Redemption Reigns

Why the Resurrection Matters, always…

By Carol Van Atta 

“Innocent!  Death Row Inmate Falsely Accused!”  The headline declared in bold print, publicly displaying the truth one man and his family had embraced for almost two decades.

  DNA tests finally confirmed that a certain death-row “killer” did not commit the brutal rape/homicide for which he had been sent to prison more than eighteen years ago.  He is now redeemed of his supposed guilt by more precise blood tests, proving his long-proclaimed innocence not only to himself but also to the world at large.   However, in spite of the new, improved evidence, this man remains in captivity…three years later.  Why?  In his particular case, it appears justice has not been served, and an innocent man remains condemned in the minds of his accusers, or at the very least, he is imprisoned by a bureaucratic system that has become his worst nightmare.

After reading this man’s heart-wrenching story along with numerous other accounts, I found myself feeling like a boiling tea kettle with its spout steaming and screaming for justice.  Then, reality hit.  I don’t get this worked up over the first known Christian Martyr, Stephen, who was stoned in cold blood. Innocent of corruption and deceit, he was killed simply for loving our Lord – His Savior. 

What about John the Baptist?  His head was served mercilessly upon a platter for all to mock.  This locust-eating-prophet’s crime?  Speaking God’s truth.  

And what about the vicious torture and death of Jesus Christ on a filthy Roman cross two thousand years ago?  Thankfully, His story doesn’t end there.  For us, His life, death, and resurrection became our New Beginning.  For the death-row prisoner, Jesus truly is his real redemption.  For Stephen, John, Peter, and all the martyrs, past, present, and future, Christ’s tragic death, and the Easter morning resurrection, is the ultimate redemption from darkness and death, to light and life eternal.

Now, as you know, not all death row inmates are innocent, actually, no one is.  You, me, the person down the street, even Mother Theresa and the Prophets of old were guilty as charged.  For none of us can escape the ultimate consequence of sin.  God’s Word makes is crystal clear: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Yet it also states that God’s desire is that none should perish.  None!  He wants to redeem all of us, and His sacrificial death makes it possible for each and every man, woman, and child to find eternal life with God.

When we think about the Resurrection and the miracle of God redeeming man, it all seems so blissful, so celestial.  We so often fail to recognize the pain and suffering one man endured to save all mankind.  As modern Christians, we tend to minimize His grace and love without really meaning to, but, unfortunately, we do.  What we need every now and then is a good earthquake, a tsunami of truth to knock us back down to our knees where we belong.  Only from this humble vantage point are we fully capable of looking up into the pain filled eyes of the One who paid the price for our mistakes.   

From the very beginning, God set His redemptive plan in motion.  Our Lord offers us the choice between life and death, the blessing, or the curse.  Although the decision seems obvious to any half-sane individual with a bare-basics knowledge of God’s truth, so many of us find ourselves standing at a crossroad time and time again.  We look cautiously down the pathways, carefully analyzing which road will be the most fruitful to follow. One path is very narrow.  It appears to be more difficult than the others, even quite treacherous at points along the way.  Yet this is the path God has clearly said we should travel, or is it?  Hum…maybe it’s the glittery path of “good deeds,” or the seemingly wide open path of “all nice people go to Heaven.”  Other options like “friends and family first,” “Education and Career Goals,” and “Rules and Regulations” beckon to us with their realistically enticing messages.   Even the “If it feels good do it” path can appear tantalizing when life is hard, and you’re weary of traveling.  After all, God’s grace is easily available if we stray off course, right?

For a moment, let us leave the crossroad behind and consider a courtroom scenario…

 All around people are sitting and waiting.  Some of these people are on your side of the room.  Others are seated across the isle.  They turn to watch you enter.  Their eyes shoot daggers of distrust and accusation every time you glance over.  A few sneer and snicker as you make your way unsteadily to the front, where a long oak table and two chairs await your arrival.  Sadly, the chair to your left is suspiciously empty with no legal representation in sight.  The cost of legal council was far too high for you to pay, and the court appointed attorneys refused your case.  Your chest constricts as you strain to keep breathing, well aware if you fall apart now, your punishment is assured.   A side door blasts open, revealing a perfectly suited man, dressed solely in black, briefcase in hand.  His tanned, chiseled features seem other-worldly, too perfect.  With a malicious grin, this newcomer takes his seat at the table next to you.  He eyes you hungrily, eager to orchestrate your demise.  

