To redeem means to loose or set free from bondage. It is a biblical term especially associated with the liberation of debtors, slaves or prisoners. It can also mean to buy back that which has been lost, stolen, forfeited or sold.
In the beginning Adam lost his oneness with God and passed on that fallen state to all his offspring. The enemy has since stolen many things from our hearts and lives: virtue, righteousness, peace, perfect health and everlasting life. To one degree or another, we have all forfeited good things God wanted for us and in so doing sold ourselves into spiritual or mental enslavement—but thank God we learned to “say so,” to declare our redemption rights and lay hold of them by faith.
From the onset, God had a plan to redeem fallen humanity. Strangely, though, it took many centuries to unfold. The first mention of redemption is found in Genesis, the book of beginnings.
As Jacob prayed over his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he declared:
“The angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; let them be called by my name, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Gen. 48:16, MEV).
The angel being referred to is no ordinary angel—it is “the Angel of the Lord,” a title assigned to the preincarnate Messiah when He manifested Himself during the Old Testament era (Genesis 16:7 and 22:11; Exodus 3:2 and 23:23; and Judges 6:11–24).
Jacob was “saying so,” as Psalm 107 suggests. He was declaring a spiritual law and precedent over his seed that when the Redeemer comes into the lives of His chosen ones, His intention is to deliver them from “all evil”—from every evil thing encountered in this world, even the bonds of death itself.
Redeemed from the Law
When the law was revealed, it resulted in both blessings and curses on the children of Israel. For those who obeyed, it promised great blessings, but for those who disobeyed, terrible consequences. Over one hundred curses are listed in Deuteronomy 27:14–26 and 28:15–68. One disturbing verse announced unequivocally: “Cursed is he who does not confirm all the words of this law by doing them” (Deut. 27:26).
There were 613 commandments in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and, according to this verse, if a person fell short of keeping just one, he or she came under this curse of the law. So all who participated in the Old Covenant were under “a yoke of bondage,” because no one could live a perfect life (Gal. 5:1). However, like the dawning of a new day, the New Covenant arose out of the shadows with the promise:
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).
What a miracle! Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid a sufficient price in advance to loose all who would ever yield to His Lordship from all sins and failures, as well as the judgment that should have resulted. He delivered us from every curse of the law including sickness, poverty and confusion of mind. He did not accomplish this miracle through some religious ritual:
“For you know that you were not redeemed from your vain way of life inherited from your fathers with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19).
Even if death stalks us, and it appears we may leave this world, we can echo the confident words of the patriarch Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25).
Whenever that may take place, God’s redemptive plan will carry us through the portal of death to even greater glory at the second coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, “we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23).
There is nothing to fear, for our God will never leave us nor forsake us until we arrive at this final goal. We have been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13)—powerfully preserved by the Most High “for the day of redemption,” the day when we are changed fully into His image (Eph. 4:30). The glory of Eden that was lost will then be regained.
No wonder our main scripture encourages God’s redeemed to “say so” (Ps. 107:2). The key to experiencing all of these redemption rights is to seize them by faith through the power of the spoken word.
Let’s do that right now!
Declare Who You Are in Christ
“I declare that I am one of the redeemed of the Lord! This is a past tense fact. By the blood of the Lamb, I have already been redeemed—loosed away from the bondage of sin, sickness, poverty and all satanic plots against me. My mind has been redeemed. My emotions have been redeemed. My spirit, soul and body have all been redeemed. I have even been redeemed from the power of the grave. If that is my lot, I will emerge from the dust victorious, glorified and immortal. Until that magnificent day, I declare that I will live in my redemption rights and overcome all things. In Jesus’s name, amen!” {eoa}
Excerpted from Mike Shreve’s book, Who Am I?: Dynamic Delcarations of Who You Are in Christ (Charisma House 2016). You can purchase the book by clicking here.
Mike Shreve was saved in 1970 during the Jesus movement era. He was a teacher of yoga at four Florida universities until an encounter with Jesus changed everything. His conversion story is featured in several books: In Search of the True Light (a comparison of over twenty religions), Truth Seekers (co-written with Sid Roth), and a mini-book called The Highest Adventure: Encountering God (offered as a free download on his websites). Shortly after receiving salvation, Shreve began traveling evangelistically, preaching in hundreds of churches and conducting large open air crusades in various nations, such as India, Costa Rica, Liberia and Nigeria. He and his wife, Elizabeth, presently pastor an interdenominational church in Cleveland, Tennessee, called The Sanctuary.
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