Why We Worship

“…redemption that is in Christ Jesus” – Romans 3:24

Notice the word through. Salvation didn’t come by a simple command or divine decree, like creation did when God spoke and it was so. No, salvation came through something costly—through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. If God could have simply spoken salvation into existence, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to die. But Scripture is clear: “without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). The law couldn’t save us. Only Jesus—through His perfect obedience, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection—could make salvation possible.

Let’s look closer at the word redemption. In the New Testament, it’s used ten times—nine by Paul and once by Luke. In Greek, it originally referred to the loosing of armor or clothing, or the freeing of a prisoner or animal. Over time, it came to mean the release of a prisoner through the payment of a ransom. In classical Greek literature, this was the dominant usage. Sometimes it even referred to purchasing land or food. When we combine these meanings, redemption becomes “the purchase of a release by means of a ransom price.” It’s not just deliverance—it’s deliverance by substitution. Jesus didn’t just set us free; He paid the price to do so. As He said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

This ransom wasn’t paid with silver or gold. It was paid with blood. Hebrews 9:12 says Christ entered the Most Holy Place “not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood… having obtained eternal redemption.” And 1 Peter 1:18–19 reminds us we were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” We were slaves to sin, bound and hopeless. But God, in His grace, paid the price to free us—not because we were worthy, but because He is merciful. This is a God-centered salvation. It’s not about how we climb our way to God—it’s about how God came down to rescue us.

A man-centered theology says, “What must I do to reach God?” But that leads to incomplete repentance and false assurance. The truth is, God owes us nothing. If we received what we deserved, it would be judgment. As Erwin Lutzer said, “Whatever God gives us is a gift—an undeserved favor. And the basis of our coming is the blood of Christ, not our value as persons.” So here’s the gospel: if we believe—by the faith God gives—we are justified. That means we’re declared righteous, acquitted, and accepted. This justification is freely given (without cause), by grace (unmerited favor), and through redemption (a ransom paid to free us). All of it is found in Christ Jesus. That’s how God provided salvation—and that’s why we worship.

“So we come in humility, recognizing that whatever God gives us is a gift-an underserved favor. And the basis of our coming is the blood of Christ, not our value as a persons.” – Erwin Lutzer