Two Redemptions on the Way to New Jerusalem
Probably all Christians are conscious of the fact that Jesus Christ redeemed us by His death on the cross. Colossians 1:14 is a good statement of this: “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Galatians 3:13 is parallel, “Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf…” The law condemned us because we were sinners but through the death of Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness. This is 
an initial step toward New Jerusalem.
Being redeemed, we received the eternal life, the life of New Jerusalem. By exercise (Heb. 5:14) and taking in spiritual nourishment (1 Peter 2:2-3) this life grows in us.
Yet, there is another redemption ahead of us on our path to New Jerusalem. Ephesians 4:30 is both a warning and a promise for this second redemption. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption.
Romans 8:23 describes this redemption. “We ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body.” Our mortal body needs to be redeemed from its fallen condition. This will occur when the Lord Jesus returns. The day of His return is “the day of redemption,” the day when our sonship becomes complete.
The Lord came once in incarnation and redeemed us from sins. He will come a second time and redeem us from the sinful nature in our fleshly body. These steps, and the growth in life between them, are on the path to New Jerusalem.
Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, is at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is © by LSM.
Posted by Don on April 1, 2022