“All rise!”  A voice from nowhere, yet everywhere commands. 

Quickly, you rise to your feet with the other patrons, who have finally stopped their incessant murmuring, excited to finally catch a glimpse of the most famous judge in the entire universe – Elohay Mishpat – the God of Justice.  He faces the audience.  His majesty, sovereignty, and complete knowledge of truth, lead you to bow low in honor.  With a nod of His head, The Judge directs the spectators to once again seat themselves.   

“Your Honor, if I may?”  Leaping to his feet, the accusing attorney faces the spectators.  Waving a stack of documents he prances and preens, making his opening statement, which you hardly hear.  Finally, he opens a large scroll.  It rolls to the floor and continues down the isle like a red carpet unrolling to welcome royalty.  Unfortunately, this is no royal rug, but a list of every wrong deed you have ever done, every word you have uttered; even your darkest thoughts are printed boldly for all to read.

“As you can see, Your Honor, this man is a sinner.  His charges are as follows:  He pretended not to like his baby food at just nine months because he wanted smashed bananas instead, hit the family dog at age one because the dog was in his mother’s lap, and he was jealous, bit his neighbor at 15 months in anger…”

You listen in horror as the Accuser rattles off every offense from your birth, until this moment.  His voice drones on and on.

“Deceiving a police officer, yelling at his wife and children, cursing You, Your Honor…”

No longer able to listen, you bury your pounding head in the temporary safety of your own hands. 

“Son?”  The Judge calls to you, with a hint of kindness.  “Would you like to defend yourself against these charges?”

“No.  They’re all mine.  I did every one of those things.  I can’t lie anymore.  What’s the use?  The only good thing I ever did was to pray last week for Jesus to come into my heart and forgive my sins.  I went into a coma immediately after that.  I guess He didn’t hear me.” 

“No!  I don’t have record of that!”  The Accuser sputters, tearing through his pile of paperwork.

“I heard him.  I forgave him.  He is mine, Father.”  A man dressed in flowing white robes approaches the judge’s bench.  Turning to face the crowd, he opens his arms wide, revealing a hole in each hand.  His eyes meet yours. “My blood was enough.  You are free, indeed.  You, my son, are redeemed.  I paid the price for you.”

“Because of Your blood, My Son, this man is innocent.  Young man, enter your reward for the scroll is now empty.  Nothing remains.  The charges are gone.”  The gavel drops with a thud. 

In the distance, you hear applause and cries of jubilation, and at that moment, you realize the celebration is for you.

Redemption: “The purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom.” (WebBible Encyclopedia, ChristianAnswers.net)

Amazingly, the debt against us, because of our sins, was not simply cancelled, but fully and completely paid, once and for all by Jesus Christ.  His death and resurrection, allows us to spend an eternity in Heaven.   If we choose to accept His gracious gift to the world, His gift to you, to me, to every person who walks this planet, we are free indeed.

Hodge’s Systematic Theology says the following: “Christ saves us neither by the mere exercise of power, not by his doctrine, nor by his example, nor by the moral influence which he exerted, nor by any subjective influence on his people, whether natural or mystical, but as a satisfaction to divine justice, as an expiation for sin, and as a ransom from the curse and authority of the law, thus reconciling us to God by making it consistent with his perfection to exercise mercy toward sinners.”

In other words, Christ’s love and His blood was enough to set us free, and redeem us forever.  When we embrace this truth, and accept His gift, it becomes more difficult to stand at the crossroad of life and blatantly ignore our Savior’s directions.  How can we possibly continue to think of His grace as something we hurry up and grasp for after purposefully choosing a road He has marked a off limits.  As our love for Him increases, choosing the path of life should become easier, little by little.  Our desire for the wrong way will decrease. 

But, what about those really bad sinners, you know, the ones on death row, the ones who really killed someone?  Do they deserve the same grace?  Absolutely not!  We don’t either.  Not one of us “deserves” God’s redemption plan.  Thankfully, God’s mercy knows no bounds.  He seeks broken people, with humble hearts.   When He hears a cry, Christ doesn’t say, “Well, Joe is on death row, but Sally only stole money from the cash register.  I better save Sally first.”   Christ’s blood and plan of redemption is available to everyone.  Unlike those pre-approved credit card letters, where only a chosen few qualify, all who call on Him for new life, meet the requirements.  Repentant, imperfect sinners are perfect candidates for God’s redemptive plan.

