Redemption

When I was a kid, my mother collected S&H green stamps.

The redemption center was right next door to the A&P.

You collected stamps for the groceries you bought.

When you had enough books saved up you could take the stamps to the redemption center and trade them in for something of value.

That’s how I grew up looking at redemption.

One day I’ll get to trade in this worthless body for that incorruptible form which will never taste death, disease or temptation.

I thought I knew something about redemption until Monday morning when I awoke.

I awoke about 5 A.M., a half-hour before the alarm was set to go off.

I thought about the day and the things I could do before I had to get ready for work.

I promptly fell back asleep.

When the alarm went off, I reached over and shut it off.

When I did, the Lord spoke to me.

"You have just redeem the time."

Whoa, that doesn’t fit my understanding of redeem or redemption.

So Monday at lunch I got on the Net and looked up redeem.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Redeem, Redemption:

A-1 Verb Strong’s Number: 1805 Greek: exagorazo a strengthened form of agorazo, "to buy"

(see BUY, No. 1), denotes "to buy out" (ex for ek), especially of purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom.

It is used metaphorically

(a) in Gal. 3:13; 4:5, of the deliverance by Christ of Christian Jews from the Law and its curse; what is said of lutron (RANSOM, No. 1) is true of this verb and of agorazo, as to the Death of Christ, that Scripture does not say to whom the price was paid; the various suggestions made are purely speculative;

(b) in the Middle Voice, "to buy up for oneself," Eph. 5:16; and Col. 4:5, of "buying up the opportunity" (RV marg.; text, "redeeming the time," where "time" is kairos, "a season," a time in which something is seasonable), i.e., making the most of every opportunity, turning each to the best advantage since none can be recalled if missed.

Well there it is but how can I say I took best advantage of the opportunity, making the best use of my time when I went back to sleep?

If anything, I’d say I did just the opposite.

Let us continue on with the Vine’s Dictionary.

Note: In Rev. 5:9; 14:3,4, AV, agorazo, "to purchase" (RV) is translated "redeemed." See PURCHASE.

A-2 Verb Strong’s Number: 3084 Greek: lutroo "to release on receipt of ransom" (akin to lutron, "a ransom"), is used in the Middle Voice, signifying "to release by paying a ransom price, to redeem"

(a) in the natural sense of delivering, Luke 24:21, of setting Israel free from the Roman yoke;

(b) in a spiritual sense, Titus 2:14, of the work of Christ in "redeeming" men "from all iniquity" (anomia, "lawlessness," the bondage of self-will which rejects the will of God); 1 Pet. 1:18 (Passive Voice), "ye were redeemed," from a vain manner of life, i.e., from bondage to tradition. In both instances the Death of Christ is stated as the means of "redemption."

Well there it is.

"the work of Christ in "redeeming" men "from all iniquity" …. the bondage of self-will which rejects the will of God"

It didn’t matter what I was thinking about doing Monday morning.

It could have been good.

It could have been something that needed to be done.

But as indicated in A-1 (b) "where time is kairos, a season, a time in which something is seasonable", it was not the right season.

It was not what God had set that time aside for me to do with, at His good pleasure.

Ecclesiastes 3

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

I have read several revisions of verse 9.

NIV, NASB, New Living Translation, Darby.

I don’t think any of them give full credit or flavor to what God is really saying here.

Think of a woman in child birth.

The labor pains, her travail.

She neither caused them, nor could prevent them.

They are the normal exercise of the nature that is in her.

It becomes a cooperative effort.

She knows when to push and when to stop pushing.

The timing of the contractions tell her when to push.

In much the same way, the Holy Spirit makes a groaning within us.

Romans 8

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The Holy Spirit is urging us to be cooperative.

It is nowhere near as obvious as labor pains.

Romans 8:27 should encourage us to search out our hearts, to discover the will of God.

To discover what God has placed there.

Then the Lord gave me something else.

I just didn’t see how it fit in to this teaching.

But who am I to argue with the Living God?

Matthew 22

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Here are the Strong’s numbers and meanings of image.

1504 eikon {i-kone'} from 1503 TDNT - 2:381,203; n f

AV - image 23; 23

1) an image, figure, likeness

1a) an image of the things (the heavenly things)

1a1) used of the moral likeness of renewed men to God

1a2) the image of the Son of God, into which true Christians are transformed, is likeness not only to the heavenly body, but also to the most holy and blessed state of mind, which Christ possesses

2 Strong's Number: 5481 Greek: charakter

Denotes, firstly, "a tool for graving" (from charasso, "to cut into, to engross;" cp. Eng., "character," "characteristic");

Then, "a stamp" or "impress," as on a coin or a seal, in which case the seal or die which makes an impression bears the "image" produced by it, and, vice versa, all the features of the "image" correspond respectively with those of the instrument producing it.

In the NT it is used metaphorically in Heb. 1:3, of the Son of God as "the very image (marg., 'the impress') of His substance."

Then I asked the Lord what this has to do with redeeming the time.

And then it became obvious.

"Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk."

They are still at it today.

The legalist and the religious.

They are forever trying to impress on you their image.

To take on their likeness.

To be like them.

To have none of the flavor of God.

For what is obedience without love?

Legalism

What is works without love?

Religion

It is not enough to be busy.

Luke 2:49 And he said to them, Why [is it] that ye have sought me? did ye not know that I ought to be [occupied] in my Father's business? (Darby)

To do the will of the Father, one must be in the will of the Father.

In essence, redeeming the time, is to be in the will of the Father.

Even if it is to do nothing.

A portion of Ecclesiastes 3:7 was impressed on me.

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

I’m going to shut up now.