. . . and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rm 3:24)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace. (Eph 1:7)
. . . it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Gal 2:20)
Father, I thank you for the Cross, for through it I have riches that this world cannot touch.
Sometimes the Bible uses fancy words to describe what God has done. Justification, redemption, reconciliation, and regeneration are some of those words. I want to explain these ideas in common terms and show how all of them are tied together.
Redemption is the work Jesus did on the Cross in which his death paid what you and I justly owe. It is a spiritual transaction. In a sense, God paid a great price to purchase the human race out of her sin. He then issued a contract that reads something like this:
From: God Almighty, Creator of the universe
To: the human race
Let it be known that your ways are not my ways. You are enslaved to sin and dwell in the slums of sin with no way out. I will have no sin in my presence.
Let it also be known, however, that I have loved you with an everlasting love and do not desire you to remain where you are. Therefore, I offer you the following proposal:
I have paid the price to purchase you out of your sin. That price consists of the blood of my Son. On the Cross, I have freed you. I will freely apply this transaction to all who accept it — to all who put their faith in my Son. They shall then belong to me and I to them. Before the law, they shall be clean, and they shall freely enter into my presence as my children. They shall be free from the chains of their sin and enjoy a new life as the Bride of Christ.
Redemption has purchased us out of the slums. This redemptive transaction is the ground for justification (Rm 3:24) and forgiveness. (Eph 1:7). Justification deals with the Law and makes us right before the Law. It is a justice issue. Legally, all who rely on the redemptive transaction of the Cross are clean because their Guilt has been atoned for. Forgiveness deals with reconciliation and restores our relationship with God. It is a relational issue. All who rely on the redemptive transaction of the Cross now belong to God. They are restored legally because Christ has paid their penalty. They are restored relationally because they are now united relationally to Christ.
Regeneration simply means “new life.” Those who enter into the contract with God — those who rely on the gracious transaction of the Cross — receive a new life. The old life in the slums of sin is gone; the new life in Christ has begun. New life is made possible by redemption, for redemption unites us to Christ.
All of these gifts — legal justification, personal forgiveness and reconciliation, a new life, and the redemption through the Cross — are inseparable. Each is a different aspect of our union with Christ, for when we say “yes” to God’s proposal of redemption, we are simultaneously saying “yes” to a union with Christ. We belong to him. “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” (I Cor 6:19-20)
