The God of Redemption

“and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

(2 Corinthians 6:16-18)

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They walked through the beautiful garden, the breeze swept through the trees. The gentle rustle could be heard among the perfectly arranged leaves, adding to the captivating beauty which covered the land. All this was hand-crafted by the Creator Himself.

Adam and Eve enjoyed a personal communion with God, walking in the cool of the day with Him. Their relationship with Him was marked by warmth, closeness, and beauty.

What would it have been like to walk on this path with the Father?

But life in the garden came to an abrupt end with a single event: the fall.

Recorded in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve consumed the forbidden fruit. Eve took the fruit first. Adam watched without intervention and eventually took part as well.  

They chose to sin. To defy the God who loved them. They were given everything yet desired more. To act according to their own knowledge and human understanding rather than trusting in God. They traded the wisdom of God for the wisdom of humankind.

Love gives freedom for choice. And that includes the option to walk away. And so, God honored their freedom by giving them what they had wanted: autonomy. To be their own boss.

So they got their own way, but there were consequences for their decision. They would leave the protection of the Garden of Eden and labor to build their own lives.

Humanity’s relationship with God was broken. They were engulfed in the despair they had caused.

So what did God do?

He pursued them. The Lord had formed a plan for humanity to be reconciled back in a relationship with Him, which meant following His leading to be saved.[1] He fought for them by providing a way of salvation so that they could be reconciled if they chose to come home again.

The Lord desired to dwell with them again. So here begins the relentless pursuit.

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Last week, I came across this passage found in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 and was awestruck by the depth of God’s love, evident within His story of redemption and the desires of His heart.  

The Hand of Redemption

Verse 16, specifically, brings to light God’s heart for reconciliation. The relationship was broken, but what did He say? “I will be their people, and they shall be my people.”

Humanity has been sought by the God who loves them. These words were spoken to Israelites, God’s chosen people. He desired to physically dwell among them once again, so the Lord inspired them to build a temple. 

They went their own way and did wicked things, worshipped other gods, forsaken God’s love, and broke the laws that God had given to reveal His just nature. The people wanted to live in separation, not following the authority of God but rather living by their own standards. Once again, there were consequences.

When we walk outside of God’s plan, we leave ourselves vulnerable. We are rejecting God’s protection, found within His laws.

But what did God do?

Through the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross, the payment for sin, He has provided a way for people to come back into a relationship with God. He provided a remedy for the condition of a broken relationship.

Paul emphasizes this truth in verse 18, saying that we can be adopted into the family of God (also noted in Rom. 8:15). Whereas once He dwelled in the garden or in the temple in the Old Testament, now He (the Holy Spirit) dwells inside the hearts of believers who live in relationship with Jesus.

The Call of Holiness

What is our reaction to God’s love, as revealed in these verses?

After “Therefore…” is follows is the application or response we ought to have as followers of Christ.

God loved us as we are, for the Bible teaches that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”[2] However, when the relationship is reconciled with God, He asks us to “come out,” meaning: to walk in holiness.

We are to walk in holiness, not living by our own standards or following our desires alone. Rather, to follow the way of God as outlined in His written word. To live in a way that honors God by walking in obedience and upholding Biblical authority.

We don’t have to live as those who are orphaned, making our way through life relying on our own understanding. Rather, restoring the relationship means we have the freedom to lay down our desires and take hold of God’s grace. Sound paradoxical?

For example, there could be circumstances that a child was in a situation where they had to take care of themselves. Once they are adopted into a new family, they are a part of something bigger. They do not have to rely on their own knowledge but can rely on their Father and mother to know what is best. And sometimes, there may be directions or rules they don’t understand, but they are in place for their good. But there is the freedom to grow and flourish within the set of boundaries outlined by the parents. They do not follow the rules to earn their position as a child in that family; they positionally are.

They can live as they were fully designed to: as a child. They do not have to have the responsibility of a parent.

The same is true for us. If we desire to be in a relationship with God, we must enter back into surrender. We are free to stop playing a role (that is, of god) that we were never designed for.

This is why in surrendering to God, you do not lose your life or your true self. You actually find it.  

Does this mean we will always get it right? Absolutely not. If we are in a relationship with Christ, we have Jesus as a mediator, meaning that when we fall short, He promises to cleanse us when we come in full sincerely.[3] He cares about the posture of our hearts.

Father, Sons, and Daughters

Likewise, God has positioned us as sons and daughters if we know Christ. When we seek forgiveness for our sins, accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and follow Him with our lives, we are His.

We see God’s desire again communicated, as Scripture states: “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 8:18).

God desires to be our Father and to re-establish our identity as His beloved children.

So to summarize, the verse outlines:

1. God desires to dwell with His people, to walk among them, and to simply love them.
2. Therefore, believers follow a new path of holiness, as outlined by the Father.
3. To continue in this relationship with God,

Where to go from here?

Famous author A.W. Tozer speaks about the life of faith in his book Cloud by Day, Fire by Night.  In a chapter titled “Unbelief vs. Belief,” he writes the following selections:

 “If you asked them, they would agree with what God has said and claim to believe all of His promises. But unbelief says that this is for someone else, somewhere else, and at some other time. Unbelief deflects correction and says that it doesn’t apply to me.”[4]

“Faith says, “If someone else, then why not me? Whatever God has done for anybody else, God can do for me.”[5]  

“The difference is simply that faith says, “If some other time, then why not now? And that’s the important thing. If God said it for some other time, why does it not apply now? Faith says emphatically that it does apply to me right now.” [6]

In this passage, we can have faith that these words do apply to us—no matter where we find ourselves.

If you do not have a relationship with God, I encourage you to seek. To ask questions. To pursue discovering the truth, to not wait. Why not now?

If you are in a relationship with God, be assured of this: He desires for you to go even deeper in your faith. He is your Father and dearly loves you. He wants to see you grow and flourish, enjoying and delighting in your relationship with Him. Why not deeper?

I pray that these words in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 encourage and nourish your soul as they did mine.

Because God is one of redemption, who desires to dwell with us, 

There is always hope.

Blessings,

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).

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[1] Gen. 3:15

[2] Romans 5:8

[3] 1 John 1:9

[4] A.W. Tozer A Cloud by Day A Fire By Night. Bethany House Publishers, 2019.42.

[5] Tozer, 43.

[6] Tozer, 43.