Redemption ( Job 19 v 25 )

                            I was playing a game of indoor bowls, and  one of the players had a poor
                            game,but next game he played better,and someone was heard to say ,'you
                            redeemed yourself'. The word redeemed in the context of a game, means's
                            to make up for a bad performance.The word redeemed appears a lot of times
                            in the Bible,there the word means's  to buy back,to pay a price.It
                            has with  it the meaning of delivering and bringing someone out of bondage.
                            It is applied to our Salvation .Humanity is seen by God as being in slavery,
                            as our Saviour said, everyone who sins is a slave to sin (   John 8 v 34 ),
                            Solomon also said ,there is no man that does not sin ( 1 Kings  8 v  46)
                            Because of this we are alienated from a holy God , a slave to our sinful
                            impulses,lost and undone,we are truly on the road to Hell. Unlike a game
                            we personally cannot redeem ourselves, because everything we could offer
                            would be tainted by sin.So God in His awesome  mercy did something
                            He would send a redeemer into the world who would pay the price of our
                            redemption ,as the Psalmist wrote ,'God would redeem ,( 49 v 15 ) And
                            so He ,who was truly God and truly man, came and paid the price of our
                            redemption.,not with perishable things such as silver or  gold ..............
                            but with  His  precious blood   (1 Peter 1 v 18-19 ) So it is when we
                            trust Jesus as our Saviour, God accepts us on the bases of  the price Jesus
                            paid on the cross.

                                                             Not the labours of my hands
                                                             Can fulfil thy law's demands;
                                                             Could my zeal  no respite know,
                                                             Could mt tears for ever flow,
                                                             All for sin could not atone;
                                                             Thou must save, and Thou alone.

                                                               ( Words by A M Toplady )