Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)
The term “redeemed” runs throughout popular culture and you may not even been aware of it. A simple internet search will provide a long list of synonyms such as reinstatement, reinstitution, reestablishment, but by definition it means, “to restore to the original condition.” It quickly becomes the theme and soundtrack for our lives. Movies, TV shows and songs all tell stories of an ideal situation that develops some sort of chasm keeping the main character from perfection. Thus enters the solution: sometimes it’s healed relationships, other times it may be a new relationship, or even a literal knight in shining armor. Whatever the solution is, it provides restoration to the situation.
Sound familiar? It sounds to me an awful lot like my favorite story that I learned at a very young age while sitting in Sunday school. God created man to be in fellowship with Him; however, sin entered the picture driving a wedge between man and God. Due to God’s endless love for man, His son is sent as a sacrifice to bring restoration to those who call upon the name of Jesus. When the free gift of salvation is accepted, God now sees his children as flawless.
This message of grace and redemption is one of celebration for those who have made the decision to trust God with their lives through acceptance of His son, Jesus Christ. Instead of living a life of restriction, it grants freedom to those who are willing to boldly accept and then proclaim this message of hope.
Faith no longer becomes something we religiously practice on the weekend, but rather it engulfs our entire being since the Bible states that we are new creations. We can finally stop trying and finally start abiding in the life God created for us. Our identity no longer rests in a job, how our peers perceive us or determined by a title we bare. God has provided Bart with a literal stage, however, God has also provided each of us with our own platform.
“What would church look like, what would marriage look like, what would parenting look like, if who we are in Christ really did define us?” –Billy-ism
As Christians, how dangerously effective would we be if we truly, truly found identity in how Christ defines us?
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