Are You Saved Or Are You Redeemed.

Are you saved or are you redeemed?

Good morning. The question for today is, “Is there a difference between being saved and being redeemed? “ The answer is yes, and no. Let’s look at this for a bit. Being saved is one thing, most of us proclaim to be saved but being redeemed is something else, to an extent. Being redeemed is one who Father has personally touched and impacted their life. Let’s look at Luke 15:11-32 to get an idea of what redemption is.

Luke 15:11-32

“11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ’Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17"When he came to his senses, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21"The son said to him, ’Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22"But the father said to his servants, ’Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27’Your brother has come,’ he replied, ’and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ’Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31" ’My son,’ the father said, ’you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ " NIV

Question both were brothers one stayed with the father while one lived a life of sin. When the son came back they still had the same father so why did the father act the way he did? Both were his sons. The son who left and sinned was made aware of the sin he was in and when he seeked his father he was humbled at the state he was in and didn’t expect his father to forgive him. When his father did forgive him he redeemed him of his transgressions and welcomed him back into the family. This is the difference between being redeemed and being saved. Both sons were saved in that they were with the father although one left and became lost he was found again while the other didn’t stray from the teachings of his father and stayed on the path that was set out before him. He hadn’t done much in straying away from his father there for he needed not to be redeemed of much.

One way of looking at this is if one were to go out and commit very little sin in life I mean very little stuff like tell a white lie, or cheat a little on their taxes, or curse only when mad, these are all little sins in our mind that we don’t put in the same category as child molesters, rapist, murders, CEO’s of big companies, credit card collectors that call you at all hours of the night and so on. I mean in many our eyes many of the former can’t make it to heaven; their sin is to great to even be thought of as going to the same heaven as many of us. Am I ringing some bells yet? If you were one who sinned little then when you come to Jesus you will be forgiven of little, you will be forgiven but the one who has sinned much will be forgiven much and with greater effect, that is redemption. He has been to a much darker place and is thrust into a light that is overwhelming unlike many who have been raised in the church, been around the church all their life and just go along with the flow. They have heard about the light and seen it in others so they know what it is but one who has never been in it or around it, man that is something awesome.