FACT #1: In my own personal Christian life, I have a tendency to think about and meditate on only the general teachings in scripture—you know, the basics like: Jesus is God, the Trinity, Salvation is in Christ alone, and so on… (This does not mean that I never dive deep into a rich theology of Christ or God’s attributes, yet truth be told: more often than not, I only consider the broader truths).
FACT #2: I am not alone in this. I am not the only one out there that naturally skirts over the deeper theological waters only to wade in the comfortable shallow end.
You might be someone like this.
In spite of these facts, when we actually seize the chance to sit down, remove ourselves from the busyness of the world and think about the underlying blessings of those deeper truths found within God’s Word, it opens up a world of joy. I am not saying this is essential; however, I am saying it is important.
Digging deep is important because it can drastically change our lives by bringing us into closer communion with Christ. When we dive down into the Word, it allows the Holy Spirit to change our hearts, conforming us more and more into His image. Our hearts become fertile soil.
Knowing Him better also allows us to love Him better.
The tiers of truth, when searched out and revealed to us in His Word, will absolutely cause us to love Him more. It will bring out praise that pours from our hearts. It will gives us a desire to please Him—to live for His glory. The more we actually delight in true and majestic things about Him, the more this world and its corresponding pop culture will grow strangely dim. The world and its things are but a vapor in the wind; Christ, however, remains the solid rock of the ages.
I want that. I want Christ. I want to dive into the deep with God and enjoy Him, don’t you?
Thankfully, Jesus Christ takes us there and bestows His truth. He makes the deep things of God plain to the believer. He does this by His Spirit and through His Word. One of these truths—and one of the most spoken of—is the particular work of redemption. We see it so clearly both in the old and new testaments:
- through acts of undeserved grace, God worked through the nation Israel to continually bring them out of bondage…
- furthermore, through Christ—the Perfect Sacrifice—He completes His plan of redemption for mankind. Our God is a great Redeemer.
What does redemption really do?
But what does redemption really do in our lives, and what comes from it? To know that we have been bought with the blood of Christ is an awesome truth, isn’t it? If you are a believer today, knowing you have the security of the cross, which fully satisfied the wrath of God on your behalf, is beyond normal human comprehension. It blows us away; it makes us stand in complete and utter awe.
Consequently, we find that studying beyond and into the work of redemption on the Cross is like swimming in an endless ocean that quenches the broken soul and never dries up… ever.
Redemption is everything to the Christian.
Through it, Christ changes your heart into a new one that seeks after His will and glory. It brings joy to the believer. It brings delight. It is moving from death to life—and so much more.
Over the next several weeks, we will unpack the fruits of redemption.
There is so much to cover, and we will only scratch the surface.
My prayer for you is this: that you will enjoy each of eight snapshots throughout the next several weeks on the fruits of redemption, and that it will fill your heart with joy and confirm your assurance in Jesus Christ, our Great Redeemer.
Stay tuned.
(to be continued…)
3 Comments on "Fruits of Redemption: Introduction"
Looking forward to this series guys.
Me too!!!
I, too, look forward to your series on the “fruits of redemption”
Jonathan it is most wonderful that you are blogging on such an
important topic. We are so proud of you!
Love,
Grandpa & Grandma