Redeemed, Reconciled, Restored

We are still talking about redemption. Why am I still on this topic? It is because the Lord will not let me get off it. Apparently we have not gotten what He means by redemption. He is wanting us to understand the fullness of what He did for us. We are redeemed; we are reconciled; we are restored.

Let’s look at the definition of redeemed, redemption, redeemer in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary.

REDEEM
To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited by paying an equivalent
To repurchase what has been sold; to regain possession of a thing alienated, by repaying the value of it to the possessor
To rescue; to recover; to deliver them
To free by making atonement
To pay the penalty of
To save
To perform what has been promised; to make good by performance
In theology, to rescue and deliver from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God’s violated law, by obedience and suffering the place of the sinner, or by doing and suffering that which is accepted in lieu of the sinner’s obedience

REDEEMED
Ransomed; delivered from bondage, distress, penalty, liability or from the possession of another, by paying an equivalent

REDEEMING
Ransoming; procuring deliverance from captivity, capture, bondage, sin, distress or liability to suffer, by the payment of an equivalent

And listen to what the word reconcile means in that same dictionary.

RECONCILE
The literal sense is to call back into union.
To call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated; to restore to friendship or favor after estrangement

RECONCILED
Brought into friendship from a state of disagreement or enmity; made consistent; adjusted

RECONCILEMENT
Friendship renewed

Let’s put together here what we see from these definitions that are just in an earthly dictionary. This is what Jesus did for us and this is the result. He rescued us from sin, which had held us in bondage as prisoners. We were a prisoner of satan and all the sin that he carried. There was a penalty that had to be paid for this sin. Someone had to come up with a ransom to free us. And satan thought there was no way that we could be ransomed, redeemed. The price was too high. But God had a plan. He had a redemption price. He had a Redeemer. The price for our redemption was the blood of Jesus.

1 Peter 1:18,19,20
Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (way of living, lifestyle) received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without or spot;
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
Jesus Christ, with His blood, made the full payment that had been promised. He liberated, rescued, delivered, recovered you and me from the capture of satan and his distress, suffering. There was an obligation, a penalty, a liability that had to be satisfied or fulfilled to regain possession of man, to repurchase what had been stolen from God.

And what was God’s goal. He called back mankind into union with Himself. He renewed our friendship. We were no longer in a state of disagreement. He was offering us the hand of friendship. All we have to do is reach out our hand and take His and trust Him to take care of us from that point on.

This word friendship here is a covenant term, not just what we in the western world call friendship. It is a term that describes a relationship that will lay down its life for the friend. And that is exactly what God through His Son Jesus did to restore our relationship.

We are redeemed; we are reconciled; we are restored forever, eternally to Almighty God, our Father, our Savior, our Redeemer, our God, Who loves us unconditionally, without any strings attached.