We sometimes sing the song, “I Have Been Redeemed.”  One of the emphases of the song is the joy redemption brings us, allowing us to overcome the trials of life.  Here are the lyrics.

¹ Sweet is the song I am singing today; I’m redeemed! I’m redeemed! Trouble and sorrow have vanished away; I have been redeemed!  ² Great is my joy now as onward I go; I’m redeemed! I’m redeemed! All the way homeward my praises shall flow; I have been redeemed!  ³ Precious indeed is my Savior to me; I’m redeemed! I’m redeemed! Happy in glory someday I shall be; I have been I have been redeemed!

These words capture how all of us in Christ should feel.  If we really understand, as we all should, how precious redemption is, our joy will be great.

Redemption is a great word.  In English, we usually use the word from the standpoint of being atoned for something, and it is always used positively.  Whether it is a troubled youth who uses bad judgment and gets his life into a mess, but then recovers and redeems himself, or the story of someone whose reputation is ruined by lies and falsehoods, but in the end, he is found not guilty and is redeemed; the story of redemption always ends wells.

The biblical words for redemption certainly contain this element of atonement, but the basic meaning behind them is the act of being bought.  There are three Greek words for redemption.   The first word is found in 1 Corinthians 6:20 and is translated bought.  Strong says it means, “to go to market to purchase.”  This word only carries the idea of buying something without indicating what the buyer plans to do with that which is purchased.

The second word is found in Galatians 3:13 and is translated redeemed.  Strong says it means, “to rescue from loss.”  Now we start to see, not just the idea of buying, but also what the purchaser plans to do with that which is bought.  He is on a rescue mission.

The third word is found in Romans 3:24, as well as many other places, and is translated as redemption.  Strong says it means, “Deliverance on account of the ransom paid…”  What was the ransom paid?  It was the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7).

So, then, when we put all these words for redemption together, we find that we have, not just been bought, we have been rescued, and we have been rescued at a very high price—the shed blood of Jesus on the cross, resulting in the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14).  Now, what is the result of having our sins forgiven?  The result of this is that we are sin-free!

I do not mean by this that we are sinless.  John tells us that if we say that we have not sinned we are deceiving ourselves (1 Jn. 1:8).  What I am saying is that we appear before God without spot as if we have not sinned.  Why?  Because we have been forgiven by God, and when He forgives us of our sins, He remembers them no more (Hebrews 10:16-17).  That is what happened to each one of us when we became Christians.  God took away our sins and cast them into oblivion.  We now appear before Him “holy and blameless and above reproach” (Colossians 1:22).   This is the blessing of being redeemed in Christ.  By the blood of Jesus, our sins have been taken away, and we have been justified, that is, declared not guilty.

In truth, we are all guilty; but in heaven’s court, we have been acquitted.  Now it is as if we have not committed the crime.  That is what redemption is all about, and it can only be attained by the grace of God when one obeys the gospel of Christ.  If the Bible truth of redemption does not bring you joy, I suspect nothing will.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.