Not only do we desperately need to be forgiven; we also need to be bought back and set free from what holds us captive, which is called redemption.
I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” 23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done this wondrous thing. Shout for joy, O depths of the earth! Break into song, O mountains and forests and every tree! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and is glorified in Israel. Isaiah 44:22-23 (NLT)
In the Bible, to redeem means to buy back from slavery in order to set free.
Sin was the means that Satan used to enslave us. He used our transgression against God to strip us of our legal rights and make us slaves. Thankfully, Christ used his authority and power to liberate us from bondage to sin and the devil. He is the great Liberator.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, Luke 4:18 (ESV)
Sin is not only something we do; it is also a power within us that generates evil and rebellion against God.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)
Everyone comes into the world with a propensity to sin. It is what the Bible calls the “old man” because it is the inherited part of us connected to Adam and his fall from grace. The more God’s righteous Law prohibiting us from sinning, the stronger the urge in us becomes to violate that law. (Romans 7:8) The is called the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) . Paul the apostle understood the power of sin very well. Anyone who seriously attempts to live in obedience to God’s commands will discover the same.
This is what Paul wrote from his own experience.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:21–25 (NLT)
When Jesus died and rose again, he broke the power of sin to rule our lives.
When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Romans 6:10-14 (NLT)
The part of us that is drawn to sin was not annihilated, but it lost its power to rule us.
According to the Bible, every born again believer has been set free from all that enslaved us, whether or not he or she has yet to fully experience that reality.
Sin is a many-faceted oppressor. The wages of sin is death in all its forms, which appear as physical death, sickness, legalism, dead religious traditions, racism, demonic oppression, addictions, generational sins, etc. Christ paid the price to set us free from all these things.
With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Hebrews 9:12 (NLT)
After being forgiven, we enter into a process called “sanctification” or “transformation,” which lasts for the rest of our lives here on earth. The Holy Spirit works within each believer to transform us into Christ’s image.
God wants us to experience freedom from everything that holds us in bondage. He already paid the redemption price.
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. John 8:31-36 (NLT)
There is much to say about how God sets us free. He wants us to be delivered to lies we believe that create internal bondage. He also wants us to learn how to live in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, rather than attempt to serve him in our own strength. The process of being set free and learning to live each day by grace takes a lifetime. If you want to read more about how God sets people free, click here.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for redeeming me and setting me free. I want to experience this freedom in a greater way. I give you all the areas of my life in which I still need to experience this freedom. (List these things before the Lord.) Holy Spirit, guide me into freedom. Amen.
