The Price and Prize of Redemption - UV 1185/10,000 | Prateep V Philip | Suresh, PCR

For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. Isaiah 52 v 3

We have sold ourselves for nothing, for no gain by yielding to sin.  Deception implies falling or choosing that which appears to be good and lasting but is essentially evil and meant for our harm and downfall. We have been deceived into doing that which we ourselves do not want to do in our inner heart.  Adam, the first father sold himself and with him all humanity to the captivity of sin without gaining anything in return.  He had been promised that he would be as knowledgeable and wise as God but he only lost  his innocence and his spiritual freedom. He obeyed the law of sin and departed from the law of God working in the inner man. He had broken faith with God, His Creator.  All subsequent evils in history are only permutations and combinations of that sin.

But God in His mercy decided to redeem us and bring us back into relationship with Him as sons and daughters of faith, of obedience to the law of God.   He redeemed us not with silver or gold but by paying the price Himself through part of His deity, His Son Jesus. Scripture says that the price of a man’s life is so high that it cannot be paid for with money or what money can buy.  He restored our capacity to hear, listen, understand and obey the inner law of righteousness, of keeping faith with God,  our Redeemer.

Since it is God who has redeemed us in our sin and bondage and set us free, we need to give priority to God and His law at work in us. We need to die to our own nature that can be easily deceived and to trust God and His everlasting promises to us.  Money symbolised by silver or gold or all that we considered precious before should be a secondary factor in our lives.  We must make our money or our resources  and all of our faculties to serve our Redeemer.   By studying, understanding and applying the law of God in our inner selves, we will not be subject to further deception.  We will be able to recognize the true worth of things and not judge by the power of enticing words or outward appearance of people or things.  Once we are redeemed by the Lord we are expected to be more wise and discerning and not naïve and gullible.  We are expected to reflect more of the qualities of the Redeemer in our daily lives.