Ephesisans 5:15  Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

What does “redeem” mean?  One thing it means is to “buy back”.  If you purchase something and decide it is not suitable or the wrong size, some stores allow you to return or “redeem” your money.  You can get your money back to use for something else.

To “redeem time” is to use time for something more profitable for God’s kingdom than how you were originally thinking of using that time.

Can you increase time?  Not actually.  But you can manage time differently.

Hebrews 12:1  Therefore let’s also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

I Corinthians 10:23  “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are profitable. “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things build up.

We all have to make choices of how we use time.  The Bible indicates that while some things are permissible, they are not the wisest use of time.

How do we find out the best use of time?  This takes a dedicated walk with God.  It means taking time to read the Bible.  It means taking time to pray.  It means taking time to listen to God.

James 1:5  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. ⁷ For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Luke 9:23  He [Jesus] said to all, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, will save it.²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self?

The Bible teaches that the kingdom of heaven is eternal.  The best use of time is to lay up treasures in heaven.  That means getting involved with what God is interested in, which is the salvation of souls.  In the end, souls being in heaven rather than hell is the only thing that matters.

Matthew 6:19  “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This is an attempt to give a simple explanation for the question, “Why did Jesus die for our sins?”

God created the world.

God created Adam and Eve.

Everything was perfect until Eve, and then also Adam were deceived into disobeying God.

Fellowship with God was broken.

Legally, a price had to be paid for sin.

Jesus came from heaven to pay for the crime against God. He was willing to pay the price so that man’s fellowship with God could be restored, for anyone who would believe, repent, and receive Jesus and what Jesus did at the cross, also called, Calvary.

Think about jurisdiction.

If a crime is committed in New York, it is not tried in California.

Likewise, since the crime of sin happened on earth, it had to be legally resolved on earth.

God’s universe is orderly and so solving the problem of sin was done in an orderly manner.

There is a court in heaven, the mercy seat in heaven, and this was an actual legal remedy, to use our legal terms of understanding, that Jesus did.

Sometimes it is hard to explain Bible things in Bible language if a person is not familiar with that terminology, but if we try to understand them in legal terms we use nowadays, it can make it more understandable.  Jesus dying on the cross was God’s remedy for sin.

God loved mankind and wanted fellowship restored. That is why Jesus came.

God could have left man with broken fellowship forever, but in his love, he made a way for people to restore relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

You can read more about what Jesus did here.

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Psalm 32:8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go.
    I will counsel you with my eye on you.

Isaiah 48:17  Yahweh,
    your Redeemer,
    the Holy One of Israel says:
“I am Yahweh your God,
    who teaches you to profit,
    who leads you by the way that you should go.

Psalm 73:24 You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

John 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 8:12  Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.  He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Isaiah 30:21  and when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way. Walk in it.”

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Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

II Timothy 1:7 For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

Psalm 100:1   Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands!
2     Serve Yahweh with gladness.
Come before his presence with singing.
3 Know that Yahweh, he is God.
It is he who has made us, and we are his.
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
5 For Yahweh is good.
His loving kindness endures forever,
his faithfulness to all generations.

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Exodus 20: 1 God spoke all these words, saying, ² “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: ⁵ you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ You shall labor six days, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; ¹¹ for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Jesus gave a summary of the actions of the devil.

At the same time, Jesus also talked about himself, Jesus, as the Good Shepherd.

John 10:10    The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.¹¹ I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹² He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.¹³ The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand, and doesn’t care for the sheep.¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;¹⁵ even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.¹⁶ I have other sheep, which are not of this fold.   I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd.¹⁷ Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.¹⁸ No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”

Let’s put this scripture with another scripture.

Romans 12:1  Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. ² Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

In other words, we can be renewed in our minds and use Biblical standards to figure out if something is from God or satan.

Does it involve stealing, killing, or destroying?  Then it is from satan.

 

Matthew 18:11   For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.

¹² “What do you think? If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray? ¹³ If he finds it, most certainly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ¹⁴ Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.