Joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:12-14
Qualified, Rescued, Transferred, and Redeemed
The believer who has placed their faith in Christ has done so in response to His sacrifice. That sacrifice was for a reason…an eternal gift of life. Like immature children, we forget the effort and sacrifice of the gift itself. We take it and run, sometimes never looking back until we are in dire need. When we speak of “being saved” we often fail to consider the full scope of what occurred to provide for our salvation and restoration of fellowship with God. As a reminder, we are going to highlight some key words from the passage above. I love putting them all together in one sentence: I am qualified, rescued, transferred to His kingdom, and redeemed because of what He did for me!
Qualified – There is absolutely nothing that you or I can do to qualify ourselves for what the Holy God of the universe has freely given us. We do not have to try out, audition, prove ourselves, or pass a test to get what He has given. Best of all, we can’t flunk out either.
Rescued - He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. Psalm 40:2 – One of my all-time favorite verses. He loved me enough to pull me out of the quicksand of sin and darkness, and not just one time either. I was saved once and for all but I still find myself knee deep in the miry clay from time to time and every single time He pulls me out.
Transferred – Transfer means to move from one place to another. That is what He did for us when He rescued us. He moved us from Satan’s domain into the kingdom of His Beloved Son, a place of grace, mercy and forgiveness. We have been relocated to a place where we belong, to His kingdom. We are now subjecting of His kingdom, His laws, and belong to His community.
Redeemed – In the transfer, we were redeemed, released from bondage and set free from the power of sin and darkness. Jesus paid the ransom and redeemed us forever from our sin. Our debt was cancelled and we have become handpicked heirs to His kingdom.
I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel safe and secure. It wasn’t just something that happened on a whim - it was by His design, purposefully carried out. Planned and executed by the God of the universe because He loves us and finds us worthy, even from the pit of slimy, miry clay. He qualified me when I could never qualify myself, a worthiness I could never attain on my own. I am grateful beyond measure for this ultimate gift from Him, the King of Kings. I am qualified, rescued, transferred to His kingdom, and redeemed because of what He did for me!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5
