God’s Redemption is
Absolute
Jim Davis
Psalms 15:1-5;
Ephesians 1:3-14; Isaiah 43:22-25
Psalms 15 creates a
certain amount of anxiety for me.
David asks, "LORD, who may dwell in
your sanctuary? Who may live on your
holy hill?" Reading this psalm and
similar passages may provoke a
tremendous amount of frustration in
all of us.
Psalms 15
15:1 A psalm of
David.
LORD, who may dwell
in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your
holy hill?
2 He whose walk is
blameless
and who does what is
righteous,
who speaks the truth
from his heart
3 and has no slander
on his tongue,
who does his neighbor
no wrong
and casts no slur on
his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile
man
but honors those who
fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money
without usury
and does not accept a
bribe against the innocent.
He who does these
things
will never be shaken.
NIV
A casual reading of
Psalms 15 may lead us to think the
writer is merely accusing us.
I know I am not blameless. I do not
always do the right thing. I do not
always speak the truth—I try . . .
but . . . there is something inside
that resists. There are times I
can’t whole my tongue. Sometimes I
enjoy the company of sinful people
more than religious people—they seem
more real. I don’t have any money to
lend, so I am good there. Yet, I
always wonder what I would be like
if I had a lot of money? I wonder if
that doesn’t define who I am. This
leaves a nagging question, how can I
come into God’s presence?
We may come away from
this psalm feeling as others who
contemplated drawing near to God.
Bildad contemplated Job’s plight as
he reflected on God. He comes to the
conclusion the evil Job suffers is
proof that man is no more than a
maggot in God’s eyes.
Job 25
25:1 Then Bildad the
Shuhite replied:
2 "Dominion and awe
belong to God;
he establishes order
in the heights of heaven.
3 Can his forces be
numbered?
Upon whom does his
light not rise?
4 How then can a man
be righteous before God?
How can one born of
woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is
not bright
and the stars are not
pure in his eyes,
6 how much less man,
who is but a maggot —
a son of man, who is
only a worm!" NIV
The call to holiness
may provoke deep frustration.
A conscientious person seeking to
come into God’s presence is well
aware of haunting shortcomings. As
we seek to follow all the rules, it
seems as though the rules themselves
condemn our efforts.
Romans 3:19-20
19 Now we know that
whatever the law says, it says to
those who are under the law, so that
every mouth may be silenced and the
whole world held accountable to God.
20 Therefore no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing
the law; rather, through the law we
become conscious of sin. NIV
Christianity does not
keep the law from proclaiming my
sinfulness.
I can’t study the law
of God without becoming aware of my
sinfulness. If anything becoming a
Christian heightens my awareness of
my sinfulness.
Romans 7:8-9, 24-25
But sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the
commandment, produced in me every
kind of covetous desire. For apart
from law, sin is dead. Once I was
alive apart from law; but when the
commandment came, sin sprang to life
and I died . . . What a wretched man
I am! Who will rescue me from this
body of death? Thanks be to God —
through Jesus Christ our Lord! NIV
The wretchedness Paul
felt as he struggled to live by
God’s law is what the psalmist feels
as he writes:
Psalms 143:2
2 Do not bring your
servant into judgment,
for no one living is
righteous before you. NIV
The psalms invite us
to get real with ourselves and God.
It is scary, but with God it is the
only thing we can do. The psalmist
writing Psalms 15 understood the
sentiments in this psalm:
Psalms 130:3-4
3 If you, O LORD,
kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could
stand?
4 But with you there
is forgiveness;
therefore you are
feared. NIV
Discovering God’s
Mercy
"Between the radiant
white of a clear conscience and the
coal black of a conscience sullied
by sin lie many shades of
gray--where most of us live our
lives."
(Sherry L. Hoppe, A
Matter of Conscience: Redemption of
a Hometown Hero, Bobby Hoppe)
How do I even begin
to reconcile these disparate
realities? On the one hand, I have
this joyful confidence. On the
other, I have the terrible reality
of my sinfulness. The truth is, I
cannot reconcile these incongruent
realities—only God’s mercy can. He
does it through Jesus Christ.
It is when we stand
between the fear of the Lord and his
forgiveness that we discover God’s
mercy.
