leavened, that is, fermented, because it represents the result of a long process
of temptation through which the truth was “refined” and perfected in Him.
Redemption, Part 1
But let’s get back to the topic of redemption and what this really means.
The word itself in modern usage carries implications of cashing something in,
almost as you would do with coupons, or with scrap metal. In Christian circles
the word is often tied to the concept of ransom, as in the Gospels where we
read that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). We’ll come back to
this.
Meanwhile a better understanding of the term, redemption, may come
to mind if you think of redeeming a bad situation: how do you take a tragedy
and get some “redeeming value” out of it? Or how do you “redeem yourself ”
when you make a serious mistake? You don’t exactly trade yourself in, right?
But you do try to do better, and to cover your mistake with appropriate words
or actions.
That word, cover, also comes up in relation to the Lord’s life, at least in
vicarious atonement circles, because there is an idea that Jesus “covered” our
sins by offering Himself as a sacrifice in our place. This might be inferred
from Psalm 85 where it is said of the Lord: “You have forgiven the iniquity
of Your people; You have covered all their sin.” But, in fact, that covering is
better explained by Shem and Japheth’s actions in covering their father Noah’s
drunkenness in Genesis 9, and in the
Epistle of James 5:20 where we read
that “he who turns a sinner from
the error of his way will save a soul
from death and cover a multitude of
sins,” or 1 Peter 4:8, where we read
that “love will cover a multitude of
sins.” The point is that the “covering”
effect of redemption is not a matter of
disregarding evil but of amending it
and making things better.
By the way, another term that
is often used in Christian circles
to describe the Lord’s work is
“atonement.” This is interesting
because there isn’t a single reference
to that word in the New Testament
All this of course is what
the Lord continues to do
for us every day since
then if, as and when we
believe in Him, appeal
to Him, and do as He
teaches: He subjugates
or controls the hells
for us. We don’t. We
can’t. But He did and
He can – every day.
95