The concept of redemption refers to the final deliverance of those for whom the price of ransom has been paid. For the Christian, this means not just redemption of the spirit (Hebrews 12:23), nor the redemption of the spirit and the soul, but the complete redemption of the spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Redemption is usually thought of as having been
redeemed from some ill fate. A slave might be redeemed from being put to death
because another person was prepared to pay a high price for him. Or, say, a
slave is on the auction block, and nobody wants to purchase him because they
don't like the look of him—he is too skinny, has been ill-treated, and looks
too old. The slave trader is prepared to let the slave starve, as he doesn’t
want to pay for any food. Another person takes pity on the slave and purchases
him for the price the slave trader is prepared to accept. Redeemed from certain
death, the slave is fed and looked after well. He begins to show signs of good
health and gratitude for his redeemer.
In the Scriptures, we read that a kinsman is
given the responsibility to redeem those who have found themselves in
difficulty—whether they have given themselves to slavery, fallen into poverty,
or encountered some other issue that brought upon them a form of social
disapprobation that is redeemable.
The story of Boaz and Ruth is an example of
redemption. Ruth was a Moabite woman who had married an Israelite, who died and
left her husbandless. She decided to reject the idolatry of the Moabites and
identify with the true God by joining Naomi, her mother-in-law, who chose to
return to Israel to live. They traveled to Bethlehem, where Naomi had a wealthy
relative named Boaz.
Realizing that her daughter-in-law was likely
to be molested by the young Israelites while working in the field, Naomi
arranged for her to join the maidens working for Boaz. She then devised a
scheme so that Ruth would be well looked after—preferably by Boaz—by putting up
some property that she owned to be redeemed by her nearest kinsman. Boaz
approached the kinsman and explained that it was his responsibility to redeem
the property; however, it came with the Moabitess. The nearest kinsman declined
to redeem the property, so Boaz did. He also married Ruth. In this way, the
property and the family pedigree remained intact when Ruth conceived and bore a
son—the grandfather of King David.
The inherent idea within the word
"redemption" is to "buy back" that which was previously
given away, lost, or taken. The restoration of ownership is probably the best
way of thinking about redemption. There is no question that the Devil wrested
controlling rights (ownership) of this world from the Man (Genesis 5:2). Not
that the Devil was the rightful owner, but that the Man yielded the rights of
ownership—or control—over planet Earth. God created the man and instructed him:
"Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
The Man had been given the right to subdue the
planet and have authority over everything on it. Unfortunately, instead of the
Man subduing the planet, he was subdued by the Devil and relinquished authority
to him. From that time until Jesus rose from the dead, there was need of
redemption if the Man was to regain control of the planet. After Jesus rose
from the dead, He gained control of Earth, having redeemed what the Man lost.
The righteous blood of Jesus Christ purchased the planet from the Devil. This
was done by the Devil taking the Son of God to Hell when He became sin on
behalf of the Man and his progeny. In doing this, the Devil deceived himself,
for the Son of God had the inherent power of an indestructible life (Hebrews
7:16). The Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4) of the Eternal Word (John 1:1–3; 1
John 1:1–2) made flesh (John 1:14) enabled the Son of God to demonstrate and
prove that all things were created through Him and for Him, and all things
belong to Him, whether in Heaven or Hell (Colossians 1:15–16).
In the account of Boaz acquiring the right to
marry Ruth as a kinsman-redeemer, certain protocols were required to be met,
and permission had to be obtained (Ruth 4:1–11). Boaz was second in line
regarding the redemption of the land (Numbers 27:9–11). The first
kinsman-redeemer was prepared to redeem the land but feared losing another
inheritance if he were to marry Ruth, so he passed up on the opportunity—with
ten elders as witnesses. The witnesses were important for the transaction, for
whenever two or more agree on Earth, this makes the transaction binding. Ten
elders (and other witnesses) evidently provided greater solemnity to a
financial transaction in the event of a dispute (cf. Deuteronomy 19:12; 21:2–4;
24:7–9; 1 Kings 21:8–11).
Understanding the protocols that have to be
met when it comes to the selling and purchase of land—or even acquiring rights
held by other individuals—helps in coming to grips with what the Son of God did
on the Cross of Calvary. The redemption process begins with the Cross but is
not completed until the day we receive a glorified body that will never cease
to exist:
"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:23, KJV)
The redemption of our bodies is the physical
transformation of our biological, earthly bodies into glorified, eternally
existing celestial bodies that look exactly as we do on Earth—except there will
be no imperfections. However, not every body will have the same status, for
each individual will have a different radiant glory depending upon what they
have done in this life as a Christian. The Apostle Paul informs us:
"There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory." (1 Corinthians 15:40–42)
The analogy depicts how we might view the lights in the sky. The sun, of
course, shines in the day; its light is so bright that other lights do not
compare—they cease to be visible in the sky. The sun is a type of the Father.
