Christ is not only our redemption before God; He is also redemption within us. Christ as our redemption within is particularly related to our body. Christ as our redemption within not only delivers us from the law of sin in our members (Rom. 7:23; 8:2), but has become life to our body. Romans 8:11 says, "And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you." This does not mean that we will be resurrected after we die. It means that He will give life to our mortal bodies today. Second Corinthians 4:10-11 says, "Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who are alive are always being delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." The most outstanding thing here is that verse 11 seems to be a repetition of verse 10. Actually it is not a repetition. Verse 10 says that the life of Jesus is manifested in our body, while verse 11 says that the life of Jesus is manifested in our mortal bodies. With many believers, the life of Jesus may be manifested in their body, but may not be manifested in their mortal body. The difference here is great. Many believers are obedient and patient in times of sickness; they are not anxious, and they do not murmur. They feel the Lord's presence and manifest the Lord's virtues in their expression, their voice, and their actions. Indeed the life of Jesus is manifested in their body through the Holy Spirit. Yet they do not know that the Lord Jesus is able to heal their sickness. They do not know that the Lord Jesus' life is also for their body of humiliation. They receive grace from the Lord to endure the pain, but they do not receive the healing. They have the experience of verse 10, but do not have the experience of verse 11. Brothers and sisters, we have to realize that Christ is redemption to our body. For our mortal body to be made alive does not mean that the nature of the body is changed or that we become immortal. The nature of the body remains the same, but a new life comes in to supply strength to the body. Originally, the natural life was the source of strength of our body. Now we are supplied by the life of Christ. When our body is sustained by the resurrection life of Christ, our body is enabled to work in a strong way.

Christ becoming our redemption is a big subject. Christ as our redemption is not merely a matter of Him being the life of our body today, but it affords us a great hope, which is "the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:21-23; 1 Cor. 15:50-54; Phil. 3:21). One day God will show everyone the way that He has redeemed the creation and the way that He made us His own. Then our body will be redeemed and will put off corruption to put on incorruption; we will no longer be under the bondage of corruption, and we will enter into the liberty of glory. Then the dead will rise up, and we will be changed. Our body of humiliation will be transfigured to be conformed to the body of His glory. Then we will see that our redemption is Christ! Who are those who have the assurance that they will be in the first (the best) resurrection? Who are those who have the assurance that their body will be transfigured one day? We believe and we have the assurance because Christ is our redemption.