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Sunday, November 01, 2009
Redemption And Forgiveness: The Way To National Reconciliation, Unity, Development
By Imaekhai Emmanuel
Apostle Paul in his epistles unveils the mysteries of the Church, settles doctrinal issues, disputes and clears misconceptions. The epistle to the Ephesians is not an exception. In this epistle, Apostle Paul writes to unite both Jew and Gentiles; equip, empower and mature God's people (saints) to live a victorious life.
In chapter 1 vs. 7, he writes of redemption, which he refers to as THE or OUR redemption. "In Him, we have redemption though His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" Eph. 1-7
This is a constant reference to the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary as the ground of reconciliation. In it, God forgives because Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it.
The idea of One Nigeria is in principles and not in practice. There is a need for, "One Nigeria" that is free from zoning, tribalism, godfathers, sentiment, corruption, favouritism, etc. A "One Nigeria" that will embrace truth, justice, competence, integrity, foresight, professionalism, love, peace, unity, brotherly love, etc. To do this, we must embrace God's idea of redemption and forgiveness as a way forward:
- Redemption is also forgiveness of sins: Redemption is a slave market term meaning the release or deliverance by payment of a fixed price. We have been delivered from the penalty and bondage of sin by Christ's death on the cross. Christ paid the debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we couldn't pay. Forgiveness means release or sent away.
- Redemption is through the blood of Jesus Christ: The shedding of Christ's blood brought about the remission of sin. That means, redemption is through the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20). It is a fact that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins (1 John 1:7-9).
- Our forgiveness is in Jesus the Beloved: The scapegoat that had the sins of "Israel" and "Nigerians" inclusive, symbolically placed on its head and released in the wilderness never to be seen again is a type of our redemption. The scapegoat was the type of Christ who takes away the sin placed on Him by the High Priest. Jesus is our scapegoat. The Lamb of God who took our sins upon Himself and carried them far away. With this, we are redeemed from the curse of the law, now to live a holy and righteous life.
- Our redemption is according to the riches of God's grace: Redemption is in proportion to the riches in His grace and Not in proportion to our merit. We do not merit this act of love God extended to us and our generations yet unborn. We are sinners but grace does abound when we committed a sin. GRACE - (God's Riches At Christ's Expense) means a free gift in contrast to our merit. It is offered to us all and given to every sinner who repents and believes. God displayed His very nature by loving the unlovable and giving to the undeserving - This is grace.
- Our redemption is a present fact: We have redemption; the forgiveness is in the past, which means our sins have been taken away. Redemption is yours; its mine and we've been paid for. It will be unfair to conclude without asking this question - Is forgiveness yours? Have you by faith accepted what Jesus has already done? If not, do so NOW and let's reconcile, unite develop our one and only nation and truly build a "One Nigeria."
You will never regret forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it.
Revd Emmanuel is of St. Matthew's Church Maitama, Abuja. (Anglican Communion)
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