God is not
mercilessly or puritanically judging
our every move. This is the type of
judgment we see in religion. The
disciples of Jesus were judged for
not washing their hands before they
ate, for gathering grain on the
Sabbath, for not fasting as John’s
disciples fasted, etc. Jesus was
judged for healing on the Sabbath,
for associating with sinful people,
etc.
God’s judgment
reveals his mercy.
Isaiah 1:18-20
18 "Come now, let us
reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are
like scarlet,
they shall be as
white as snow;
though they are red
as crimson,
they shall be like
wool.
19 If you are willing
and obedient,
you will eat the best
from the land;
20 but if you resist
and rebel,
you will be devoured
by the sword."
For the mouth of the
LORD has spoken. NIV
Mercy can only be
understood as it is contrasted with
God’s punishment of sin.
Isaiah prefaces his book with the
above verses. Isaiah contrasts God’s
mercy with his wrath. He reminds
Israel of God’s mercy and then he
reminds Israel of her sins. The book
of Isaiah follows the tone of the
following verses.
Isaiah 43:22-25
22 "Yet you have not
called upon me, O Jacob,
you have not wearied
yourselves for me, O Israel.
23 You have not
brought me sheep for burnt
offerings,
nor honored me with
your sacrifices.
I have not burdened
you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with
demands for incense.
24 You have not
bought any fragrant calamus for me,
or lavished on me the
fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened
me with your sins
and wearied me with
your offenses.
25 "I, even I, am he
who blots out
your transgressions,
for my own sake,
and remembers your
sins no more. NIV
Isaiah tells the
story of redemption like no other.
Israel
burdened God with her sins and
wearied him with her religious
practices and offerings. Yet, God
says, "I have swept away your
offenses like a cloud, your sins
like the morning mist. Return to me,
for I have redeemed you" (Isaiah
44:22). Have you ever noticed how
quietly the morning mist disappears?
God’s gentleness is just that
inviting.
Isaiah 42:1-4
"Here is my servant,
whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom
I delight;
I will put my Spirit
on him
and he will bring
justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout
or cry out,
or raise his voice in
the streets.
3 A bruised reed he
will not break,
and a smoldering wick
he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he
will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter
or be discouraged
till he establishes
justice on earth.
In his law the
islands will put their hope." NIV
Isaiah speaks of
redemption as something that has
already been done for Israel.
It is not a question of will God
forgive? A merciful God has already
forgiven before we ask. It is hard
to believe that every sinner on
earth has already been redeemed.
Yet, it is true. God doesn’t say, I
will redeem you—He says I have
redeemed you!! It is unimaginable!!
A man told
of his visit to the Holy lands. The
tour guide got on the bus,
introduced himself as Amnon. He said
that he was named after one of King
David’s sons. The man said, "You
mean the one that assaulted his
half-sister Tamar?" It must have
been on his "to-do" list to read
"How to win friends and influence
people." They actually hit it off
amazingly. Later, they were talking
and the man asked Amnon how many
Jews went through the Exodus. Amnon
said, "We all went through it." That
is a collective view of history, a
shared history. We, as westerners,
don’t think that way.
Yet, the
history of Israel is our history, it
tells the story of our redemption.
Israel’s history came to fruition
through Christ (Acts 2:1-47). It is
our story as we embrace the Author
of those stories through Jesus
Christ. Our redemption goes beyond
the exodus of the Hebrews. It
reaches back to eons of time before
the creation of this world. It is
God’s eternal purpose in Christ
Jesus (Ephesians 3:11). His purpose
is absolute!
God’s mercy is
unrelenting as he holds out his plan
of redemption for Israel and us.
Isaiah 42:14-16
4 "For a long time I
have kept silent,
I have been quiet and
held myself back.
But now, like a woman
in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and
pant.
15 I will lay waste
the mountains and hills
and dry up all their
vegetation;
I will turn rivers
into islands
and dry up the pools.
16 I will lead the
blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar
paths I will guide them;
I will turn the
darkness into light before them
and make the rough
places smooth.
These are the things
I will do;
I will not forsake
them. NIV
God compares his
willingness to extend mercy to that
of a woman giving birth.
