Redemption And Reclamation: Why They Are Not The Same Thing

A simple way to understand the difference between redemption and reclamation when your life feels like a wasteland.

In the Christian life, redemption and reclamation are related but not the same thing.
Redemption is Jesus paying the price for you once for all on the cross, rescuing you and calling you His own. Reclamation is the long, slow, hard work of partnering with God as He helps you recover the “wasteland” places in your journey, one obedient step at a time.

If you are feeling broken or lost or even beat down, yes of course absolutely pray for Jesus’ redemption. I believe in the redemption only God can bring, I have experienced it over and over again.

But also ask God where you can start to reclaim, little by little, the places that have become a wasteland.

Photo by Christopher Burns on Unsplash

Many years ago I was talking with a friend who was going through a really challenging season, and one word kept popping into my mind for them:

Reclamation.

Honestly, I had to sit with this one for a bit and ask why…

Ask myself, what is the difference between redemption and reclamation?
Are they just different words for the same thing, or is there something deeper happening in the way Jesus works in us?

Here is what clicked for me and it ended up a very encouraging word for them.
I hope it is for you as well!

Redemption is being rescued at a price.
For us, that price was the blood of Jesus.

Redemption is the finished work of the cross.
It is Jesus saying, “You are mine. I paid for you. I have redeemed you.”

Reclamation is different…

Reclamation is the process and work of recovering a wasteland…. ugh!
The long, slow, stubborn work of taking back ground that has been thrashed, trashed, abandoned, or destroyed.

…and yes before I go further for all those bible scholars out there… I am talking about redemption, but often we talk about redemption as an event, rather than a process.

In other words, redemption is the purchase. Reclamation is the process.
Redemption is what Jesus has already done for you.
Reclamation is the ongoing, physical and spiritual reclamation of the broken places in your life as you walk with Him.

I like the word reclamation because it invokes a picture that it is going to take a while and effort… but you can call it anything you want Restore, Renew, Rebuild, Recover… these words and themes are scattered through the bible.

Redemption and Reclamation often work together, but they are not the same thing.

Jesus has redeemed my life and continues to redeem it. That part is His finished work and His ongoing grace… but He also invites me into the process of reclamation.

The blood, sweat, tears, and prayer of showing up again and again.. pushing into the broken places and partnering with Him in the process.

Not to “earn” what He has already given…
but to walk out of what He has already paid for.

There have been many multiple year reclamation projects in my life and some of them just about did me in… I mean really hard things to walk out of because they had become so familiar to me that had temporarily become a part of my identity.

One of those things was comparison. My life has not been the textbook road to success, so I have often felt feelings of inadequacy and even shame. Comparison with others manifests un-satisfaction with ourselves & with life… it eventually leads to depression & hopelessness The cure for me? Choosing for YEARS to challenge myself every time I was tempted to compare… it was brutal, but worth it.

So if you feel like parts of your life have become a wasteland, maybe the next prayer is something like this:

“Jesus, thank You for redeeming me.
Show me where to start reclaiming.
Show me one small place where I can partner with You.”

You are fully loved.
You are fully redeemed.
Now ask Him where it is time to begin the slow, hard work of reclamation.

One small step.
One small piece of ground.
One more corner of the wasteland, taken back with Him.

Much Love,
Chris

Here is a simple place to start:

1. Name one wasteland.
   Not ten. Just one. The area you already know is costing you energy, trust, or integrity.

2. Decide on one reclaiming action this week.
   Schedule the conversation.
   Block time to think and plan.
   Admit the problem to someone you trust.

3. Commit to incremental, not instant.
   Reclamation is not a dramatic turnaround story in a deck.
   It is boring, consistent, often invisible work over time.