Stage Five: The Fullness of Redemption - Living in the Love, Victory, and Restoring Power of Christ

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If you are joining the Journey to Renewal for the first time, welcome. This devotional series unfolds week by week, guiding you through the process of becoming a new creation in Christ. Each stage builds gently on the last, leading you step by step through the transformation God is forming within you. To begin the Journey as it was designed, I encourage you to start with the first reflection - Becoming a New Creation in Christ.

As we walk through this tender topic, I want to invite you to honor your own boundaries. Sometimes, God invites us to step into difficult spaces, but sometimes He invites us to step into safe, professional care. If this conversation feels overwhelming rather than enlightening, I strongly encourage you to speak with a therapist or counselor. I am just a fellow Christian sharing my story and writings, not a licensed professional, and I want to ensure you are safe and supported.

In Stage Four, we explored the beauty of emergence - rising into new identity, learning to fly, and discovering the freedom God has formed within us. But every transformation story finds its meaning in something larger than itself. Our renewal is not an isolated event; it is rooted in the greatest story ever told - the story of redemption.

Stage Five invites us to step back and see the whole landscape of God’s work:

God comes near.

God lays down His life.

God rises in victory.

God restores all things.

Just as the butterfly’s journey reveals a pattern of creation, surrender, transformation, and flight, the gospel reveals the divine pattern of redemption — a pattern that holds our lives, shapes our identity, and secures our future.

This is the fullness of redemption:

Christ with us. Christ for us. Christ alive in us.

The Fullness of Redemption

1. Redemption Begins With God’s Nearness

Before the cross, before the tomb, before the miracle — there is a manger. A God who draws near. A God who steps into the dust and ache of our world. A God who chooses vulnerability over distance.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” — John 1:14

The manger tells us something essential: God does not redeem from afar.

He enters the story Himself.

He enters our humanity, our limitations, our griefs, our longings.

He enters the places we hide and the places we hurt.

He enters the very world He came to save.

Redemption begins not with our reaching for God, but with God reaching for us.

David captures this nearness:

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” - Psalm 34:18

Redemption begins with presence.

2. Redemption Is Secured Through Sacrifice

At the center of redemption stands the cross — the place where love and justice meet, where sin is confronted, and where freedom is purchased.

“… while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8

The cross is not simply a symbol; it is a turning point in the universe.

It is where shame loses its voice.

Where condemnation loses its authority.

Where the power of sin is broken once and for all.

On the cross, Jesus does not simply forgive — He frees.

He does not simply pardon — He rescues.

He does not simply cleanse — He reclaims.

Every stage of renewal — from the egg to the butterfly — is possible because of the cross.

3. Redemption Is Completed in Resurrection

If the cross is the price of redemption, the resurrection is its triumph. The empty tomb is the declaration that nothing — not sin, not death, not darkness — can stop the purposes of God.

“He is not here; for he has risen...” — Matthew 28:6

Resurrection is not just an event; it is a new reality. It means:

• Death does not have the final word.

• Brokenness does not have the final word.

• Fear does not have the final word.

• Your past does not have the final word.

Christ does.

The Apostle Paul writes:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” - 1 Corinthians 15:54

Paul anchors our understanding of redemption in the resurrection. After declaring that “death has been swallowed up in victory,” he reminds believers that this triumph is not distant - it is personal, present, and transformative (1 Corinthians 15:54–58). For Paul, redemption restores identity, purpose, and hope. His words invite us to live as people who belong to the risen Christ - confident that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work within us (Ephesians 1:19–20).

The resurrection is the assurance that the work God begins, He will finish - in you, in the world, and in all creation.

4. Redemption Shapes Our Identity

Redemption is not only something Christ accomplished - it is something He applies to us personally.

“In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses…”- Ephesians 1:7

Because of Christ:

• You are forgiven.

• You are cleansed.

• You are adopted.

• You are restored.

• You are made new.

Redemption gives you a new name, a new standing, and a new story.

You are no longer defined by what you’ve done or what’s been done to you.

You are defined by the One who calls you His own.

The Apostle John reminds us:

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God...” - 1 John 3:1

Identity is not earned — it is bestowed.

