I am redeemed, bought with a price,
Jesus has changed my whole life.
If anybody asks you, just who I am,
tell them I am redeemed.
Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace …” It literally means buying back from, repurchasing what was previously forfeited (or lost). It is put into effect by the payment of a ransom. In the case of believers, the price paid for our redemption is the blood of Jesus Christ.
Redemption is important in salvation because our human power is helpless in overcoming sin and saving ourselves. Redemption is also important when we mess up terribly and are at our lowest low.
When that happens, we may wonder what the Lord thinks of us and if he will leave us there. Be assured that he will not. He is not sneering at us or looking down at us.
Pastor and author, Chip Ingram, notes five significant characteristics in God’s redemption stories whether in Biblical times or our own situations.
(1) Something valuable is lost.
(2) There’s an intensive search that occurs.
(3) That which was lost is found.
(4) A great celebration follows.
(5) God and the angels rejoice in heaven.
Three parables meet these five criteria: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost son.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
This parable illustrates the love and compassion that God has for every person. It was in response to Jesus being criticized and attacked by the religious leaders (the Pharisees) for “eating with sinners”. Given their prejudice and wrong motives, they could not believe Jesus would associate with these types of people. Jesus stops the crowd and tells a story of how a shepherd left his flock of 99 sheep to go find one lost sheep. It relates the beautiful meaning of God seeking out the lost sinner and rejoicing when they are found. God cares about all of us equally and will stop everything to find us and care for us. [Matthew 18: 10–14]
The Parable of the Lost Coin
This parable One, known as the parable of the lost coin, imparts a basic and wonderful truth about His Father’s love. It is a timeless lesson, meant to encourage us in our faith. In it, a woman loses just one of her ten silver coins and worked tirelessly to find it. [Luke 15:8-10]
The Parable of the Lost Son
This story centers about an impatient and greedy son who asks his father for his inheritance. The father agrees, but the son wastes his money, eventually becoming homeless and destitute. In the end, to the son’s great surprise, he is welcomed back into the family by his father and brother. They had a huge celebration for him. [Luke 15:11-32]
We All Have a Redemption Story
Actually, we likely have experienced more than one personal story for which we needed God’s unconditional love, forgiveness, and redemption. Our failures are never final. Our heavenly Father longs to forgive you, cleanse you, restore you, empower you, and set you on a new path.