Forgiven, Redeemed and Reconciled

It is the character or quality of the Eternal One to forgive, redeem and reconcile. As the Eternal One’s character never changes, He is in an eternal state of forgiveness. His desire for our redemption is constant. The Eternal One’s mission of reconciliation will continue until all who have come to Him have come. Until then, the Eternal One continues to pursue humanity in love. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

It is the character or quality of the Eternal One to forgive, redeem and reconcile. As the Eternal One’s character never changes, He is in an eternal state of forgiveness. His desire for our redemption is constant. The Eternal One’s mission of reconciliation will continue until all who have come to Him have come. Until then, the Eternal One continues to pursue humanity in love. Both collectively and individually. 

Throughout both the Old and New Testament the Eternal One’s character of forgiveness, redemption and reconciliation is revealed. Through the Eternal One’s relationship with individuals and people groups, we see a glimpse into His heart.

Even in humanity’s rebellion and rejection of the Eternal One, He was there waiting and ready to forgive. One of the greatest expressions of the Eternal One’s forgiveness was in the darkest hour of human history. 

It was when the Eternal One clothed Himself in humanity. He experienced the full human condition. From birth, to life, to death He did it all for us. 

Just before Jesus sacrificed His human body for us He had His last meal with His disciples. It was the Passover festival. As they shared their last meal together Jesus stated that His shed blood was for the remission of sins. Sins being every offence ever said, thought or done to another or self. Therefore unto God. Remission in this context is a freedom of being delivered, pardoned and forgiven. 

Let us read about that sacred moment. 

Matthew 26:26-29 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus was nailed to the cross by humanity. Humanity knew He was an innocent man. Yet they cried out, crucify Him crucify Him. He was brutally tortured, mocked, rejected by His own. Yet He did it all for us.

As the Eternal One is in an eternal state of forgiveness, He did not need the sacrifice. However out of the Eternal One’s great love and desire to enable us to receive His forgiveness that is always there for us, He became the sacrifice. His shed blood is for the remission or forgiveness of an offence.

The Hebrew word that has been translated as remission or forgiveness in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ last supper is the same word Jesus used in His mission statement. However in that instance it has been translated as liberty. 

Jesus stated that He came to proclaim liberty to the captives and set at liberty those who are oppressed. 

Unforgiveness is a bondage. It holds captive both the offender and the one who has been offended against. Whether it is unforgiveness toward another or self, it is a destructive negative force within self. 

Receiving forgiveness and letting go of unforgiveness can be one of the hardest things to do. The Eternal One knows this and has done everything for us to be able to receive His forgiveness. As well as forgive others and forgive ourselves. 

Letting go of unforgiveness is letting go of the hurt and pain. It is not denying the wrong that had been committed. On the contrary. Letting go of unforgiveness is acknowledging the wrong that has been done. Acknowledging not only the wrong, but the hurt and pain that it has caused.

Holding on to that hurt and pain, empowers it to be become a cesspool of unforgiveness. Whether it is unforgiveness of self or another. Unforgiveness eats away into the inner core of ones soul.

Knowing that the Eternal One is in an eternal state of forgiveness and it is His desire that we be truly free enables us to come to Him at anytime. Where we can surrender the hurt and pain to Him. That is give it to Him and take a moment to be still with the Eternal One. Remembering that Jesus’ sacrifice enables us to believe and receive the forgiveness that is always there for us. 

For such is the great love of the Eternal One. It is the Eternal One’s desire that none would perish. The love of the Father, the love of the Son and the love of the Holy Spirit is the same for the three are one. It is their heart’s desire that all would receive His deliverance from bondage and judgment. That each one would be forgiven and pardoned. Yet out of His great love He gives each one free choice. 

The choice is this. To receive His deliverance and pardon that is always there or reject it.  

Having received the Eternal One and given total allegiance to Him, worshipping only Him, we are delivered, forgiven and pardoned. It is the daily journey to live in the reality of this truth. 

A daily journey to surrender to Him the hurt and pain. To place it all in His nail pierced hands. That is the offence, the offender and the consequences of the offence. To remember Jesus’ sacrifice of His human body is so that we can receive and believe the forgiveness that is always there. Receive the healing if we have been offended against. Whether it is forgiveness for the offender or the one who has been offended against, the Eternal One is in an eternal state of forgiveness. For that is HIs character.

