Redemption only becomes real to us as we appropriate it by faith toward God. As we agree with God that the blood of Jesus was a sufficient price to purchase us, we begin to enjoy the liberty He purchased for us as children of God. But liberty, even when it is real and objective, is not enjoyed until it is accepted as fact and acted upon. We have many stories on record of liberated slaves or prisoners of war who remained in their sad condition because freedom seemed too good to be true. When we embrace the gospel (or good news) by faith, we experience our freedom or redemption in these practical ways:
Zeal for righteousness.
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14).
When we are sluggish about serving the Lord, it is often because redemption does not seem very real to us. We are more aware of our continuing hang-ups than the fact of deliverance. The term “peculiar” here means “of great value.” It comes from an ancient practice of valuing things in terms of how many cows it would take to buy them. God has made us a people of His own possession—valued in terms of the blood of Christ! What more do we need to become enthusiastic?
Spontaneous and joyful return to God.
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel (Isaiah 44:22, 23).
Many times our spontaneity and joy in the Lord are squelched because we allow doubt and condemnation to put a wet blanket over our faith. God has blotted our sins out of His remembrance. We must forget them too, as a discipline of faith. We will look forward to times of fellowship with God when guilt is not nagging inside.
Freedom from sinful habits.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13, 14).
Through redemption we are entitled to even more than forgiveness each time we repent; we can have the power of habit broken through the authority of the name of Jesus. This deliverance has already been purchased and will become ours when we receive the faith to accept it and stand in our right to freedom.
a. A deep knowledge of belonging to God.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).
We no longer belong to ourselves. The purchase we call redemption makes us God’s property. He has the right to decide what to do with us. This means we must use our bodies, personalities, and spirits as He desires. Not until we realize the fact that we are God’s possession and that He comes into us to live do we have the motivation we need to live holy lives and to take care of our bodies and minds.
b. Internal rest and quietness from oppression.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong: the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon (Jeremiah 50:33, 34).