There is no way a
woman in birth pains can stop the
child from being born. There is no
way God can withhold his mercy for
the weak and helpless.
Isaiah 40:27-31
27 Why do you say, O
Jacob,
and complain, O
Israel,
"My way is hidden
from the LORD;
my cause is
disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the
everlasting God,
the Creator of the
ends of the earth.
He will not grow
tired or weary,
and his understanding
no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength
to the weary
and increases the
power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow
tired and weary,
and young men stumble
and fall;
31 but those who hope
in the LORD
will renew their
strength.
They will soar on
wings like eagles;
they will run and not
grow weary,
they will walk and
not be faint. NIV
God redeems us for
his own sake.
"I, even I, am he who blots out your
transgressions, for my own sake . .
." (Isaiah 43:5). Redemption is a
proclamation of God’s purpose for
his creation. His purpose defines
his character. God does not save us
because we are holy. He saves us
because he is holy. Our salvation
defines who He is. God’s true nature
is revealed as he proclaims his
absolute need to redeem his
creation. God’s very nature drives
his mercy to meet his demands for
justice through Christ.
Romans 5:20-21
20 The law was added
so that the trespass might increase.
But where sin increased, grace
increased all the more, 21 so that,
just as sin reigned in death, so
also grace might reign through
righteousness to bring eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. NIV
Redemption Is Hard to
Accept
Why is it so hard to
accept redemption?
God’s mercy says his future plans
for us define who we are and who we
can be.
The church in Largo,
Florida, had pine trees scattered
over five acres. For a couple of
years there was little rain. In dry
weather the pine trees naturally
dropped their pine needles all over
the ground to conserve their need
for water. The fewer needles growing
on the trees, the less water trees
needed. Yet, there was a double
value in the trees dropping their
needles. The ground around the trees
were mulched with the pine needles.
This naturally helped retain the
ground water for the trees survival.
The members always
raked and bagged the needles for
aesthetic reasons. In reality we
were working against God’s natural
order for the trees survival in
drought conditions. Gathering the
pine needles made everything
aesthetically appealing, but it was
not really helping the trees.
How often do we fight
God’s spiritual order of things?
God’s redemption is complete, and
free. Yet, we have such a hard time
accepting God’s redemption. We go
about seeking to redeem ourselves
through religious activities and
doing good deeds to improve our
self-image.
God
created us in Christ to do good
works. "For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do" (Ephesians
2:10).We do not do these things to
make us holy. We do it because God
has made us holy and blameless in
Christ.
We long for
redemption.
But the
world says our past defines our
future—defines who we are. Religion
and the world hang this cloud of
guilt over our head. It says, this
is who you should be, ought to be,
would have been, if only you were
not who you are. To relieve our
guilt today’s world turns this
around and says you should blame
others for who you are. Redemption
does not come in blaming others, but
trusting in God.
God wants me to know
I can come to him just as I am.
Redemption is absolutely free. There
is nothing we must do to earn it
beyond simply accepting it.
Ephesians 1:3-14
3 Praise be to the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in the
heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose
us in him before the creation of the
world to be holy and blameless in
his sight. In love 5 he predestined
us to be adopted as his sons through
Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will— 6 to the praise
of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of
God's grace 8 that he lavished on us
with all wisdom and understanding. 9
And he made known to us the mystery
of his will according to his good
pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ, 10 to be put into effect
when the times will have reached
their fulfillment — to bring all
things in heaven and on earth
together under one head, even
Christ.
11 In him we were
also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who
works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of his will, 12 in
order that we, who were the first to
hope in Christ, might be for the
praise of his glory. 13 And you also
were included in Christ when you
heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation. Having believed,
you were marked in him with a seal,
the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is
a deposit guaranteeing our
inheritance until the redemption of
those who are God's possession — to
the praise of his glory. NIV
Redemption is freely
given to all through Christ.
Paul explains how we can walk
blameless before God. God chose to
make us blameless through Christ’s
sacrifice. God predetermined before
the creation of this world that he
would freely redeem every person
through Jesus Christ. God chose to
make us holy and blameless in
Christ.
We must accept the
fact that we cannot redeem
ourselves--our spiritual health
depends upon it.
