Redemption

If you are a genuinely born of the Spirit of God Christian, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are redeemed. If not, you're not.

The New Testament uses two different Greek words that are translated "redeem":
exagorazo - used four times in the N.T. (Gal. 3:13; 4:5; Eph. 5:16; Col. 4:5), means to buy, to buy back, to buy out, to redeem.

lutroo - used three times in the N.T. (Luke 24:21; Titus 2:14; I Pet. 1:18), means to redeem or release by paying a full ransom, to rescue.

lutrosis - the noun form, used three times in the N.T. (Luke 1:68; 2:38; Heb. 9:12), means redemption.

apolutrosis - used ten times in the N.T. (Luke 21:28; Rom. 3:24; 8:23; I Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7, 14; 4:30; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:15; 11:35), is a stronger form of lutrosis meaning a releasing, a payment for a ransom.

lutron - a related word which means ransom (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45).

antilutron - also translated ransom (I Tim. 2:6).

(from The Expanded Vines, by W.E. Vine; The New Englishman's Greek Concordance and Lexicon, by Wigram - Green)

Redemption, therefore, involves a buying back of something, a ransom being paid, resulting in a releasing, a deliverance, a rescue.

In order to understand the importance and great value of redemption in the Bible, four questions need to be answered. Let's let the Bible itself do the job:

1. 
   
   Why is there the need of redemption? Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law." Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 show that redemption is related to the forgiveness of offenses, the forgiveness of sins. Titus 2:14 reveals that redemption is from all lawlessness. And First Peter 1:18 says that redemption is from a vain useless manner of life. Redemption is necessary because of the curse of the law, offenses, sins, all lawlessness, and a vain useless manner of life.


2. 
   
   How was this redemption accomplished? According to Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:12, 15; and First Peter 1:18-19, redemption was accomplished in and through Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, by His death on the cross and the shedding of His precious blood.


3. 
   
   How is this accomplished redemption received and applied to us? According to Romans 3:22-24; Galatians 3:11-14; Ephesians 1:13-14; and First Peter 1:18-21, redemption is received and applied by and through faith in Jesus Christ, by believing in Him.


4. 
   
   What is the result of redemption? The result of redemption is being justified (next week's topic) freely by His grace (Rom. 3:24), receiving sonship, becoming sons of God (Gal. 4:5-6), and God purifying to Himself a particular people for His own possession (Titus 2:14; Rev. 5:9).

From beginning to end, the story of redemption looks something like this:

• 
  
  God created us in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). We were made by God and for God. We belonged to Him.
• 
  
  But we were deceived by the Devil and disobeyed God (Gen. 3:1-13). This disobedience was the source of all sin and death (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12). This offense of disobedience also resulted in condemnation to all men (Rom. 5:16,18). The sin and death that resulted from this disobedience put us in a condition of bondage; we became slaves (John 8:34; Rom. 6:6; Heb. 2:15; II Pet. 2:19).
• 
  
  Eventually, because of transgression against God, He established the law as a kind of guardian (Gal. 3:19, 24). Although this law was holy, righteous, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12, 14), we were not able to keep it because of the weakness of our flesh (Rom. 8:3), and it became a curse (Gal. 3:10, 13). God intended that the law would only be temporary until He would send His Son to accomplish redemption (Gal. 3:19).
• 
  
  Then, at the time predetermined by God, He sent forth His Son (Gal. 4:4) who died on the cross in order to give His life as a ransom for all (Matt. 20:28), to redeem us and make us His sons (Gal. 4:5), and become once again His people for His eternal possession (Titus 2:14).

So, if you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, you are no longer under the law, but under grace; you are no longer to be a slave of sin, but of righteousness; and you no longer belong to or are to serve the Devil, but to God (Read Romans 5:12 through 6:23).

If not, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, trust in Him, have faith in Him, and you will be redeemed. And as we will see next week, you will also be justified by His grace (Rom. 3:22-24).

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