The light from His throne is so bright that other lights cannot compare.
Interestingly, the full moon reflects the light
of the sun. This typifies the Son reflecting or radiating the glory of the
Father.
Many say that the moon beams forth its own light;
however, this is not so. Anyone looking at the moon during the day, around the
time of the new moon, can see the shadows it casts. During this phase, the moon
does not shine, indicating that it reflects the light from the sun. A number of
translations point out that Jesus "reflects the (radiant or effulgent)
glory of God..." (Hebrews 1:3), whereas others correctly indicate that the
Son of God radiates His own glory. Nevertheless, the typology is interesting,
for the Scriptures state that in the days to come, God will be everything to
everyone:
"And when all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:28, WEB)
When we compare the light of the full moon
with that of the brightest star, we see there is no comparison in size. The
moon is many times larger and much brighter, as far as we are concerned. It is
even possible to walk in the beam of the moon’s light and see where one is
going—unlike with the next brightest object (Venus) or the brightest star
(Sirius) in the night sky.
The redemption of our bodies also has to do
with the reward that we are to receive. This is why each one will have a
different radiance from others. The radiant glory that we will possess will be
like the stars for some—but not for all. For there will be those who will not
have any radiance, even though they will have glorified bodies. The Apostle
Paul indicates this when saying:
"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each man’s work will become manifest. For the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:11–15, WEB)
The complete redemption of our spirit, soul,
and body will include the glory that we have brought to God while on Earth. The
Apostle compares this glory to gold, silver, and precious stones, which are
suggestive of hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold fruitage. This can vary
greatly as to what level a person achieves. Some will have different levels of
glory that do not amount to thirtyfold; others will think they have more than
what they actually possess. This will be revealed on the day we receive our
glorified bodies.
Nevertheless, in order to provide some
additional insight into what we are to receive when our bodies are redeemed,
here are three accounts of experiences that I have had.
One day, I was reading the book of First
Corinthians. When I came to chapter three, verses eleven to thirteen, I was
caught up in the Spirit and saw a multitude of people walking by me, as far as
my eye could see. They were walking past me from my right to my left. The
number was too great to estimate, let alone count. From what I could see, most
of the people were silhouettes. They existed but had no glory—nothing shining
from them. Among them were the odd ones who had some light shining from them.
The surprising element was that the intensity of light seemed to determine the
height of the person.
Now these people were moving past me very
quickly. There were billions of them. Nevertheless, I got the impression that
there were about one hundred silhouettes for every person with a small bit of
dim light. There were one thousand silhouettes for every person with a little
more light, and one hundred thousand for a person who was a little taller and
had an even brighter light. A few were nearly twice the size of the
silhouettes, but not many. Eventually, I saw two towering lights that seemed to
be fifty times taller than the silhouettes and ten times taller than the
tallest of the other lights I had seen. Once these two towering personages
disappeared from view, the vision ended.
What that vision told me was that there are
going to be billions of people who will be saved but have no glory. Even though
they will not regret being there, their eternal status will be determined by
what they do here on Earth.
When the vision concluded, I cried out to our
Heavenly Father: “Please, God. Do not let me be a silhouette. I don’t want to
be a silhouette.”
Another experience I had occurred when God was
speaking to me about the thirty, sixty, and hundredfold fruitage found in the book
of Matthew—and those who will miss out on having any glory.
"As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty." (Matthew 13:22–23, WEB)
I was wondering about certain preachers and renowned evangelists in respect to this Scripture—especially one whom I had read, who claimed in a book that he had brought millions to Christ. Furthermore, I was contemplating what type of person would be limited so that he could not bring forth hundredfold. I figured that, as a group, Evangelicals were probably limited to thirtyfold, Pentecostals were limited to sixtyfold, but I wondered: who would be a recipient of hundredfold?
Anyhow, as it happened, the
particular preacher who claimed he had brought millions to Christ was being
interviewed on a television show, which I saw. Now, I was not one to watch
television much. Nevertheless, I did sometimes. When I saw this person being
interviewed, I was interested to learn what he had to say. Two things he said
stuck with me. One was that he had difficulty when it came to tithing for many
years. The second thing, which really pricked my ears, was that he and his
organization had put thirty people through Bible school and into the ministry.
