Redemption
An honest look at the brokenness that exists in the world, and the brokenness that exists in me begs the question: "Is there hope?"
Any trustworthy way of seeing the world must not only account for evil but also offer livable hope in the face of it. Other perspectives offer limited answers: Naturalism and Relativism suggest accepting evil, Stoicism reframes evil as productive, and Nihilism offers no hope.
In the West, we've come to believe that human ingenuity and goodness will ultimately overcome evil through improvements in education, politics, and technology. But while humanity has achieved immense good and made significant improvements in quality of life, evil is clearly not eradicated. Furthermore, advancements in technology and education have, at times, only served to augment evil.
These approaches fail to adequately address real, catastrophic pain and injustice, suggesting they only treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. Policies and filters can curb racism and decrease access to illicit content, but they have no ability to change the human heart's propensity to hate or excessively desire.
So is there hope, really?
The Christian Story answers, "YES!” But It’s not in education, environmentalism, better economic systems, or government policies - though improving all of those things are important to the Christian Story.
As we saw considering Brokenness, the root cause of all these symptoms is evil - what has long been referred to in history by many cultures as “sin.” The Christian story tells us that the only hope in overcoming evil is in overcoming sin itself, and that hope is in a person - Jesus of Nazareth.
If it's been a while since you've read the biographies of Jesus, or if your knowledge about Jesus is second hand via a comparative religions professor, YouTube skeptics, or even your friends, the first thing I'd encourage you to do is to stop reading this and go read one of Jesus’ biographies contained in the New Testament portion of the Bible. Mark's account is the shortest, and (in my opinion) John's account is the easiest to connect with.
The consensus among historians, Christian or not, is that Jesus was a real person who lived an unassuming life of poverty and worked as Jewish skilled laborer under oppressive Roman rule in ancient Galilee. At about age 30, he began a three-year public preaching and miracle-working ministry that ended in his execution as a small-time religious and political criminal.
Most scholars will also grant this: he changed the world.
The question is: “How?” How did this poor, itinerant, preacher in a backwoods corner of the Roman Empire change the World as we know it?”
The earliest Christians held, and what Christians around the world have believed since is that Jesus of Nazareth was not just an amazing ethical preacher, but that he was God, himself. The tradition holds that while losing no part of his deity, God became a human, lived as Jesus on earth for 30 years, died, and came back to life.
That’s a lot to take in.
Especially if you’re unfamiliar with the story or if it’s been cast for you in a negative light.
That’s why I would highly encourage you to read the story again for yourself. But here’s the significance of his life, death, and resurrection: he broke the power of sin and evil. Here’s how:
His life.
As both God and human (indeed a mystery but explore this with me for a moment), Jesus showed us how to live. He was the only human being who ever truly flourished, despite being a poor, single, 30-year old man from an oppressed minority who was sometimes a refugee. Yet, everywhere he went, he embodied and imparted the life of God.
Read and see for yourself: His love and ethical teaching are unparalleled, and his interactions with people of all social statuses are stunning. He works miracles, commanding both supernatural and natural elements. Everywhere he went, he freed people and restored life.
His death.
His death is a tragic tale of political injustice, betrayal by a close friend, and unimaginable physical pain. Yet, he forgives his captors! More significantly, as both fully God and fully human, he was able to absorb the full power, presence, and penalty of sin and evil for all time. By truly dying, he offered his life as a sacrifice on behalf of all people stuck in sin.
His resurrection.
Without Jesus' resurrection, the story does like this: Jesus was as a wise and well-meaning, though misguided and delusional teacher. Though he had some good things to say, and he might’ve done some miracles or illusions of some kind, he also thought he was God and was going to be resurrected… But he wasn't. Oops! The end.
On the contrary, Jesus' resurrection shows proves he was telling the truth: He was fully God. He did have authority over evil and sin.
Together, his life, death, and resurrection have forever broken the power of sin, freed from the penalty of sin, and he has begun the process of removing the presence of sin. Like a breach in a dam, Jesus initiated the beginning of the inescapable end of sin and evil.
What’s more? He’s still alive! He exists now in heaven in a body that is supernatural but still human. And Christians the world-over consider him a dear and present friend.
We use the word, Redemption, to refer to all of this.
Redemption is a freedom word. It originally referred to the process of purchasing someone out of slavery and restored to freedom and their rightful place in society. Redemption is God’s act of reclaiming what was lost, healing what was broken, and freeing what was bound through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection satisfies the justice requirements of our guilt for our sin and restores the breach in our relationship with God.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are unique. There is no one else in history like him, and no one else has offered a solution to sin and evil like His. Therefore, Jesus is the Christian’s hope in the face of the brokenness we see in ourselves and in the World.
And his story isn’t over.
Considering the state of the world and my life, I’m sure glad it’s not!
The last symbol explains the final chapter.