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One thing that comes to my mind when I hear this week’s word, redeem, is coupons. I love free stuff! Occasionally I’ll get coupons in my email that I can print and redeem for free things, such as a free cheeseburger at a local restaurant, or a free ice cream cone. I enjoy swapping a piece of paper for a treat like that!

But the word redeem has a much, much greater significance in my life as well. As the lyrics of one of my favorite Easter hymns states, I know that my Redeemer lives! Jesus Christ is my redeemer. But what does that mean?

The word redeem actually comes from a financial term that literally means “buying back.” But what have I been brought back from? Check out Romans 3:23-24: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” I am part of the “all” spoken of in that passage. Because I have sinned, I have separated myself from God. But while I have separated myself from God, I can’t buy myself back into His favor. The only way for anyone to be “bought back” is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is no mere coupon. We can’t just present a piece of paper and receive a right relationship with God. Jesus had to suffer and experience death, so that you and I and everyone else who believes may truly be redeemed from our sin. As Colossians 1:13-14 says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

It is through the redemption brought to us through Jesus that we can have all of our sins forgiven, so that our relationship with God can be restored. And that is WAY better than a free ice cream cone!