In Christ, You Are Free (Though You Still Struggle)

Christ Jesus, who became to us… redemption.1 Corinthians 1:30If we are in Christ, we are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come. The heart of the Christian life is that you discover who you are in Jesus Christ, and then be who you are. We’ve seen that the first step in discovering our new identity in Christ is knowing that you are clean. The second step is knowing that you are free.Redemption is a freedom word. It is about setting a person free by the payment of a price. The word “redeem” was often used of slaves in the ancient world. If a person was a slave, you could redeem that person by paying a price.It was also used in pawn shops. If you ran out of money you could take something valuable like a gold ring to the pawn shop, and you would get money for it. The pawn shop would hold the ring for thirty days, and during that time you had the right to redeem it—to buy it back. If you weren’t able to do that, somebody else could buy it.As long as the ring was at the shop, it was in the power and possession of the pawnbroker. Only when it was redeemed was it brought back to where it belonged.One of the most wonderful names ever given to our Lord Jesus Christ is the title “Redeemer.” Christ is your righteousness—that means He releases you from the guilt of sin. Christ is your redemption—that means He delivers you from the power of sin.How does it change your view of yourself to understand that Christ has paid the price to gain your freedom?