Otherwise guilt and
dread will destroy us. God has wiped
the slate clean. There is absolutely
nothing I can do to turn back the
pages of life and correct all my
sinful mistakes. We must not live
regretful lives. It only thwarts
God’s efforts to salvage our lives.
God’s redemption leaves us free to
engage ourselves in God’s holy
calling unburdened with the past as
we trust in the redemption only God
can provide.
"We must not offer
people a system of redemption, a set
of insights and principles. We offer
people a Redeemer."
Paul David
Tripp
(Instruments
in the Redeemer's Hands: People in
Need of Change Helping People in
Need of Change)
David ask, who may
dwell in the presence of God; he
answers saying—those whose walk is
blameless.
Accepting God’s
redemption is the only way we can
dwell in the presence of God
blamelessly. There is
absolutely nothing we can do to
redeem ourselves beyond simply
accepting redemption as a merciful
gift from God.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord. NIV
Salvation and
redemption rest solely in God’s
hand.
We can’t come to God doing religious
acts to redeem our past. This would
only leave us full of doubt and fear
wondering if we ever did enough to
make amends. God doesn’t
empower us to redeem ourselves; he
doesn’t empower us to salvage our
own lives. God’s purpose is not some
deep dark mystery we must somehow
figure out. He desires to open our
eyes to his incomparable power
working on the behalf of those who
believe (Ephesians 1:18-20;
Ephesians 3:20-21).
Yet, God’s redemptive
purpose for our world goes beyond
mere forgiveness.
We speak
of mercy, grace, atonement and
forgiveness and fail to see God’s
redeeming purpose for our lives. It
is why the church has become
stagnant in her approach to
Christianity. To understand God’s
redemption we must grasp God’s plan
for our world and how we fit into
his plan.
God’s mercy
introduces us to a constructive way
of life.
Sin brings
destruction as it focuses our lives
on self. Sin places the emphasis on
self. When self becomes the center
of our lives—self drains the life
out of everything self comes in
contact with. How merciful would God
be to allow us to pursue a
self-destructive path?
"Have you
ever realized that you can give
things to God that are of value to
Him? Or are you just sitting around
daydreaming about the greatness of
His redemption, while neglecting all
the things you could be doing for
Him? I'm not referring to works
which could be regarded as divine
and miraculous, but ordinary, simple
human things - things which would be
evidence to God that you are totally
surrendered to Him." (Oswald
Chambers)
God’s plan is
personal and poignant. If you want
to know God’s plan in simple terms
read the Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 5-7). Simply stated—treat
others how you want to be treated.
We do this because we have been
saved not to be saved.
Conclusion:
When I
ponder Christianity I have
difficulty figuring out who is
worshipping whom. People
offer sacrifices to the gods they
worship. In Christianity we see God
offering those who worship him the
sacrifice of his Son. He lays him on
the altar for each of us without
hesitation. He lays all our sins
upon Christ. He who knew no sin
became sin for us so that we might
become the righteousness of God in
Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). God
didn’t choose to do this because he
knew we would never sin again after
accepting his free gift. He did it
because he knows we can’t live above
sin.
Salvation is an
absolute gift of God’s mercy.
Romans 4:4-8
4 Now when a man
works, his wages are not credited to
him as a gift, but as an obligation.
5 However, to the man who does not
work but trusts God who justifies
the wicked, his faith is credited as
righteousness. 6 David says the same
thing when he speaks of the
blessedness of the man to whom God
credits righteousness apart from
works:
7 "Blessed are they
whose transgressions
are forgiven,
whose sins are
covered.
8 Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord
will never count against him." NIV
Knowing that
redemption is absolute and free
allows us to rest from our labors of
seeking to redeem ourselves.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all
you who are weary and burdened, and
I will give you rest. 29 Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for
I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light." NIV
God’s absolute
redemption allows us to cast our
anxiety upon him.
1 Peter 5:6-11
6 Humble yourselves,
therefore, under God's mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled
and alert. Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. 9
Resist him, standing firm in the
faith, because you know that your
brothers throughout the world are
undergoing the same kind of
sufferings.
10 And the God of all
grace, who called you to his eternal
glory in Christ, after you have
suffered a little while, will
himself restore you and make you
strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To
him be the power for ever and ever.
Amen. NIV
