Isaiah 43:1,2 - Do not fear, for I have redeemed you

43:1

“But now ...” This is a repeated pattern in Isaiah, but also applies to the Bible as a whole. The big picture is that God is holy and just, mankind is anything but. He has received repeated warnings, much discipline, but has utterly failed to respond. This is true of the whole human race, in the Old Testament we see it played out in Israel. Israel had all the benefits a people could possibly have (a perfect law, many miracles and other interventions from God, numerous prophets etc) yet was utterly reprobate. The notion that if only we had more evidence then we would believe in God is nothing more than an idle notion. So does this mean man is a write-off? No, for we have the “but now...” Based on man alone we would indeed be a basket case, but God has taken action. This is God who created us and formed us. He has redeemed us and called us by name. All of this is the gospel, the utter sinfulness of man, and the complete salvation from God. And we are called by name. There are often unhelpful debates between Calvinists and Arminians, with Molinists chipping in here and there. These happen because we think “if A is true, then B cannot be true”, but this thinking is usually founded on looking at things from a human perspective. But we are looking at things from an eternal perspective, from God’s perspective, and in that case “if A is true, then B cannot be true” is no longer a valid statement. So let us if the Bible says “A is true” and also says “B is true” and we cannot work out how this can be, let us accept what God says. So here we are told that God calls us by name.

43:2

But how can they be rescued? How can we be rescued?  Israel was in Babylon. Many Christians today exist in very hostile regimes. Note that the promise is not of an easy life. They would pass through the waters and would walk through the flames, but they would not be overwhelmed. If you look at reports from organisations such as Open Doors it is amazing that so many continue to worship the Lord despite all the opposition and persecution. In the West we do not yet face violent persecution, but the environment is changing. We should not fear, but we must rely upon the grace of God.