The Divine Transaction: From Brokenness to Wholeness
By Neveen Bader
One of the few stories I still remember from Sunday School was the story of a little child who built a small boat; he invested much time and effort in planning and building the boat. And when he finished he wanted to try it in the river next to his home, but the boat drifted in the current, and the boy could not catch it. After a while the child found the boat in a vintage store, he entered the store and told the owner that this was his handmade boat and he wanted it back. The store owner told him if he wanted to get his boat back, he needed to pay for it. And this is what the child did, he went and worked hard to collect the money and bought his boat back. This is what God did for us. He bought us twice. First, when He created us, and second when He redeemed us.
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible proclaims the love of God the Father and His plan of redemption. The meaning of the word redemption in the context of the Bible is “to redeem or pay a price.” This expression is especially used concerning the liberation of slaves.
The word “redeem” (from which the words “redemption” and “ransom” are derived) in Greek means “to loosen and release” something or someone who is bound or tied in place. Therefore, the word “redeem” means “to release someone free from captivity or prison after paying a ransom” and the ransom is the price paid for the release and liberation of a captive slave. Or to redeem a person’s life from death.
It is written that we were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23), and the price was the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.
During the last week, many Christians celebrated the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It is a season where we remember the divine exchange that Jesus made for us. The cross is where we offer our sins and receive forgiveness. We bring our brokenness, and depart with healing… and the examples continue.
Man was created to live in direct communion with God, but with the fall and sin entering the world, he was condemned to death, spiritually, morally, and physically. His nature became sinful and mortal, which led to death. From the beginning, God’s plan for humanity was redemption and deliverance from sin and death, as well as the restoration of all aspects of life. Redemption extends beyond mere forgiveness of sins; it also includes restoration. Through the cross, God restored everything to us, including our spirit, soul, and body.
Restoration is not fixing something, but recreating something in its original status like it was never broken. God is the Creator we were supposed to die because of our corrupted and sinful nature, but when we got saved, He created a new destiny for each one of us.
The cross is the key to Restoration. When we received Jesus as our personal Savior, it was the first step entering the Father’s house, inside this house there are a lot of rooms filled with treasures that God wants us to enjoy during our life.
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” – Genesis 1:2
God is not afraid of darkness or our brokenness. He is drawn to our broken hearts, disappointments, failures, and morally depraved society.
God sent His Son to die on the cross to restore all things and to bring redemption from the separation that sin caused. And He restored everything and it’s His business to keep restoring and redeeming every small detail of our lives and all of creation.
When you feel your sin has defeated any opportunity, watch God’s love restore the time lost and recreate your destiny as if the potential had never been lost.
No one is ever too far from God’s redemptive power.
The cross is the way of moving from the curse to the blessing, from death to life, just like the people of Israel passed from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.” – Leviticus 26:13
God wanted to remind His people of what He did for them by breaking the yoke, a symbol of liberating them from slavery and setting them free.
Also, he was inviting them to walk in dignity with their heads lifted high instead of the humiliation of slaves. The word upright here in both Arabic and Hebrew is the same root used for “resurrection from the dead,” as a part of ending their slavery he was calling them to rise to new life.
Through the cross, God has made a way for new life, a bridge between heaven and earth, and we all have access to it because Jesus has paid the price. He is Risen, and we all bear witness!