The Joy Of The Redeemed And The Redeemer

My good friend Arnold Barba just wrote this and I like it so much I am posting it on my blog today. A fusion between good poetry and good theology - a rare combination these days!

The Joy Of The Redeemed And The Redeemer

Maybe there is a wonder for man to see that cannot be seen by the angels of God. 
Maybe there is a wonder for man to see that cannot be seen even by the holy angels from on high. 
Maybe there is a wonder for man to see that one cannot see but for an act of God. 
Maybe there is a wonder for man to see, but which only can be seen if the eye of man is enabled to see,

or better said, the heart of man is enabled to believe. 

And maybe this wonder is not a wonder of the earth, nor a wonder of man. 
And maybe this wonder is not a wonder of the flesh, nor of the will of man—

but of God.

And maybe this wonder is not a work of the one that is to behold it, but a work of God—

alone.

Well, this is so.  I know it to be so. 

For I have seen this wonder that is not a wonder of the flesh, nor of the will of man. 
I have encountered this wonder that is not of the works of man, but of the work of God, alone.

And “This is the work of God, [that makes this wonder known],
that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 

John 6:29 (NKJV)

And because of this work of God alone, I see this wonder that man and world and angel cannot see, but only one whose eyes are opened, and whose heart is reborn, can see.

And this is the wonder that I see:

God gave wretched man,
who was once dead and enslaved to sin,
the right to be called his son, and son of God is now he,
if he believes in Him whom Father sent,
a belief enabled him by
the work and power of God Himself.

But this son is not begotten by God.  For only one was begotten by Him.  But adopted by God is he.

And by this adoption, man is made a son, not just for this life.  Rather, redeemed man is adopted in this life for this life and for all eternity.

But what can be seen in this adoption that neither flesh, nor world, nor fallen angel, nor even holy angel can see?

The wonder that can be seen is this:

a redeemed heart made anew,
made to shine the glory of His light and don the righteousness of Christ,
having been translated from darkness and death, unto eternal life.

The flesh shall never know this, for this is not a work of the flesh, nor an encounter of the flesh.

The world shall never know this, for this is not a work of the world, nor an encounter of this world.

No fallen angel can see this, for no fallen angel can be redeemed, for the work of light is not known by the darkness, for darkness cannot comprehend it. 

But this is also true, you see. 

The holy angels from on high do not know and cannot know and will never know the work of God in the redemption of the heart of man in Christ.  For no holy angel knows sin, and thus no holy angel requires redemption from sin and from its wages of death. 

And so no holy angel knows what it is to be enslaved to sin and bound to death one day, and become redeemed, and be set free and saved from death another day—oh on that great, happy day!

This is a wonder that only redeemed man can see, and only redeemed man encounters, and only redeemed man inextricably knows in his inner soul. 

Oh what joy there is in being redeemed!

And though neither the flesh, nor the world, nor power nor principality can know the wonder of redemption, nor the joy of the redeemed . . .

there is ONE other that can see and does know the joy of redemption.

But this ONE does not see or know such joy of a sinful man that knows this joy from his redeemed stance.

This ONE is no other than redeemed man’s REDEEMER that knows the fullness of joy that is known in redemption. 

Not because he was, or is, or ever will be, redeemed.  But rather because . . .

He redeemed!

And knowing this wonder as the Redeemer, rather than the redeemed, is no small thing. 

For while men of every tribe and every nation as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore will know the joy of being redeemed, there will be only ONE in all eternity that will know this wonder as the ONE Who redeemed.

This ONE, unique sent ONE, is none other than His Excellency, the Lord of lords and King of kings, the ONE named . . .

Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the redeemed.

And the joy of the redeemed, when united with the joy of the Redeemer, is the very joy of His Kingdom come for you and me! 

But when shall this be? 

When man, redeemed, lives in the joy of his redemption, so that the joy of His redeemer can come forth unto him from within!

This is your call and your inheritance, you redeemed:  to enjoy and delight in your redemption, for it gives joy and delight to our Redeemer, in Whose joy and delight we can know His great love toward you and me, the redeemed!

Yes and amen!