ROOTED - Monday, June 30, 2025

Titus 3:5
5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Reflection: Question #26
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro 
Question: How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
Answer: We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ by the Holy Spirit effectually applying it to us.
I love this question and answer! We skipped several questions in order to jump to this core question (allow me to re-phrase it): “how do we appropriate God’s gift of redemption for ourselves?” Even as I read that question that I have just typed, I recognize it is not as good as the original question phrased by the Catechism: How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?” Can you notice the key difference in the way I phrased it, as opposed to the original?
In my question the emphasis is on how we can be active (I said “we appropriate”) in the process of salvation. But in the original question we are passive (“how are we made partakers”). It is true that, on the one hand, we have a role to play in our salvation… on the other hand, there is a sense in which salvation is done to us as an act of mercy by the Holy Spirit. This, in fact, is the emphasis of this particular question and answer… and we should note carefully the wonder of the nuance here. Please know that the Scripture makes clear the reality that salvation is primarily the role of God. Our own righteousness and our own effort is not the key component, so much as His mercy! God renews us by his Spirit… and God makes us partakers of the gift of God. While, to some extent, this is all a mystery, we must lean into the inescapable fact that (whatever else is true) God has made us holy, opened our blind eyes, brought us from death to life, and “made his light shine in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6). This truth should cause us to awe and wonder at the great, exceedingly great, grace of God. Clearly, we too have a role to play. That is also inescapable. But, make no mistake, at a fundamental level, salvation is a gift and work of God.

Prayer 
Lord, we are reminded now of the great gift of salvation… a salvation of which we have been made partakers. Glory to your name!