The Goal of Redemption
Before We Gather by Zach Hicks
| Scripture
Read Exodus 3:11-12
| Devotion
What is the purpose of redemption? What is the endgame of salvation? Where is God’s work within us driving us, taking us to? Many answers from the Bible are satisfying. We could say, with some accuracy, “We are saved so that we can be with God in heaven.” We could say, with some accuracy, “We are saved so that we can love our neighbors.”
We shouldn’t overlook, though, one of the Bible’s pervasive answers to the question of redemption’s purpose: worship. Again and again, the entire Bible looks back upon the exodus of Israel as the prevailing metaphor for what Jesus came to do. Just as Moses came to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery through the Red Sea, so Jesus leads us out of our spiritual bondage (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:4-7) through the baptismal waters of his death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Cor. 10:1-4).
Given how significant the exodus is to the Christian story, we shouldn’t overlook the theme that not only begins the exodus story but punctuates it throughout. The passage we just read is situated in Moses’ famous burning-bush call from God. And God makes clear the purpose of his redemption: “When you have brought the people out of Egypt [redemption], you shall serve God on this mountain [worship]” (Ex. 3:12). If you think that interpretation is a stretch, just remember that the root word for serve in the Old Testament has to do with the kind of service one offers in corporate worship.
After our passage here in Exodus 3. God makes this point no less than thirteen more times in this and the next seven chapters (3:18; 5:1, 3, 8; 7:16; 8:1, 20, 25-29; 9:1, 13: 10:3, 7-11, 24, 27). God is serious about getting the message across: the goal of redemption is worship. This teaches us at least three things:
First, God thinks gathered worship is really important. In English, we have one word, worship, that houses a multiplicity of meanings. With that word we could mean the whole-life orientation of the self. We could also mean the activity of churches when they gather weekly. As we said, the Bible’s language in Exodus 3-the word translated “serve”-specifically refers to the rituals and actions of the public worship of the people of God: praying, singing, sacrificing, preaching. God is redeeming Israel so that Israel can be freed to do those things. Likewise, he redeems us so that we can freely participate in public worship. We should take the epistle to the Hebrews seriously when it encourages us not to forsake meet- ing together for worship (Heb. 10:25).
Second, the goal of evangelism is worship. We don’t evangelize people simply to make converts. We tell people about Jesus so that God can make worshipers out of them. We could say that when we share the gospel with others, we are participating in God’s great “factory recall” of all the broken and mis-aimed worship out there. God’s intention for salvation is to refurbish (or to use a most biblical word, resurrect) his creation (2 Cor. 5:17) to recover creation’s original purpose and design: worship.
Third, worship is one of the most important fundamentally human things we do. If we are being refurbished to worship God-if redemption’s activity is to restore us to our original capacity and design-we learn from this that to be restored as a worshiper is to regain our lost humanity and deepest identity. Humanity’s search for the meaning of life has always had its best answer in the worship of God. What am I doing here? What are you doing here? We exist to worship. The more we worship and exercise those
forgotten muscles, the more we recognize it as a good, wholesome, and natural activity. We will eventually say, “I was made to do this, and it feels good!”
As we prepare for worship, let us go into it with all the joy, fervor, and expectation bound up in this rich theology of worship. Encourage each other, all the more, that what we’re doing is not only worthwhile but also the best thing we could be doing. Strain to lift each other up to this high calling of corporate worship and enjoy the deep satisfaction of fulfilling one of your basic purposes.
| Prayer
Aim your prayers in this direction:
- Pray that the Holy Spirit would enliven worship to be something more than dead ritual or meaningless practice. Ask for fresh movements of the living and active Word among you.
- Pray for people struggling to find meaning in worship, who for various reasons are stuck in a season of dryness or going through the motions. Intercede on their behalf.
- Pray for people struggling to find meaning in life. Pray for those who are depressed or who feel aimless or purposeless. Ask God to reveal himself in a tangible way that allows these individuals to find deeper meaning for their lives in and through worship.
