Things Most Surely Believed As To - Redemption

By Joseph L. Watkins

After working on a fuller understanding and appreciation of the great subject and divine place of The Reconciliation Work of Christ Jesus for the past year or so, it seems very logical and right to move on to The Divine Subject of Redemption, and as always we seek only The Truth as only The One Teacher of All Truth can make it known - may He have His Way, always.

Redemption literally means to buy back, or to set loose. The 1828 Webster Dictionary has, "the repurchase of captured goods or prisoners; the act of procuring the deliverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent."

The Redemption of Man, being an integral part of The Salvation of Man, must be understood to be Past, Present and Future, just as Salvation is best seen as an ongoing action. So we need to understand our Redemption as A Past work of the Creator, with a Present ongoing working, and always with a view to The Future work, which is The Goal, The Purpose, The End of God.

Strong's Hebrew word #1350 "Gaal", is found for the first time in Gen. 48:14,16:
"... Israel (Jacob) blessed Joseph and said ... The Angel Which redeemed (freed or loosed) me from all evil."

Yes - the redeemed of The Lord have been set free of all evil. That is "TRUTH" and when we know the truth, John 8:32 says: "... the truth shall make you free."

Oh, why do men seek anything but truth since "The Truth" is our -- "Redeemer"? Next we find the word "gaal" in Ex.6:5-8, "... I have heard...the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage...say unto the children I Am...will bring you out...I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will 'redeem'you."

Now, a truly honest and faithful study of the words that The Spirit of Truth prefers the use of to express His mind and His own "Truth" will always hold in view "all" that was intended as inherent in that word, for those inherent meanings are the very reason each word was chosen.

We make this observation at this point in our study because we wish to have in the minds of our readers what we see as a very important aspect of this great subject of "The Redemptive Work of Christ Jesus." Yes - a true and a complete "Redemption" will always hold in view "The End or The Purpose" of the redemptive work, the "WHY" of the work from "The Redeemer's" point of view. Man is so self-centered and so self-serving, that he will only see the redemptive work of the cross as far as it concerns himself and his life, his own personal "saving." To most that is the end of redemption. To be continued.

jlw