Redemption
God is a God of redemption, a God who redeems. To redeem means to regain possession of something, something that you originally had and lost possession of. There’s usually a payment involved in that redemption, so redeeming also has the idea of ‘buying back.’ Redemption is one of the great Christian words, featuring in the Old Testament (see Ex 6:6, Lev 25:29, Ruth 3-4, Job 19:25, Ps 19:14, Is 41:14, Ps 103:4, Ps 130:8) and the New Testament (Col 1:14, Eph 1:7), showing us that Jesus is our Redeemer. Because of sin, our relationship with God has been fractured and so through Christ’s sacrifice, we have been bought back (Gal 3:13, 1 Pet 1:18-19) and that relationship has been restored.
Reclaim
All the privileges of being sons and daughters of the living God which were lost when Adam sinned can be regained; as Aaron Shust puts it, ‘All that’s lost can be regained.’ (‘You Redeem’) Redemption and restoration enable us to receive forgiveness and wholeness. Instead of being banished from the Garden of Eden, cast out from God’s presence, we can know intimacy and fellowship with God.
David’s recapture of all that was stolen from him at Ziklag (1 Sam 30) gives us a picture of what Jesus has done for us. David was able to recover everything the Amalekites had taken. He was able to reclaim all that had been stolen from him. Nothing was missing; David brought everything back. Despite the heartache, despite the distress they had all known, David was able to recover everything. This is a picture of what Jesus has done for us. The enemy is a thief and a liar. (Jn 8:44, Jn 10:10) He seeks only to destroy, to steal from us all that God has made freely available to us in Jesus Christ. As God’s children, we now have access to all the riches and inheritance that God has given to His beloved Son. (Eph 1:18, Heb 9:15, Gal 5:1)
Release
As we let go of everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us, we can enter into the freedom of blessing and the wholeness which a relationship with Jesus can bring. God promises peace which passes all understanding to guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7) He promises provision for all our needs: ‘my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil 4:19) He promises us unquenchable joy – joy that is complete and which cannot be taken away from us. (John 15:11, John 16:22) In order for us to access these promises, however, we have to release all that is not of God and cast our cares on Him (1 Pet 5:7). We also have to accept the divine exchange God offers us. (Is 61:1-3)
Rebuild
Rebuilding can be a long process (as we discovered when we moved into Market Street), but the Bible is full of building projects: Moses supervising the building of the Tabernacle; Solomon supervising the building of the temple; Nehemiah supervising the rebuilding of the city walls following exile; Haggai prophesying about the rebuilding of the temple after that time. Jesus spoke about the wise and foolish builders (Matt 7:24-27) and Paul reminded the Corinthians of the need to build on good foundations (1 Cor 3:10-15). God ultimately rebuilds our lives through the words that He speaks (see Heb 1:3, Deut 32:47, John 6:63, 68).
Renew
The work of renewing is ongoing and is for everyone. It’s for the newest Christian; it’s for the oldest; it’s for everyone in between. Isaiah tells us that those who wait on the Lord, who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength. (Is 40:31) The book of Ruth promises us, ‘He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.’ (Ruth 4:5) David prayed for God to renew a steadfast spirit within him. (Ps 51:10) Paul urged us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Rom 12:2) and told us to put on the new self which is daily being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Col 3:10) Holy Spirit renewal is available to each one of us (Titus 3:5), even when we feel as though we are weak and fading: ‘Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.’ (2 Cor 4:16)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the flourish by which God announces to us that all things can be made new and that He is doing a new thing which will reverse all the curses of the Fall.