Mighty is Our God in Redemption Pt 2

Firstly, I want to say how happy I am to be back writing from a long break, and hope that God will use each and every word that I write this semester for His ultimate glory and fame.

Last article, I wrote about God's might as it is displayed through each and every aspect of this universe from the mightiest mountain down to the very molecules and atoms that our bodies consist of. Perhaps not as obvious as His mighty works in creation, our redemption as told in the gospel story displays His magnificence and might on cosmic levels that should bring each of us to our knees in awe and worship. Redemption, at its essence, means "repurchase or restoration." Keep this firmly in mind as we explore the incredible truths the redemption of mankind reveals about our mighty God.

We see in the book of Genesis how God created Adam and Eve, the first human beings, to live in the Garden of Eden and to experience a close, intimate relationship with Him. In fact, God walked in the garden with them (Genesis 3:8). This is the very purpose for which humanity was created and designed. However, they sinned against God thus setting all of us apart from Him for He is holy (i.e. perfect and set apart). God can no longer have an intimate relationships with mankind because of the sin now permeating each and every individual. Perfect cannot mix with imperfect and continue to be perfect. For example, you have two pieces of Play-Doh: one piece is clean but the other piece has fallen on the ground and is now covered in dirt. If you mash the dirty piece and the clean piece together, the clean piece becomes dirty. Humanity is covered in the dirt of sin and therefore must be cleansed before it can experience closeness with God. This passage below beautifully illustrates the fall of creation into sin and this is the backdrop necessary to really begin to grasp the magnificence God displayed in our redemption through Jesus Christ.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:21-25)

We see in these words from Romans humanity choosing to ignore God and to follow idols of the world, therefore God gives them over to their new masters. Sin takes up residence in the heart of mankind as its new lord, and brings with it death: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. (Colossians 2:13) There is a finality to death, if a person is dead there is nothing they, themselves, can do to change that. Only God can conquer death, for he alone created life. Therefore, it is God who must buy us back from the darkness and death of sin.

In critical need of a savior, God came to humanity's rescue in the person of Jesus. In Christ, our redeemer, all the might, majesty, and beauty of God is on display. For Jesus Christ is both man (Matthew 1) and God (Colossians 2:9); the conquering king (Revelation 19:11) and the suffering servant (Isaiah 53); the very radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3); and it is ultimately by his wounds that we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). All humanity has been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ that was spilt at the cross; and it is in Christ that the might of God is truly revealed to the ends of the earth.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

In light of all of this, by the grace of God we are all presented with a choice:

Will we approach the feet of Christ and kneel in complete surrender and worship of him whose name is above every name?

Or will we turn our backs upon him and worship creature rather than the Creator?