitutionary: that is, that Christ went to the cross instead of us, paying in this way the price for our personal sins. And some have regarded his death as a tragedy, an accident of wicked circumstances, and in no way of itself redemptive.

What is the truth? How can one find a way through this maze of speculation? As in everything else, there is only one sure way, and that is to let the Bible do the teaching and guiding, and to submit humbly to the discipline of this instruction.

Let us start by dismissing the notion that Jesus was pleading on bended knee to a God whose anger had caused Him to turn His face away from us. The secret of the cross is love, the love of God and the love of His Son. Whatever else we may have to consider, let us lay down this foundation: The motivating force for redemption is love:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"The Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Love is the reason for redemption. Love flowed first from God, and therefore from the Son whom He sent into the world. Love cannot be and must not be reduced to law or considered in terms of rights and earnings. Love is above and beyond all considerations. Love owes nothing to any goodness or merit in us. Love comes from God who is "merciful and gracious"."
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Brother Harry Tennant
The Lord who Bought Me
The Christadelphians - What they Believe and Preach

God's Special Gift

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God;
To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness:
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Ro 3:23-26 AV)

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Ro 7:14 AV)

BIBLE STUDY
Title: God's Special Gift

Topic(s): Salvation, God's Love
Scripture: Romans 3:23-26

What do you associate with Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and lots of other special occasions? If you said "gifts," 99 percent of the rest of our society would probably agree with you. Gifts are one of the ways most of us show we care about someone.

But no one has ever given a gift that is as special as the one God gave. This gift came through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let's take a closer look at what God's Word says about this gift.

What Does God Say?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

* Who needs God's gift?
* What does this gift prove about God?
* How would you explain to someone the way to receive this gift?

My Thoughts

God's gift is free, but it's not cheap. It cost the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. It was Christ's blood that redeemed us. The word redeemed means "to buy back." It's used to describe paying a ransom for someone's release. Sin had held us captive. It held us under its control (Romans 7:14). But Jesus paid the ransom price and set us free.

This allowed God to be both "just and the justifier." For God to have ignored our sins would make Him unjust. He would be violating His own laws. But Jesus became a propitiation through His blood. The word propitiation means "to satisfy." To maintain God's justice, the Law had to be met. Jesus satisfied that Law through His death.

My Part

Take a piece of paper and divide it in half. On one half, label it "Mankind" and list all the ways people try to pay for their sins. On the other half, list The way God has paid for our sins. Which way have you chosen?

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