Redemption

Before attempting to understand the biblical meaning of redemption, we need to ask, “redemption from what?” The most consistent picture is that of slaves or captives being set free from bondage by the payment of a price.

The root meaning of the Greek words translated redeemed or redemption is loosening, with some forms of the word being combined with “apo” meaning “out from.” So the idea of the combined word is to be not only set free but also transported from captivity to someplace else, e.g. deliverance.

The Greek word transliterated “lutrosin” appears three times, Luke 1:68, Luke 2:38 and Hebrews 9:12.

In Luke 1:68 we see the prophecy that God visited us and accomplished redemption for His people. This usage presents the idea of being rescued and saved from a bad situation,
(see verse 71 and verse 74).

Luke 2:38 references people who are “looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” with Jerusalem being an idiomatic reference to God’s people.

In Hebrews 9:12, we see that Christ through His blood obtained eternal redemption. This fits the picture of being set free from bondage by the payment of a price. Further, this redemption is eternal; it does not have a shelf life.

In Luke 21:28, Jesus says of His second coming, pay attention because your “redemption is drawing near.” Here redemption appears to be a function or attribute of Christ.

So from these examples we can see that redemption is used for more than one purpose, to be redeemed from political bondage (Luke 1:68 and 2:38), from the bondage of sin (Hebrews 9:12) and from the bondage of our corrupt flesh when we are raised or changed in the twinkling of an eye, to glorified bodies. On the other hand, the deliver is always the same, Christ Jesus our Lord.

In three other verses we find a related word that perhaps should be best translated “ransomed”. In Luke 24:21 we find folks who hoped Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel apparently from political bondage. In Titus 2:14, we see that Jesus gave Himself up for us to redeem us from every lawless deed. And in 1 Peter 1:18-19, we learn that we were not redeemed with corruptible stuff like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus. It is clear that Jesus paid the ransom with His blood, but it is not clear whether we were set free when He shed His blood, or when we were spiritually placed in Christ and washed with His blood.

Jesus was both the High Priest who slays the sacrifice and then sprinkles the blood on those receiving the benefit of the sacrifice, and the sacrifice, the Lamb of God.

Having nibbled around the edges, lets get to the heart of the matter by looking at the writings of Paul concerning redemption. Lets focus on the usage where folks are redeemed from every lawless deed, the bondage of sin. The other two usages seem to apply to the second coming of Christ, and for the time being we are concerned with His accomplishment of redemption in His first coming.

Romans 3:24 says (NASB), “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” God’s grace can accomplish many varied things, and so Paul makes it clear that the grace being given is through or by the means of the redemption [deliverance], which is in Christ Jesus. So this verse points to receiving the benefit of Christ’s sacrifice when we are “in Christ” rather than when He shed His precious blood on the cross.

Romans 8:23 refers to the redemption of our body, setting us free from our corrupt flesh, and so because this is associated with His second coming, lets move on.

1 Corinthians 1:30 says (NASB), “ But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Here again, scripture pretty clearly teaches that when God put us in Christ spiritually, Christ became via our indwelt Holy Spirit, wisdom from God, provided the righteousness of God to us,
in Christ we are set apart, and in Christ we are redeemed from the bondage of sin, and delivered spiritually into the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 1:7 says (NASB), “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” So again, only when “in Him” do we have the gift of His redemptive grace, which sets us free from every lawless deed, the forgiveness of our trespasses.

Ephesians 1:14 and 4:30 refer to our redemption from our corrupt flesh. But as a sidelight when we are placed spiritually in Christ, we received our eternal redemption from the bondage of sin, and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit in Christ as a pledge of our inheritance which is to be raised in glorified bodies, set free from the corruption of the flesh.

Lastly Colossians 1:13-14 completely summarizes the biblical concept of redemption from the bondage of sin. “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

May God Bless