"He has rescued us" - The Father has taken us out of Satan's rule and into His kingdom, into Christ's kingdom (John 18:36). Too often we stand up and look around us and think, "We are the masters of our domains, we are the rulers of our space." We don't know how helpless we really are. The power of the spirit beings, whether Satan's demons or the Father's angels is so much more vast than ours. There only two forces in control of the world, God in heaven, and Satan on earth.
- We know that Satan's rule is temporary at the mercy of God. God is not forced to let Satan be the power of darkness. (Eph. 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
- But do not lose heart. We are not expected to stand against Satan on our own. That is silly. It would be no contest. The gap between us and Satan is greater than that between a high school football and an NFL team, or high school basketball team and an NBA team. Remember how the "Dream Team" breezed through the Olympics a few years ago. Professional All-Stars versus amateurs or semi-pro players. The Dream Team toyed with the other teams - it was no contest. It is far worse for us versus Satan.
- Luckily, we are not on our own. We have Christ. Acts 26:18 - (Jesus prayed in the following: 'open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.') We have a helper. Jesus promised the Spirit of God would be in them and with them. (See: John 14:17, 26; 16:13, 15) He told His disciples there were things they could not accomplish until they had the Holy Spirit living in them. (John 7:39)
I think that we sometimes misunderstand the concept of 'Helper'. When we're working on task, and someone comes along and puts their 'should to the wheel' along side, that is a helper. Living the Christian life, maturing in our faith is not a matter of us doing it with a little boost from God. Paul says this so clearly in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Salvation is all Christ. Living for Christ is surrender to Him, and Him living in and through us. It is all Christ.
"In whom..." - This means Christ, His beloved Son. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." (Jn. 14:6). See also Acts 4:12, 10:43, Eph. 1:7,8, Rom. 3:24, 1 Cor. 1:30, Heb. 9:15.
"The forgiveness of sins" - a definition of redemption. Forgiveness is at the heart of the meaning of 'redemption'. We were bought (redeemed) by Christ's sacrifice of His blood (1 Pet. 2:24). It is a utilitarian purchase; we were slaves of sins - Christ bought us with His blood to be slaves to Him (Phil. 1:1; Eph. 1:7; Rom. 3:22-25)
"redemption" - When I was a child my parents would purchase items at stores that issued 'Green Stamps". The stamps were pasted into Green Stamp Books. We received a catalog from the Green Stamp company - items such as table lamps, small kitchen appliances, etc., could be 'puchased' by redeeming books of stamps. Today, we have credit cards that 'give back' a percentage of the purchase price. That "reward" can be redeemed for stuff or airline tickets.
- This analogy is weak in that It doesn't quite fit our salvation. In the first case, you and I have spent money for an item, and receive a "gift" to be able purchase another item. In the second - Jesus, Paul and the other apostles were very clear about this one thing: you and I can do nothing, can pay no price, can never meet the price required to redeem out souls, our lives. We cannot say, "I had a part of this salvation!" God Himself paid the price in full. (See: 1 Pet. 3:18, Rom. 6:10.) Our sin nature creates a chasm we cannot bridge. God has provided the bridge to eternal life - the cross on which Christ was crucified. We have been redeemed by His sacrifice, purchased by His blood. The gift of salvation has been supplied by the mercy and love of God. We are now His children - not enemies, not just good friends, but heirs of the kingdom. Praise God! We are no longer owned by a hostile power. We have been slaves to sin.
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