Where to Find Redemption?

Where to Find Redemption?

What impulse rests at the center of the human heart? There are competing animuses to be sure. George W. Bush famously said, “The desire for freedom rests in every human heart.” Aristotle was a ‘cardiocentric’ philosopher believing the heart to be the chief organ by which the body operated. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” But Scripture paints for us a truer, and far less rosy, picture of what is found in the human heart. “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator–who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25) Jesus describes in even greater detail, “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts–murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” (Matthew 15:18-20) In Matthew, Jesus is answering the Pharisees, who are so scrupulous as to worry over what goes into their mouth so that they may remain clean. Jesus reminds us that it is what comes out of our mouth, which originates in the heart, that makes us unclean. This matters because we will not be poised to find redemption if we are not looking for it. And we aren’t primed to look for it if our heart’s desires continually point us in the opposite direction.

Any impulse from such a corrupted heart will be malformed, it is fruit of a poisoned tree. As lofty as our ideals may be, they are tainted by our broken and sinful nature. More importantly, such activities described by Jesus shrink our world. Love, fidelity, purity, thrift, honesty, and camaraderie grow our experience in this world. Such things foster relationships, grow bonds, deepen understanding, and (not at all coincidently) shrink us. If we are to seek redemption, we must first understand that we are the chief obstacles in its way and the sole reason why it is necessary. So the ‘me first’ mindset is the one we must dispel, but it is the one most ingrained into our behavior. A child cries out of need, sleep, hunger, or discomfort. Without the verbal ability to articulate specifics or even the rudimentary self-awareness to acknowledge what those needs are, they let out a terrible wail until the need is met. Too many people don’t grow far beyond this stage. And when examining our relationship with God, many more fall victim to this same mindset. Is it any wonder we are so often referred to as sheep in Scripture? We must constantly be grateful that we have such an understanding and patient Shepherd. And it is this relationship that must be examined if we are to understand the answer to the question of just where exactly redemption can be found.

One last word on the irresistible pull of looking to oneself for redemption. Most Christians know that this is an impossible or fruitless task. We understand what Ephesians makes clear, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) This is a good (and accurate!) understanding to have. But that doesn’t keep us from inserting ourselves, needlessly, into the equation. How often do we chastise ourselves for sins with the implication being that God will somehow punish us or think less of us, or that our malfeasance in some way separates us from God’s love? How often do we expect our generous acts or kindness to be rewarded or somehow think that this means God loves us even more? To believe that we are capable of altering God’s love one iota is to massively over inflate our importance. It falls under the ‘me first’ mindset just the same. It is a viewpoint with an incredible allure. From Aristotle again, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. This is based on the assumed lie that we are complex or intricate beings worth knowing. Again from Romans, “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents, they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28-32) And knowing a being like this is the beginning of wisdom? Not even close. Why does God in His infinite wisdom and love take on the entire burden of redemption? Because He knows that we are utterly incapable of even the smallest portion of that responsibility.

Now we understand more clearly when, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6) So many view this statement as one of arrogance or exclusion. After all, wouldn’t a loving God provide many pathways to heaven? No. A loving God is an honest one (“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” 1 Corinthians 13:6) And an honest assessment renders other pathways to heaven impossible. Because someone else would have to be responsible for them, and we are manifestly unfit for the task. The chasm between our broken and sinful world (made so by our broken and sinful selves) is far too vast for us to even contemplate crossing. Yes, mankind has set foot on the moon and even views Mars as a possible stepping stone within our grasp. But God stands farther away, at a distance even our modern and searching gaze cannot comprehend. No, redemption cannot come from earth, it had to be visited to it. And it cannot come from broken and sinful man, but it had to be bestowed upon it.

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17) Man was given thousands of years and many many generations to prove himself incapable of keeping the Law. We have now been given thousands of years and many many generations to prove that we are still undeserving of grace and truth. Yet, gifts they still remain. Freely given to us, but not without cost. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) This newsletter will be released on Good Friday. And this Sunday we celebrate the most pivotal moment of all of human history. The Resurrection of our Savior. The One who died so that we may live. “God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but He does what is still more wonderful: He makes saints out of sinners.”-Soren Kierkegaard. God is still in the resurrection business. He always has been. And where can redemption be found? Not in a single place, person, or thing here on this earth. But in every single word and deed from God. From, “Let there be light.” To the Passover lamb, to Abraham’s long march up a mountain to sacrifice his son, to children wandering in the desert, to the trumpet blasts around Jericho, to the blinded and weakened Sampson, to the bitter anguish of David after Nathan’s rebuke, to the courage of Esther, to the warnings of Jeremiah, to the waywardness of Jonah, to a baby in a manger, to the cross. God’s faithfulness is a testament to His continued promise to redeem His people. Not at all because of anything we have done. But because of who He is. Where can redemption be found? What are you even looking for? It is already here, given as a gift, to you. Let that joy be the impulse of your heart, and let the worship that follows be the outpouring of your voice. Because He died instead of you, and He rose for you too.

Jordan Williamson