Rescued, Removed and Relocated

One of the most difficult truths for us to live with is the truth (the reality) that all believers are not of this world (John 15:19, 17:14, and 17:16). Christians may live in the world and Christianity may be part of the world’s social structure, but the world isn’t where we belong. We’re not owned by it’s system. Jesus said, “You are not of the world (no longer one with it), because I have chosen to take you out of the world.” Jesus also said that we are not of the world anymore than He is of the world.

Ephesians 2:19 puts it nicely; “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.” Philippians 3:20 declares, “But our citizenship is in heaven.” The Greek word signifies “the condition or life of the citizen.” Therefore, we have heavenly status - our condition (as citizens) isn’t worldly but heavenly! Heaven is the only place we can be in tune with; it’s the only place where that sense for belonging can be satisfied. And according to Philippians 1:27, our conduct (especially our conversation) should fully line up with this heavenly condition.

Colossians 1:13, 14 says, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood.” The NIV says, “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption.”

On examining this scripture I found some interesting aspects that are more precise in the original Greek. The word “power” is 'exousia', which means 'lawful or ruling authority' and denotes 'the power of one whose will and commands must be obeyed by others'. It is the same word used by Jesus when He said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”

Therefore, Christians have been rescued from the ruling authority of darkness. And the word “darkness” means 'an evil system which is absolutely opposed to the light'. When you were ‘one’ with the world system, which is absolutely opposed to the Light (Jesus), you were in fact living in the jurisdiction of evil forces. These powers, principalities and rulers of darkness had the legal right to exercise their lawful authority over you at any time. What’s more, this corrupt authority had effectively caused its commands and values to be obeyed and performed in your life. In other words, you were a slave to an evil system (Romans 6:16 confirms this). The authority of darkness caused you to be obedient to sin, so in God's eyes you were 'a child of disobedience'.

But now you have been delivered from that perverse authority and removed from the domination of its evil system. You’ve been “translated into the kingdom of the Son He loves.” And the word “translated” means 'to remove and relocate'. When you received salvation, you were rescued and removed, and finally relocated into a system whose rule is “the law of the Spirit of life …which has (past tense) made you free (liberated you) from the law of sin and death” – Romans 8:2.

You no longer belong to the world system. Even though you are in the world - you are not of the world. You are a fully-pledged citizen of heaven. Quite simply, the domination that the kingdom of darkness has had over you is ended and you’ve now been relocated to become that system’s master. 1 John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world – 1 John 4:4.

You are no longer a servant to sin but to righteousness (Romans 6), which has secured for you the very same ruling authority that Jesus has. Yes, you are now more than a conqueror, you are a master and a king, and you rule and reign over the very system that once held you captive. Revelation 5:10, “And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

Back to Colossians 1:13, 14. The most significant word appears in the last phrase… “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” This statement is repeated word for word in Ephesians 1:7, with the addition of - “according to the riches of His grace”. The Greek for “redemption” literally means 'a releasing of one who is held captive on payment of a ransom', or simply, 'to buy back a slave's freedom'. In Isaiah 43:1-3 God says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you.” God has graciously bought us back - Jesus paid the price for our freedom from the world system. We were rescued, removed, relocated!

Jesus shed his precious blood to buy our freedom. He paid a costly ransom and removed us from being under the influence of an evil and corrupt authority. So, you should not be living in fear! Perfect love casts out all fear, and redemption is the selfless act of perfect love. Fear operates under the legal jurisdiction of the law of sin and death. But the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Isaiah 43 goes on to declare, “I have called you by your name; for you are mine.” Jesus has paid the price for your freedom so you now belong to Him and Him alone! Your name is written in His book of life.

Jesus has relocated and placed you in His kingdom, a location where He has promised to be with you always (Matthew 28:20). So how can you be in fear when the Lord is with you all the time? We can hear the same sentiment clearly expressed by the apostle Paul in Hebrews 13:5, 6, “He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you'. So we may all boldly say; 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me'?” And, the Greek word for “helper” implies that the Lord is “poised and ready to rush to the relief of His children whenever they cry out for His assistance.”

Jesus has promised to never leave us or be separated from us under any circumstances. Nothing and no one (in all creation) is able to break up this holy union. What a wonderful and powerful promise God has made concerning Christ's presence with us. If we could only fully comprehend that His divine presence is here always, we would never become discouraged or afraid.

With this in mind let us now go to Isaiah 43 and let's read this wonderful passage of scripture. Isaiah 43:1-3, “Thus says the Lord, who created you, and who formed you: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour'.” Notice, even though we are still in the world, with its rough waters, strong rivers and dangerous flames, we should never be afraid. We have been redeemed - rescued, removed and relocated - we now belong to Jesus! We’ve been released from any bondage to sin and operate under the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. True liberty is ours!

We are citizens of heaven. We have heavenly status - our real condition is not worldly but heavenly! Heaven is the only place we can be in tune with; it’s the only place where that sense for belonging can be satisfied. Our personal conduct lines up with our heavenly condition. We are masters, rulers and kings. The system we were once slaves to now serves us! The wealth of that system is waiting for us to go and possess it. All our enemies are under our feet, and we have complete authority over everything that once held us captive. So, whatever hardships we are going through, we have this wonderful promise to stand on... “Don’t be afraid, I have rescued you, for I have called you by your name - you belong to Me.”

Chris Demetriou, 21/10/2007