Isn’t this the perfect time of year, to get on the right path?  To stop judging who God redeems and thank Him for saving us.  For many of us, we will never know what it means to die in order to ransom another.  However, even today, there are men and women around our world who continue to lay down their lives so others might experience God’s grace.   Consider the fifteen-year-old, Hasan, from North Africa.  His father, a renowned Muslim religious and political leader, stood silently nearby while officials executed his son.  The murder, by beheading, was ordered by young Hasan’s father.  This boy died a martyr’s death at only fifteen because he was unwilling to walk away from the path God had chosen for him.  He refused to deny the One who had redeemed him from death.   Today, Hasan, stands in the presence of the Lord, wearing an eternal crown of a martyr that can never be taken from him.  Young Hasan would not waver at the crossroad.  He trusted Christ in spite of the overwhelming, earthly consequences. 

Another man sits behind bars in a harsh, Iranian prison because he is a Christian.  This former Iranian army colonel is serving a three-year sentence because it is illegal for a non-Muslim to serve as a military officer.  Sentenced in a Tehran military court in February 2005, he has lost his career, family, income, and all military pensions.   He could have easily renounced Christ, saved himself, and than pleaded for God’s renewed mercy and grace.  However, this man couldn’t imagine denying the One who had died to redeem him.  Taking advantage of God’s grace was not an option.   Dying was better than denying for this faithful soldier.

Stories like these demonstrate the hope that we can follow Christ, take the right road, and live our lives in light of His love.  His love cannot be measured or understood in terms of our humanness.  Yet the truth remains, God’s love is real, and His resurrection releases the redemptive power of a Living God, Christ Jesus, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.

You may not be on death row, or serving as a missionary in a hostile, foreign land, however, you, too, will stand at more than your share of crossroads.  Will you deny the One who gave His life for yours, or will you embrace His grace and allow redemption to reign?   No matter what we decide personally, nothing, absolutely nothing can stop Christ’s redemptive power from reigning real in our world --  yesterday, today, and forever. 

Please, friends, consider Christ. You, too, can reign for eternity. Why wait? Choose Jesus now. He's waiting.

DISCLAIMER: IF I HAVE ANY ODD TYPOS (MORE THAN USUAL) KNOW THAT MY NAIL TORE, YES, I TORE OFF MY INDEX FINGER, not on purpose. OUCH! I'M TYPING WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY.)  Anyway ...

I'm back ... !

What an adventure. Other than my lovely daughter getting horribly ill with the worst flu I've seen in a long time, my recent mission trip/speaking event went well. I was definitely outside my comfort zone. Stepping out of the box is always good, though.

I met some wonderful, God-loving people who I hope to have in my life from this point forward. I also got to pet an opossum, a hedgehog (no, not Sonic) and my car was actually chased by a rogue dog. See ... it was eventful. The group I went with was kind, generous, and demonstrated God's love in some very tangible ways. I feel honored to have joined them. Thank you Ruth, Jim, and the gang! You're awesome.

The weekend before I left, I did a cable television spot for Bethany House. While at the station, someone recommeded that I read a book called The Shack. At the mention of his suggestion, I felt a certain stirring within my spirit, but realized I'd have to wait until after my trip to satisfy my curiosity.

Then  I stopped by a dear friend's home and she said, "I'm reading this really interesting book. You'll have to read it, too." Can you guess the title? Of course, The Shack.

Needless to say, with my over-zealous nature bordering on obsessive compulsive behavior, it became my mission even on my mission trip to locate this supposedly life-changing book. However, it wasn't until I returned home that I finally found the thin paperback at a local bookstore. I'm only half way through, but I have to say it is a highly unusual and impacting read. It has stretched my imagination and view of God to a new level. I can't tell you how it all ends (and I wouldn't) because I don't know yet. But I do know I've been challenged to take a long look at my impression of God and His love for mankind. You, too, may want to visit The Shack.

Well, I have a ton of writing to do, so I must get to writing. Please pray that I am able to effectively re-create my proposal. Thank you to everyone who has left notes and tags on my blog. I love knowing that my words somehow, someway touch you life.

God bless you!