Our lives have value. Our lives have meaning, a worth. The greatest value comes from whom we are made like. The Creator of the universe made us after His image and likeness. We are to be like Him. So our value comes from our being like God.
‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.’ -Genesis 1.26-27
Adam, meaning “ruddy” or “red in the face” or “mankind”, walked with God in the garden that He made in a land that was pleasurable to God; a place God especially liked. Adam, or man, was made to be like God. God partnered with man.
‘Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.’ -Genesis 2.19
Man was to have dominion over everything on the Earth. God gave Adam this authority, to have dominion, to watch over, and to caretake the Earth and all the creatures in it. But, Man did not keep this authority and right relationship with God, as man’s father.
“God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. -Genesis 3.6-7
Man had been like God, Eve was deceived, and Adam who was right there with her. Adam did not correct Eve’s misunderstanding of what God said. Instead Adam joined Eve in eating from the one tree God said do not eat from this tree. Adam chose to separate himself from God by choosing what he wanted rather than what God wanted. They knew they were no longer covered by God and provided for themselves coverings made of leaves.
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” -Genesis 3.17-19
Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim [chief angels] and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. -Genesis 3.23-24
Man lost value.
Man was covered by God, partnered with God, and tended the Garden of God in the midst of Eden. Now, man was less than. Man was less than who and what man should have been. Man was deemed fallen from the favor of God and separate from Him.
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. -1 Corinthians 15.21-23
Man needed to be “redeemed” or “revalued” by God. This was only possible through Jesus Christ and the Cross. It was at the Cross that Jesus traded his life in right relationship with the Father, never separating his will from God’s, for our lives that were separate from God.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. -Isaiah 53.5-6
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. -Ephesians 1.7
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. -Hebrews 9.22
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. -Revelation of John 12.11
In Jesus, man was redeemed.
REDEEM, v.t. [L. redimo; red, re, and emo, to obtain or purchase.] [Websters Dictionary, 1828]
- To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge.
- To repurchase what has been sold; to regain possession of a thing alienated, by repaying the value of it to the possessor.
God redeemed man through Jesus Christ and the Cross. God revalued man at the price point or ransom of His only begotten son, Jesus Christ.
All that is required of man is to accept and receive the gift paid, then walk with the God of man’s redemption.
And as if that is not enough, God restores us in Him and with all that is lacking.
RESTO’RE, v.t. [L. restauro. This is a compound of re and the root of store, story, history. The primary sense is to set, to lay or to throw, as in Gr. solid.][Websters Dictionary, 1828]
- To return to a person, as a specific thing which he has lost, or which has been taken from him and unjustly detained. We restore lost or stolen goods to the owner.
- To replace; to return; as a person or thing to a former place.
- To bring back.
- To bring back or recover from lapse, degeneracy, declension or ruin to its former state.
But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. -Luke 15.22-24
Because of what Jesus did at the Cross and our accepting that and receiving that, God has now imparted to us righteousness, or right standing with God. We have been “restored” to position and possession. What was lost has been back in store for us. All that we require, all that we need, has been restored to us.
Because of what Jesus did at the Cross and our accepting that and receiving that, we are now just like Adam was in the Garden of God, no sin, no separation, and walking in right relationship with the God of the Bible, the God of Creation, our Father God.
We have been redeemed and restored.
Amen?
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Doc Rogers writes.... 