This famous man was merely a thirty-folder, I thought. Then I had a revelation:
the people who came to his meetings and made decisions for Christ were not so
much his fruit, but the fruit of those who brought them to the meetings.
One day, the pastor of the church I
was attending at the time had twenty-seven pots of small saplings on the front
stage of the auditorium. He announced that God had revealed to him that he was
going to bring eighteen more people through his ministry who would go on to be
pastors. Nine pastors had already come out of his ministry and were leading
congregations. Unfortunately for that pastor, as far as I know, the extra
eighteen pastors did not eventuate. He was out of the ministry by the year’s
end and retired.
The new pastor decided that a generous
gratuity ought to be given to the retired pastor as an act of appreciation for
his fifty years of service to the people of God.
Now, the new pastor wasn’t always so
generous or gracious when it came to talking to me about the old pastor, and
there had been various issues that arose which were not complimentary to his
office or walk with God. I myself had intervened in a dispute he was having
with his wife and another person at a members’ meeting, whereupon I was told
that I wouldn’t have been given the right hand of fellowship had he known I
would challenge his authority. Then there were the many people who had
expressed to me that he had bruised numerous individuals over the years with
his “my-way-or-the-highway” attitude.
I expressed my sentiment that I
could not see how the old pastor was worthy of being honored with the generous
gratuity. From what I had been told and seen of his actions when his pride was
brought to the fore, my view was that there was no need to honor the man with
something that I didn’t consider him worthy of.
Shortly after my conversation with
the new pastor over the phone, I had a vision. God showed me the old pastor and
how He saw him. I was blown away. This man had no spots nor wrinkles and was
perfect. He had a degree of glory most Christians have no hope of achieving. As
far as our Heavenly Father was concerned, the fruit that brought glory to His
name is what this old pastor will be remembered for. Had this old pastor reaped
the glory that would have been his if he had brought another eighteen pastors
through to the ministry, his glory would have been three times brighter, and he
would have been three times taller in the age to come.
Sadhu Sundar Singh was a
world-renowned man of God who made an impact in the English-speaking church
prior to World War II. Corrie ten Boom, a famous author who helped Jews escape
the Nazis in the Second World War, once spoke to Sundar Singh and asked him how
she could have the faith he had, so that she could also have visions, see Lord
Jesus Christ, and experience a walk with God like he did. Singh told the young
Corrie that those who believe without seeing are more blessed:
“Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.’” (John 20:29, WEB)
One day, Sadhu Sundar Singh had a
vision wherein a man who had been a minister (preacher/teacher/pastor) in an
established church for much of his life died and went to Heaven. The man had
earned numerous degrees and was regarded as highly educated. In the vision,
after some time had passed, Singh saw another man enter Heaven who was given a
higher status than the highly educated minister. The minister complained to an
angel that he had studied extensively and taught the parishioner all he knew,
so it was unjust that he be exalted above him. The angel replied that the
difference between the minister and his parishioner was this: unlike himself,
the parishioner did what he was taught.
When it comes to the redemption of
the body, this also includes the glorification of the person. Each one’s
eternal status in the Kingdom of Heaven will be determined by what we do on
Earth. Back in the days when there was no electricity, Jesus said that no one
takes a candle and hides it under a basket, but places it on a lampstand so
everyone in the household can see. Therefore, in similar fashion, we are to let
our good works shine before men so that they give glory to God:
“Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15–16, WEB)
The redemption of our bodies and their glorification really depends upon the
fruit that we bring forth in our lives. Most will have no fruit other than the
fact that they escaped eternal judgment. Nevertheless, the fruit of their
decision is the redemption of their body. There is no salvation without the
redemption of our bodies. The degree of glorification that we are to experience
is pertinent to the redemption of our bodies. If we produce no fruit, there is
no redemption.
Fortunately, the first fruit—the fruit of
lips—brings forth redemption, provided we continue producing the fruit of lips
until the day we die or, if we are alive, we are caught up to meet the Lord in
the clouds.
The fruit of lips is the acknowledgment of the
name of the Lord (Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8). When we publicly acknowledge that
Jesus is Lord, we do so unto salvation:
"That if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. For, ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’" (Romans 10:9–13, WEB)
This doesn't mean we cannot turn our back on
the Lord and forsake the salvation that is ours—just that while we are
acknowledging Jesus is Lord, we have salvation. Everyone who truly believes
Jesus rose from the dead confesses that He is Lord, because they have a
relationship with Him. The grace of God is such that every opportunity is given
to everyone so that they may be saved, for:
"God desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4, WEB)
The fruit of the Spirit produced in our lives
is a natural outworking of the Holy Spirit within us. The fruit of the Spirit
consists of nine qualities. Three of these qualities relate to emotion, three
to attitude, and three to character. The elements of character—faithfulness,
meekness, self-control—produced in an individual are indicators of the amount
of fruit each person will produce.