5. Redemption Shapes Our Purpose

Redemption is not the end of the story — it is the beginning of a new one.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” - Ephesians 2:10

You were not redeemed to remain the same.

You were redeemed to reflect Christ.

To carry His love.

To participate in His restoring work in the world.

Just as the butterfly pollinates as it moves - carrying life wherever it goes - the redeemed life carries hope, healing, and grace into every space it touches.

Your purpose is not something you strive to create;

it is something you receive as you walk with Christ.

6. Redemption Shapes Our Hope

The fullness of redemption points us forward - beyond today, beyond struggle, beyond sorrow — to the restoration of all things.

“Behold, I make all things new…” - Revelation 21:5

Redemption is not only personal; it is cosmic. It is God’s promise that:

• Every wound will be healed.

• Every injustice will be addressed.

• Every tear will be wiped away.

• Every broken thing will be restored.

Hope is not wishful thinking — it is the steady confidence that God is not finished.

Living in the Fullness of Redemption

To live in redemption is to live awake — aware of God’s nearness, anchored in His love, confident in His victory.

It means:

• Walking in forgiveness instead of shame

• Choosing truth instead of lies

• Living from identity instead of insecurity

• Trusting God’s work instead of your own striving

• Seeing your life as part of God’s larger story

Redemption is not something you earn.

It is something you embody - with gratitude, humility, and joy.

Closing Prayer

Redeeming God, Thank You for drawing near in love,

for carrying my sin on the cross,

and for rising in victory over every darkness.

Teach me to live in the fullness of Your redemption -

to walk in freedom,

to rest in grace,

to trust Your work in me,

and to reflect Your love in the world.

Let the manger remind me of Your nearness,

the cross remind me of Your sacrifice,

and the empty tomb remind me of Your power.

Complete in me the work You have begun.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection Questions for Redemption and Identity (for Devotional Use this week):

Questions of Victory, Belonging, and Becoming

I encourage you to record your answers in a private journal. This will allow you to track your growth as you walk through your transformation.

1. Which part of Christ’s redemptive story — His nearness, His sacrifice, His resurrection, or His restoring power — speaks most deeply to you in this season?

2. Where do you sense Christ inviting you to live not from shame or striving, but from the freedom His redemption has already secured?

3. What inner shift — in identity, trust, or hope — might God be forming in you as you embrace the fullness of redemption?

4. How does Paul’s declaration that “death has been swallowed up in victory” strengthen your confidence in God’s work within you?

5. What fears, wounds, or old narratives is God inviting you to surrender so you can live as someone redeemed, not condemned?

6. Where do you long to see Christ bring restoration — in your heart, your relationships, or your story?

7. How might your daily rhythms change if you fully embraced redemption as the foundation of your identity and purpose?

Invitation to Return, Reflect, and Pray

As you complete this Journey to Renewal, take time this week to rest in the fullness of what Christ has done for you. Return to the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb. Let each one remind you of the love that pursued you, the sacrifice that saved you, and the victory that now defines your life.

Pay attention to the places where redemption is reshaping your identity.

Pay attention to the places where Christ is restoring what was broken.

Pay attention to the places where hope is rising again.

Pray for the courage to live each day as someone redeemed —

forgiven, restored, and deeply loved.

Pray for eyes to see your story through the lens of Christ’s victory.

Pray for a heart that trusts the One who is making all things new.

Your story is held in God’s hands.

Your future is secure in His promise.

Your transformation is rooted in His redemption.

You are His workmanship.

You are His beloved.

You are His redeemed.

We’ve reached the end of Stage Five — the fullness of redemption. Take this week to breathe, reflect, and let God’s work settle deeply in your heart.

Next week, I’ll share one final reflection — a closing meditation to gather the whole journey together and send you forward with hope, courage, and renewed purpose.

The journey isn’t ending. It’s unfolding. And God is still making all things new in you.

© 2026 Brenda Wheeler / Brenda Wheeler Ministries All rights reserved.

All quotes from the Bible (excluding linked passages) are from: Revised Standard Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Revised-Standard-Version-RSV-Bible. Accessed 24-27 April 2026.