All stories, fictional and not, have a theme or topic that is trying to be portrayed. For example, in one of my favorite movies ‘Star Wars: A New Hope,’ there is a theme of hope as the young Luke Skywalker stares at the twin suns of Tatooine hoping for a different life, as he not knowingly resembled hope for the whole galaxy. Many of the best stories have multiple themes that are being expressed. I personally believe that the non-fictional Bible itself is full of themes. My favorite at the time is the theme of redemption that is shown all throughout the Bible.
I have learned that God started the story off with a perfect start as he made the world beautiful and very good in his holy eyes (Genesis 1:31). Before having learned this I always started the story in Genesis 3 at the fall of man. Thinking that was the start of the story, that’s not the case. God gave us a start of the story to give us context on what he would later restore. So first “…the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.”(Genesis 2:1 NIV) then the fall of man came giving purpose and need for redemption as we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
The action continues as God brought redemption to people, situations, and places all throughout the Old Testament. Then came God’s ultimate answer for redemption for the whole world, Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”(John 3:16-17)”. God’s Luke Skywalker for the world was Jesus Christ. Jesus represents redemption for all the broken people, spaces, and situations.
The best part is that the story of redemption doesn’t end there. We now have a choice to claim Jesus’ life as our own and play a part in this story of redemption. If we chose to accept this we get to tell this message of redemption to all of the world through being the messengers of this good news. We also get to bring this redemption through being the bride of Jesus as the church. The church is God’s battle strategy for the world as he knows and has made us to be better in numbers.
Complete redemption will come when Jesus comes again and God brings a new heaven and a new earth. The very thing that was created complete in the beginning, will become complete again as John tells us of the new heaven and the new earth that he saw (Revelation 21:1). But right now just stop and look. See that God is in the works of redeeming this world back to what he had made it, perfect, and we now get to be a part of it instead of being the reason for it. Now that is what I call redemption.