However there are those who knowingly choose to reject the Eternal One and therefore choose to remain in an eternal state of condemnation and bondage. 

Let us read Mark 3:28-29 and listen to Jesus as He speaks to those who have chosen to remain in an eternal state of condemnation and bondage. 

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is the one who testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. He is also the one who dwells within every disciple of Jesus and testifies that we are His. 

Therefore in rejecting the Eternal One and His right to rule and reign, is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. By remaining in this state of rejecting the Eternal One, is to deny oneself the forgiveness that is always there for them to receive. It is deny themselves their only pathway to salvation.

For the Eternal One is in an eternal state of forgiveness. 

It is the character or quality of the Eternal One to redeem. That is to make atonement or pay the cost. 

In Ancient cultures, particularly within the Ancient Israelites, a person of the same kin could redeem that which was lost to the family. For example if land was lost, the kinsman redeemer could pay the cost to secure the release, recovery, or restoration of that land back to the family. 

Throughout the Old Testament in the time of the Ancient Israelites, the Eternal One declared He was their redeemer. He would choose to be born from one of their tribes and be their kinsman redeemer. Revealing Himself to them in a way they would understand. History proves that the Eternal One in Jesus did come in human form into the tribe of Judah. One of the 12 tribes of the Ancient Israelites. 

However Jesus did not only redeemed those of Jewish lineage but came as the kinsman redeemer of all humanity. In His human form, Jesus was humanity’s kinsman redeemer. He became one of us to pay the cost for humanity. The cost for every tribe and nation. In Jesus’ life as a man He secured our release from the bondage of our self will. With Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection He secured our release from all the offences of humanity. Not only redemption from all the offences but also their consequences which is death. 

For in the beginning humanity gave its power over to their selfish will and evil. As a result death entered into the Eternal One’s perfect world. As it was humanity who put all of creation into bondage, the Eternal One became human. Jesus came to redeem humanity and all of creation. 

One of the most beautiful revelations of this truth is in Romans. 

Let us read Romans 8:19-25 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

The full redemption of all of creation will occur when Jesus returns. When Jesus returns all those who have received Him throughout the ages will all receive their eternal bodies. The redemption of our physical tent of our bodies will occur when Jesus returns. Our redeemed bodies that never get sick, never wear out and will never die. This is what the writer of Romans refers to as the revealing of the sons of God. 

We eagerly wait for all who will come to the Eternal One’s have come. Then Jesus will return. 

For the Eternal One’s desire for redemption is constant. 

Until then the Eternal One’s mission of reconciliation continues. 

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Reconciliation in this context means to not only make atonement but to exchange equivalent values. So in receiving the Eternal One and His sacrifice, we are aligning ourselves with His values. It is the daily journey for us to surrender of our self will to that of our Father in heaven’s will that we receive more of His values. In continual surrender we receive more of His character. He transforms us.

We are a new creation upon receiving Jesus. It is the daily journey of surrender to live in that reality. Where all things become new. That is begin to be and come into existence HIs character within us.

All who have received Jesus, have received His ministry of reconciliation. For having received Jesus, we have the Eternal One’s Spirit within. It is the Holy Spirit who transforms us. The Holy Spirit testifies to us and to the powers we are reconciled to God. 

As the Holy Spirit dwells within us, every where we go we carry His ministry of reconciliation. Even in the darkest of places, the darkest of moments, the Holy Spirit implores to individuals and people groups, be reconciled to God. To those who are reconciled to God, we remember we are forgiven and redeemed. We carry Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation into every situation. 

The Eternal One’s mission of reconciliation will continue until all who have come to Him have come.

Forgiveness, redemption and reconciliation are gifts from the Eternal One. They are not something to be earned or deserved. To forgive, redeem and reconcile are aspects of the Eternal One’s nature. For He is in an eternal state of forgiveness. His desire for our redemption is constant. The Eternal One’s mission of reconciliation will continue until all who have come to Him have come. Until then, may we remember having said yes to Jesus, we are forgiven, redeemed and reconciled.

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!