51: What is Redemption?

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52: Baptism Matters!

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Welcome to the Ready for Eternity podcast, a podcast and blog dedicated to inquisitive

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Bible students exploring Biblical truths that might not be fully explored in typical sermons or Bible studies.

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My name is Eddie Lawrence. Redemption is one of those churchy words that we hear a lot, but we may not always stop to think about what it means.

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What is redemption? In Ephesians 1, verse 7,

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Paul wrote, In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

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Paul emphasizes redemption in this verse. But we might miss something critically important if we're not paying attention.

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Christ redeems those who are in him. Just like the other blessings in this chapter, redemption doesn't belong to a group

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God arbitrarily selected. Instead, God chose everyone who is in Christ.

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And those who are in Christ are those who have chosen to obey the gospel and place their trust in Jesus.

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But what exactly is this idea of redemption? What does the word actually mean?

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Like other churchy words, we hear it in sermons and Bible studies all the time, so much so that we might not stop to ask what it really is.

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The word redemption comes from the Greek word apollutrisis. Greek dictionaries define it as,

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To release or set free, with the implied analogy to the process of freeing a slave. To set free, to liberate, to deliver, liberation, deliverance.

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In other words, redemption is essentially a rescue. It's a fairly simple concept that tends to be obscured by repetition.

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There's even a term for that, semantic satiation. This refers to a psychological phenomenon where a word or phrase, through repetition, loses its meaning or impact.

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The word becomes a mere sound, detached from its deeper significance, often because familiarity breeds an assumption of understanding rather than genuine clarity.

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Redemption in everyday life shows up in small and familiar ways. Think of a vending machine.

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You insert a few coins, press a button, and the machine releases a can of coke.

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That's redemption in miniature. A transaction that results in something being set free.

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It's a simple exchange, but the logic aligns with the original sense of the word.

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We pay a price, and that liberates something. The same word appears again in phrases like redeeming a coupon, but here the connection to the original idea grows thinner.

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The stakes are lower, the meaning diluted. Originally, redemption carried the weight of release or rescue, something or someone set free from bondage or debt.

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But when we redeem a coupon, the process becomes more transactional, more routine.

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Instead of liberation, the word now signifies a discount, a piece of paper for a product.

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In this context, redeem becomes shorthand, a word stripped of its deeper, more profound connotations.

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People reduce the language of deliverance to the language of commerce. Let's look at some biblical examples of redemption.

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One of the clearest biblical examples is the Exodus, where God frees the

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Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In this narrative, God hears the cries of his people and acts decisively to deliver them from Pharaoh's oppressive rule.

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Through a series of miracles, including the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14,

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God redeems the Israelites, setting them free to journey to the promised land.

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This act of redemption isn't just a rescue, it's a dramatic display of God's power and faithfulness.

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As God tells Moses in Exodus 6 -6, I am the

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Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage.

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I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

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The Exodus becomes the foundation story of the Jewish nation, forever tying redemption to the idea of freedom from bondage.

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Another example of redemption in the Old Testament is found in the law of land redemption in Leviticus.

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If a person fell into poverty and had to sell their ancestral land, they, or a close relative, had the right to redeem it.

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Leviticus 25 -25 says, If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.

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This kinsman redeemer would buy back the land, restoring it to the family.

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This law wasn't just about financial transactions, it was about preserving the dignity and heritage of the individual.

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Redemption here meant more than ownership. It symbolized the restoration of what they had lost, a return to what was rightfully theirs, and a way to safeguard the family's identity.

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Jesus has redeemed those who are in him. What does this mean exactly?

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Redemption means Christ freed us from eternal death. Sin's penalty is eternal separation from God, according to Romans chapter 6.

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Through his death and resurrection, Jesus paid the price for our sins.

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This act reconciles us to God and grants eternal life. Redemption is liberation from sin's guilt and penalty, made possible through Christ's sacrifice.

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He has rescued us from the punishment that we deserved, and replaced that punishment with eternal life.

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What was the price Jesus paid, and to whom was it paid? Paul says our redemption was through the blood in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7.

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Blood is probably not meant literally, but as an idiom expressing that it was

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Jesus' death that redeemed us. The price of our redemption was

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Jesus' life. However, the best word to explain how this release occurred may not be the word.

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Price. Who did Jesus pay a ransom to? This redemption, or ransom as it's called in Matthew chapter 20 verse 28,

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Mark 10, 45, and 1 Timothy 2, 6, was not a price paid to the devil, as the ransom theory of atonement says.

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On this, Ben Witherington comments. Paul says nothing of a ransom paid to Satan, as God owes

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Satan nothing. Christ is redeeming the lost persons from the bondage of sin by paying the price for that sin for them.

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In the New Testament, the blood of Christ represents His life given up through His violent death and sacrifice.

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In Ephesians, when it says through His blood, it uses a metaphor from sacrifice, not to suggest a literal cost, but to show how

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Christ's death is the means of redemption. This doesn't mean the blood is a ransom price paid to anyone, but rather it symbolizes the costly nature of our salvation.

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Jesus' sacrificial death is the key event that secures our redemption.

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The term ransom in the New Testament symbolizes Christ's sacrificial death to free us from sin, not a literal payment or transaction made with Satan.

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The New Testament authors use the word ransom metaphorically. It's like a ransom, to express how

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Christ's death liberates us from the bondage of sin. It's similar to how a ransom frees someone from captivity.

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However, it wasn't a direct payment to Satan, but rather a means of securing our redemption through Christ's sacrifice.

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In conclusion, redemption is a powerful act of liberation Christ achieved for those who are in Him.

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Through His death and resurrection, He freed us from eternal death. Just as the

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Exodus and the Kinsman Redeemer laws illustrate freedom, Christ's sacrifice offers ultimate deliverance.

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His blood, His life given for ours secures our redemption.

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This redemption isn't a transaction, but a divine rescue that grants us eternal life.

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For more biblical studies, visit our website at ReadyForEternity .com. That's the word ready, the number four, and the word eternity.

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ReadyForEternity .com. Be sure and leave a comment on the Ready for Eternity Facebook page or reach out on Twitter.

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That's all for now. Keep studying your Bible, growing closer to God, and getting ready for eternity.