"Redemption"

Redemption is made possible because of our loving, gracious God - and that is what this chapter is all about. We caused this world to fall, and without Jesus' death on the cross, there would be no use of trying to restore it. "Jesus Christ came to put right what we human beings had put wrong by our sin". This is what is meant by the word atonement that Plantinga also uses; atonement is "a self-sacrificial act or process that makes up for sin, either ours or another's and therefore tends to reconcile the sinner with the one sinned against". This is the beauty of God that we do not appreciate as often as we should. Not only did Jesus die for us, but he endured everything that us as sinners go through. "He got himself baptized...He absorbed accusations...He accepted rebuke...He endured gossip...Jesus endured the kind of mockery that shreds a person's dignity". Even after knowing this, we still "chafe under commandments. They nick our pride and cramp our style". We need to remember that God did not set these commandments to make our lives miserable, but rather to protect us. He is basically giving us the key to success, and warning us what not to do so that we can avoid getting hurt and getting into trouble; after all, "God's commandments are all pro-life". It is by following the 'advice' that he has given us that we will not only succeed, but work to redeem our fallen world.

As a Christian, to redeem this world, I think that first of all a "person needs to attach to Christ by prayer...and listening to the Word of God. A person needs to trust Christ, to lean on him, to surrender to him". This is the hardest part, to overcome your inner pride of wanting to do things on your own and trusting the only hope that our world has. After this, everything else will fall into place, including "a double grace" - the sanctification and justification. These are both things that are life-long processes, but it all contributes to the restoration of our world. Without this, without surrendering to God, "without the guidance of God "doing what we want" is a recipe for falling right back into slavery", the slavery to sin that is. Pride, I believe is the biggest wall, the largest barrier between us and God. Pride, especially for me is what makes me want to do things my own way, and pride is what holds me back from engaging in redemptive activities that God would want me to participate in, simply because I think 'I'm better than that'. Stepping beyond that, climbing over that barrier is what leads to flourishing relationships, keeping in touch with family members I would rather ignore, praying to God when I don't feel like it, listening to boring people, driving patiently among impatient drivers, and longing to grow in the knowledge of Christ - to name as few that Plantinga also notes. It is when this happens that we begin to see redemption in our world - in all areas.

It is so vital to redeem ourselves in Christ so that we can be transformed and fulfill our purpose of doing the same for the world. To help us along the way, we have the ten commandments, a double grace, and God - if we can swallow our pride and accept that he is our creator, our King, the Messiah. "The whole world belongs to God, the whole world has fallen, and so the whole world needs to be redeemed". God became a man, endured unbearable, agonizing pain and died for us, now it's time for us to do our part.