Redeemed how I love to proclaim it

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb

Redeemed through His infinite mercy

His child and forever I am

What beautiful opening lines to this happy hymn! I love thinking about what it means to be redeemed. Oxford dictionary defines it two ways. The first way is the way I often think of it – to save from sin, error or evil. The second definition adds depth to the first I think – to gain or regain possession of something in exchange for payment. That’s what this song is singing about. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. And oh! What a payment!

We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. We are not redeemed with money which can lose its value, nor with the blood of animals which needed to be repeated year after year, so its value also faded. But we are redeemed with the blood of Jesus Christ Himself. And how can the holy blood of the Son of God lose its value? But even more, it was one sacrifice, once for all. How deep is our sin, that His blood can’t reach deeper and wash us clean – redeem us, save us to uttermost?

And so the last two lines can be sung. We are redeemed because His mercy is infinite. Lamentations 3:21-23 says this:

“But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.”

See, this is grace: His love is steadfast, He is faithful, and every morning His mercy is new, no matter what my yesterday was like. Redeemed by His blood, through His mercy, forever. For as it says in Romans 8:24 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” But forever? The Psalmist says, “Where can I flee from your presence?” And Paul asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” He goes on to say, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God sent his Son to redeem us, and from what I read, He doesn’t have any intention of letting us go. And so I sing with great joy:

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and FOREVER, I am!!