Living By Faith

LEGAL RELEASE

You were not redeemed with silver and gold… but with the precious blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Only the blood of Jesus was legal payment for your freedom.
Mark Hankins

No amount of money could buy your release from Satan, sin, or the past. Only the blood of Jesus was legal payment for your freedom. If Jesus paid so high a price for your release, you should not remain behind bars. The prison door is open. You can simply walk out when you see what God, in Christ, has done for you.

You were a prisoner, but now you are free. You do not have to hide or sneak around the rest of your life in fear. You have been released, made righteous, and given eternal life — all legally!

The Gospel of Christ is the power of God. God has released you by His power working in Christ on your behalf. The prison door is open! No filing – no sneaking – no running – no swamps – no dogs. It is not your effort. It is God’s gift to every man in Christ. Christ “hath” redeemed you. You can walk out of your bondage into glorious liberty. You are legally released. Hold your head up high and boldly walk out of bondage in Jesus’ name!

Confession: I have not been redeemed with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ! The blood of Jesus was legal payment for my freedom!

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YOU ARE FREE

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor… preach deliverance to the captives. (Luke 4:18)

Your release from prison has been accomplished through a price that was paid on your behalf.
Mark Hankins

In Jesus’ first message, He declared that He would “preach deliverance to the captives.”(Luke 4:1) Beck’s translation says, “He sent me to announce to prisoners, ‘You are free.’” Jesus is not talking about His jail ministry. A prison ministry is a great ministry, but there are many people held captive who are not behind steel bars; they are behind real bars.

Only Jesus can bring deliverance. Only the power of the Gospel can bring freedom. Your redemption was legally purchased through the blood of Jesus. His death and resurrection have established a new, universal fact for every man. Jesus purchased your freedom. That means the prison doors of Satan, sin, and sickness are open and the prisoner is legally free! The prisoner does not have to sneak out some dark night; he can walk out in the daylight because he has a legal release!

Confession: God has given me a legal redemption. I am free because God is righteous and He has righteously effected my release!

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REDEMPTION: AN EVERLASTING RELEASE

Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)

Christianity does not begin with something you do, but with something that has been done for you in Christ.
Mark Hankins

Faith begins by knowing redemption facts. God paid the price for you in Christ two thousand years ago. Everything Jesus did in His death and resurrection was
done for you, or as some translations say, “in your behalf.” You could say Jesus gets the glory for everything that has been done, but you get the credit because He was acting in your behalf.

Satan’s dominion over mankind has been permanently broken because of what Christ has done. Redemption is not a temporary thing that must be added to by man or replaced later by something more effective. The Amplified Bible calls it, “A complete redemption, and an everlasting release.” (Hebrews 9:12) An everlasting release means it lasts forever. God has left nothing out.

Confession: All that I need is supplied in Christ. My past, present, and future have been taken care of. My spirit, soul, and body have been taken care of — all because of what Jesus has done for me!

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GOD’S MASTERPIECE

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In Christ, you are not just a different person; you are a new kind of person!
Mark Hankins

While preaching in Paris, I had the opportunity to visit the Louvre. With over eight miles of galleries, one million works of art and more than 400,000 masterpieces, I knew I would not be able to see everything. So I headed right for the Mona Lisa (one of the most world-famous masterpieces) and spent extra time there. If you see all the other paintings and sculptures, and miss the Mona Lisa, you have missed the most important work of art.

The same is true of the Bible. It contains the world’s greatest collection of God’s works of art. However, if you see all the beautiful pictures in the Word of God and miss God’s greatest masterpiece, then you will have really missed the Bible.

The Bible is the story of man’s redemption. The Bible is about Jesus, our Redeemer, and His work. All sixty-six books contain pictures of God’s plan and purpose to restore man to Himself.

Confession: I am a new creation in Christ. Old things are passed away, and everything made new. I am God’s Masterpiece – a man in Christ!

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UNDERSTANDING REDEMPTION

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are the center of the Gospel!
Mark Hankins

The simple definition of redemption is, “Freedom through the payment of a price.” Webster’s Dictionary defines the word redeem as: “To buy back; to re-purchase; to get back; to recover; to ransom; to pay off (a mortgage or note); to liberate from captivity; to deliver; to reclaim.”

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says, “First of all I delivered unto you.” The Revised Standard Version translates this, “as of first importance.” The matter of first importance is what God did for us in Christ Jesus in the great plan of redemption.

Redemption is an accomplished fact in Christ. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) The truth will not help you if you do no not know it. You must see what God has done for you. In John 16:13, Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. God wants you to be free. He has given you His Holy Spirit to show you the things of Christ.

Confession: In Christ Jesus, I am redeemed. I have been liberated from the captivity of sin. I am delivered!

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