Faithfulness is critical if one is to produce
fruit. Without demonstrating faithfulness, no one is going to produce fruit
unto eternal life. Secondly, meekness produced in a person will bring forth
twice as much fruit as what just being faithful will produce. Just being
faithful, without meekness, will also produce the spirit of boastfulness. This
is why a meek person produces twice as much fruit as a person who is merely
faithful. Not that being faithful is something to be dismissed—for without
faithfulness, we cannot receive anything from the Lord. The double-minded
person is not faithful and does not receive anything from God (Psalm 119:113;
James 1:7–8).
The fruit of righteousness is the outcome of a
life that has been devoted to giving God the glory and being a light to those
in darkness, so they are attracted to learning more about salvation: how to be
saved, what a saved life entails, and the outcome of living a saved life. The
Apostle Peter says:
"Receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9, WEB)
But for those who bring glory to His name,
they also produce the fruit of righteousness, which is the winning of
souls—sown in peace by those who make peace:
"Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:18, WEB)
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; he who is wise wins souls." (Proverbs 11:30, WEB)
The book of Daniel says:
"Those who are wise will shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever." (Daniel 12:3, WEB)
Stanley Tam was a man who looked to God for
help. In doing so, God showed Stanley that he had to be faithful in trusting
Him. Stanley was not a preacher but a businessman. He developed a business that
was eventually able to give over $150 million to the promotion of the gospel.
There came a time in Stanley’s life when he was challenged to sign over his
business to God legally. At the time, Stanley was giving 90% of the profits to
the Lord God and living off 10%. After some deep contemplation, Stanley signed
over his business to God as the legal owner. Once he had done this, God spoke
to him and said that now he would reap fruit for eternal life.
He went to Venezuela and testified before tens
of thousands of people, and some 12,000 gave their hearts to the Lord. Over the
decades since, possibly a million or more people have given their lives to God
because of Stanley Tam’s testimony. Numerous small churches in Asia exist today
because of Stanley Tam’s testimony.
Roland Buck was a pastor living in Boise,
Idaho. Charles and Frances Hunter interviewed Roland Buck in 1979 and wrote a
biography of his encounter with angels. According to what I read, in three
years some 200,000 souls had given their lives to the Lord because of what they
read in that book.
Reinhard Bonnke’s organization, Christ for All
Nations, claims that over 79 million decisions for Christ have been made in
Africa at his crusades. When Bonnke was starting out, T.L. and Daisy Osborn
held a conference attended by 10,000 pastors who had come to know Lord Jesus
Christ through their ministry in West Africa. The couple possibly led more
souls to Christ than any other people in history through a ministry that
spanned over fifty years across ninety nations beginning in 1949.
The redemption of our bodies will occur on
that final day. Meanwhile, we are redeeming what is ours by doing the will of
God and laying our lives down for the sake of the lost. We have all been called
to be sons of God. The word “daughters” is used at times because it sounds
abnormal to refer to females as sons. However, when it comes to Heaven, our
Lord Jesus has informed us that we will be like angels:
"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:30, WEB)
"For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." (Mark 12:25, WEB)
Therefore, when reflecting upon what each
one’s life purpose on Earth ought to be, nothing can be any more important than
the harvest of righteousness that is sown in peace by those who make peace
(James 3:18). And it just so happens that:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9, WEB)
When each receives his or her redeemed body, there will be no doubt.
Some think that fruit is the same as works. However, fruit is not manufactured—it is produced from life.
A healthy tree doesn’t struggle or strive to bear fruit; it simply does so because it is rooted, nourished, and alive. This reflects the life of the Spirit within a believer:
"I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5, WEB)
In contrast, works, when done in the flesh or from religious obligation, resemble the output of a machine—functional, but not alive. They require external power, ongoing maintenance, and may still break down. They might impress men, but they don’t always please God.
"Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3, WEB)
True fruit comes from abiding in Christ, not from laboring to earn His approval. This is why Paul contrasts the works of the law with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:18–23). One originates in self-effort; the other in surrendered relationship.
Translations used:
World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name "World English Bible" is trademarked.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
RSV (Revised Standard Version of the Bible) copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 Used by permission.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT) by Public Domain
KJV (King James Version)
No comments:
Post a Comment