REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED
Neil C McKay
Romans 8: 23
Ephesians 4: 30
Our brother has spoken of the Redeemer living - our sister’s Redeemer lives. The great matter of redemption has been accomplished. It is a sound foundational fact, and to be considered as being in the presence of death. The purchase price has been paid in the blood of the Redeemer. The precious blood of the Lord Jesus was shed, and it paid the price in full - as Scripture says, “current with the merchant”, Gen 23: 16. It covered every matter righteously before God.
He purchased the field, Matt 13: 44. He purchased the whole field in His blood and established the right to every man, woman and child in the earth, and everything in it; He purchased it in full with the price of His blood.
And our sister was part of that purchase. God paid the price for her in the blood of Christ. It meant something to God to do that. He had foreknown her before the foundation of the world, but as being lost to sin she required redemption's price to be paid, and that was paid in full and the matter of redemption completely accomplished. It was accomplished by Christ on the cross to God’s eternal satisfaction, and accepted in faith by our sister.
It is remarkable then that it says in Romans, “awaiting adoption, that is the redemption of our body”. The full result of redemption has not yet been fulfilled. It awaits adoption; the redemption of the body. Our sister’s body has not yet fully seen the results of redemption. When it does, she will be raised immortal and incorruptible and perfect, in sonship - entirely in accord with Christ as He now is. Then the full results of redemption, the redemptive work of Christ, will be seen in display. They are not seen now; a person coming into this room could not tell who has been redeemed and who has not, and who is a son and who is not. They may be able to see something in the comportment of a person’s life as a son (in character), but then the sons of God will be seen. The full result of redemption will be accomplished and the bodies of the saints will be changed, immortal, perfect. The full result of redemption is that everything is absolutely perfect and in accord with God. Redemption is not an incomplete work. Everything has been absolutely and perfectly accomplished through the work of Christ, and that work will involve that our sister’s body will be changed and raised immortal and incorruptible, absolutely perfect: what a wonderful thing this is.
We read in Ephesians because it speaks of “the Holy Spirit of God, with which ye have been sealed for the day of redemption”. There is a day coming, at the rapture, when the Lord will come and raise the bodies of the saints. That first wave of power will roll out, raising the dead in Christ. What a matter! Waves of divine power, bringing about the result of redemption - raised and glorious saints. Think of that, a day spoken of in scripture as “the day of redemption”. It has not happened yet, the full result of redemption is not completed, but it is about to be: a day when God will raise everyone who has been purchased by the blood of Christ from the dead, persons changed, living, immortal, incorruptible. Divine power will move - move from the throne - and redemption, the full result of it, will take place. God has paid the price, but then He will take up the claim that He has through the purchase price having been paid. He will lay claim to that body and raise it again in absolute perfection. God will not allow any imperfection: redemption’s work is not imperfect in any way. It will be absolutely perfect because the full price has been paid. And our sister, foreknown from eternity, marked out through the foreknowledge of God, chosen in Him, taken up in time, called through the gospel, saved through faith in the blood of Christ, will then be completely secured in actuality. She will be raised, and everything then will be perfectly completed as regards her.
May we be encouraged by these things for His Name’s sake.
Glasgow
19th November 2019
(At the meeting for the burial of Miss M Fraser)