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Church “shop talk” can make you feel left out, can’t it?
Here you’ll get a straightforward explanation of what “Redeemed” means for Christians, and how to talk about it!
CHURCH SHOP TALK EXPLAINED
If you’ve ever been discouraged by Church “shop talk,” you’re not alone. Maybe sometimes you feel like people are talking over your head.
Seasoned folks throw terms around casually, assuming everyone knows what they know.
And they figure everyone else was taught with the same language they were taught.
As a new believer, you know you want to come along, to sit with others and learn, but they keep talking in those “religious terms” that you don’t have a good handle on yet.
Please don’t worry. This short series will give you a little jump start. And I’ll give you some resources to find out more.
People aren’t trying to make you feel left out (at least they shouldn’t be).
But it’s like anything else — they just don’t know what you don’t know.
Today, the word is “redeemed.”
WHAT DOES REDEEMED MEAN?
Let’s cover both meanings — the dictionary definition, and the meaning in the Christian life of those who believe, who are saved, who belong to Christ.
The original word means to “take” or to “buy.” But the dictionary shows so much. Let’s look at that first. Then we will have a better understanding of why we are “redeemed.”
Dictionary:
Redeem (verb)
- You redeem coupons (you turn in the paper or use the secret code and get some of the price of your item back).
- You redeem yourself by apologizing and behaving better at the next family dinner (you are released from blame).
- You redeem land by paying off the debt (to buy back or repurchase).
- You redeem bonds by turning in the certificate in exchange for the money.
Purchase? Or Redeem?
- Redeem implies you already had some kind of interest or expectation.
- Purchase is usually used for something new.
Both words accurately and correctly describe what was done for us through Christ.
A price was paid, and we were purchased/redeemed. We have a new owner (God), and we no longer obligated to the old owner (sin).
SO WHY IS “REDEEMED” OUR TERM AS CHRISTIANS?
The straightforward answer is this:
Jesus Christ died for our benefit — We are rescued from the slavery of sin into the freedom of eternal life.
It’s the cross, and what happened there. The whole plan of Christ coming to earth, and dying. Dying for me. For you. Redeeming us with his death, his blood.
He took the punishment for our sin.
There is always so much to say about that.
I love how it was explained in the following article. It’s the whole explanation, from beginning to end.
I’ve actually included the text right here for you, because it has the Scripture references included:
From GotQuestions, What is the meaning of Christian redemption?
Everyone is in need of redemption. Our natural condition was characterized by guilt: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
The benefits of redemption include eternal life (Revelation 5:9-10), forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), righteousness (Romans 5:17), freedom from the law’s curse (Galatians 3:13), adoption into God’s family (Galatians 4:5), deliverance from sin’s bondage (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:14-18), peace with God (Colossians 1:18-20), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To be redeemed, then, is to be forgiven, holy, justified, free, adopted, and reconciled. See also Psalm 130:7-8; Luke 2:38; and Acts 20:28.
The word redeem means “to buy out.” The term was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling. If we are “redeemed,” then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has purchased our freedom, and we are no longer in bondage to sin or to the Old Testament law. This metaphorical use of “redemption” is the teaching of Galatians 3:13 and 4:5.
Related to the Christian concept of redemption is the word ransom. Jesus paid the price for our release from sin and its punishment (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). His death was in exchange for our life. In fact, Scripture is quite clear that redemption is only possible “through His blood,” that is, by His death (Colossians 1:14).
The streets of heaven will be filled with former captives who, through no merit of their own, find themselves redeemed, forgiven, and free. Slaves to sin have become saints. No wonder we will sing a new song—a song of praise to the Redeemer who was slain (Revelation 5:9). We were slaves to sin, condemned to eternal separation from God. Jesus paid the price to redeem us, resulting in our freedom from slavery to sin and our rescue from the eternal consequences of that sin.
Songs about being redeemed have a rich meaning when you fully understand it.
Can You Use “Redeemed” in a sentence?
Sure you can!
