If Redeemed, Do You Bear Witness?

March, 2010

by: Sean Cullen

“Show me your redeemed life, and I might be inclined to believe in your redeemer,” said the 19th century German philosopher, Heinrich Heine. Even though redeemed, do you struggle to show a redeemed life to those around you? Some of us have t-shirts that have the word REDEEMED across the front. But would anyone know it by looking at our lives?

How do we grow from redemption towards sanctification, towards Christ-likeness? How can we abide in Christ continually? What role does God’s Word take in this?

To grow in passion for Christ, to bear luscious fruit, requires that we have two things at least. Using a different analogy this month, we need the seed and the soil, as shown in Luke 8. “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance”. (Luke 8:15)  But it is not just any soil or seed, we need the Truth of God, which is the good seed, and we need good soil, which is a heart that is open and confessing. If we are indeed, men redeemed, how do we continue to grow and bear fruit and show our redemption?

Redeemed - Hear the Truth

First, we need to continue to hear the truth, the Word of God on a consistent basis. Not just on Sunday, we need to hear or read the Word daily. We should be planting these “seeds” of truth in our heart, in our soil, continually. Read the Bible every day, or read a devotional or ministry book. Attach Scripture to your refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, your dashboard, or your computer. Be surrounded by the Bible and not the world. Let people see that you are all about the Bible. Our hearts were, and are, full of the deeds of the flesh, the lies of the world. Let the truth remind you repeatedly of your depravity, your sin, and of His redemption of you.

Redeemed – Hold it Fast

Second, we need to hold fast to the truth by honestly confessing our weakness and confirming our reliance on Christ. We need to be a moist, receptive soil clinging to the seed. As the truth settles in and takes root, our lies and our sins should be honestly confessed and repented of continually. For example, if you struggle with immorality (pornea in the Greek), confess that to God and then bind yourself to verses that call us “to abstain from immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3) and to “shun immorality” (1 Cor 6:18). We should hold fast to Christ because “everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3)

When we let the world’s concerns and beliefs overwhelm us, we wrongly chase and attach to those pursuits, which are shallow and short-lived. However, when we read and learn about God through His Word, our hearts should attach to that truth and hold fast to those principles in all areas of life.

Redeemed – Bear Fruit

As we bind our heart to Scripture and openly confess and repent of our deviation from it, the fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” (Gal 5:22,23) will grow. An open, honest heart is the good soil that the seed, the Word of God, will grow in, to produce Christ-likeness (sanctification) and bear this fruit. Confession and repentance will help us realize our redemption from the deeds of the flesh. Thus, we are more able to show patience to our boss or our kids, and to show joy to all, even in difficulties. Even the fruit of peace, in its verb form, denotes a binding-together, with Christ, that helps us keep an inner calm thru all of life’s problems.

We have been redeemed from Satan’s control to Christ’s control, and His Word is the seed that starts the growth towards Christ-like character. We are to make every effort to grow in character traits that accord with Godliness (2 Pet 1:5). As we unfold each new leaf of growth, such as Bible reading, Scripture meditation, prayer, worship, evangelism, self-control, contentment, fellowship, accountability, etc., our godliness (sanctification) increases. Dwell on Christ’s redemption of us, let His Word be planted continually in our heart. Keep the soil receptive to the Truth and openly evaluate our actions and if sinful, confess and repent. As we do, our passion for Christ will grow leaf by leaf and produce fruit. Let us as men continue trusting and obeying Christ’s Word and continue abstaining from the passions of the flesh that wage war against our soul (1 Pet 2:11). As we abide in Christ and strive for holiness, we will become passionate to hear the truth, hold it fast and bear fruit. And that will show a redeemed life to those in the world.