Remember: It refers both to the act that occurred, and the state we are now in.
The crucifixion redeemed us; this was accomplished when Christ took the punishment for our sin.
We are redeemed people because we now belong to our new owner. Christ.
That is good news.
And in this series, the good news is repeated many times. The gospel. The truth.
For us, for those who understand, who know, we must never forget to turn back for those who do not yet understand.
There’s this other thing…
Here’s the awful truth:
If there are people who are “redeemed”, then …
there are also people who are not. They are “unredeemed.”
And here’s where this word comes in. The word is “Yet.” Do you ever think this could be the biggest word in your whole life?
- Yet means something will happen.
- Yet means hope gives us a glimpse.
- Yet means get ready.
People are not redeemed yet. They still can be.
The idea of showing others the way is not new. But it is often ignored. Because it’s hard.
Hard to step into someone’s personal decision-making space and start directing it.
It seems disrespectful, right? I know.
But we have to. If we are on the mine train, making our way out of the collapsing mine, we have to tell those along the way that the end is coming. Tell them that they can’t stay where they are. Tell them that the train is leaving the dangerous darkness and they need to come with us. We don’t want them to perish. We want them to be RESCUED. Redeemed.
We didn’t invent the daylight outside the opening, or the mine cars or the tracks. We just jumped on the train going to the place where we will be alive. And we want them to jump on, too.
Redeemed, and Not Redeemed Yet.
Your people. Family, friends, coworkers. Some are redeemed, and some are not. Yet.
But what if it happens?
When I hear someone describe a conversation about drawing closer to Jesus, I feel this little thrill. That “tell me more” thing.
And listen: I mean no matter who is telling it.
When a person of faith describes being able to speak to an unbeliever about Christ, I want to hear every word. I want to know how they came to talk to the person, and what the events were that ended up in their redemption. Because sometimes it’s a long sequence of things.
When a person who is a new believer describes their invitation from a person to attend Church, to come into understanding, I want to hear every word. How did they hear it? Why did they say yes?
I want to know, because this is the business we are about, as Christians.
It’s not just a hobby or a gift. It’s not optional. It’s the whole thing.
It’s the last thing Christ said before he was really leaving. Here it is:
The Great Commission
(Matthew 28:16-20)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Our Instructions
Imagine it:
You’re with someone — a leader, a friend, an important person, someone famous. The person wants to see you, because they are about to die, to leave this world.
And they tell you their last words. Then they are gone.
It’s a big deal. It’s what you remember. If you respect that person, you want to do what they instructed.
And you know what was difficult for me? Finding out it wasn’t optional. That Jesus was instructing me.
Finding out it wasn’t just for the people with him. Or just for preachers. Or missionaries. That I was expected to talk about Jesus to other people. 😳
Yeah. So we gotta talk about that, don’t we? And we will. When we talk about “Witness.” Another day, right?
Redeemed. You’ve had your hand stamped, and now you’re in, without having to pay your way. Aren’t you kinda hoping someone asks you how you got your hand stamped?
Here’s one peek into the talking-about-it part, and then we’re done for today.
From Dare2Share:
Sharing the Gospel with someone is like taking them on a journey through the story of the Bible.
This journey can be explained in a six-letter acrostic that spells out the word GOSPEL.
GOD created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1-2)
OUR sins separate us from God. (Genesis 3)
SINS cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4-Malachi 4)
PAYING the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew-Luke)
EVERYONE who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)
LIFE with Jesus starts now and lasts forever! (Acts-Revelation)
What do you do now?
Well, if you’re a new believer, you relax a little. Because you know exactly what “redeemed” means. This is one more concept you can be comfortable with.
If you’re talking to a new believer, you can slow down and be sure you’re not slipping into Church “shop talk” that hasn’t been fully explained.
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Shop talk. Sometimes you love it. It’s the talk of people who know.
You know when it works? When it’s being done to include someone. It comes with sensitivity and explanation, and good communication.
But when shop talk is being done to exclude someone, it’s usually unkind.
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