The Oxford Dictionary of English, on my EBook
reader, defines redemption as:
1. The action of saving or being saved
from sin, error, or evil: God's plan for
the redemption of His world.
A thing that saves someone from error or
evil.
2. The action of regaining or gaining
possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.
Now that we have a basic understanding
of the word redemption; how does it affect me? In point 1 above it
speaks of being saved from sin, error, or evil. The Holy Scriptures in Romans
3:23 states "For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God." Every person, whether they are a
king on a throne, a drunk in the gutter, or anywhere in between - has sinned!
We have, each one, fallen short of God's holy standards and His glory.
Now there are consequences for this
state of affairs. Galatians 6:7, "Do
not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap." Romans 6:23, "For
the wages of sin is death..."
Is this the end of the matter? Of course
not! What would be the use of writing this blog post unless there is a
solution?
It is an interesting fact that the next
verse after Romans 3:23 talks about redemption. Romans 3:24 tells
us, "Being justified freely by His [God's]
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Let's look at 1 Timothy 2:5, 6, "(5) For there is one God and one
Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, (6) who gave Himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
We needed someone who could act on our
behalf before God - a mediator. How fitting that our Mediator also paid the
price [ransom] for our souls. In point 2 of our definition of redemption we read, "The action of regaining or gaining
possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt."
The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:18, 19
reveals this, "(18) Knowing that you
were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold... (19) but with
the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish or spot."
The redemption price has already been paid by our Redeemer, the Man, Christ
Jesus.
Now this is all well and good; however
redemption is only available to those who ask for it! It is not automatically
conferred on everybody! In the lovely story of Boaz and Ruth, in the Old
Testament book of Ruth, we find a lovely example of this.
Ruth the Moabitess, a penniless widow
arrives in Bethlehem with her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi has forfeited
her lands and possessions during her ten years' residency in Moab. Ruth gleans
in the fields of Boaz during the barley and wheat harvests. Boaz is a close
relative of Naomi's dead husband, Elimelech who died in Moab.
Naomi advises Ruth that she has the
right to claim redemption from Boaz because he is a near kinsman. Two things
are necessary for this act of redemption: (a) Ruth has to make a personal claim
on Boaz (b) Boaz has to be willing to redeem Ruth and also buy back the land
and possessions of Elimilech's. Ruth makes her claim and Boaz agrees to redeem
her, make her his wife and pay whatever price is required for the redemption.
Psalms 49:7,
8, "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God
a ransom for him. For the redemption of their souls is costly..." None
of us can redeem anyone from our sins because we are sinners and utterly
bankrupt before God. However, any
sinner, through faith, has the right to claim redemption from the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Lord
Jesus went to the cross of Calvary to pay the price of our redemption. He
perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the Law. He laid down His life; and He
shed his blood (God’s requirement for our redemption). The Lord Jesus tasted
death for every man, woman and child. He was buried and rose again from the
dead three days later. Forty days after rising from the dead He ascended into
Heaven.
The redemption price has been paid for all
sinners who make a claim on Him.
Redemption is by blood (shed at the Cross)
and by power (He rose from the dead).
The Lord
Jesus Christ, as our Kinsman Redeemer, shows us a God who loved His creation
mankind so much that He sent His Son into this world as our Kinsman
Redeemer. When we are saved we are also redeemed - bought by God at the cost
of the sacrificial death of Christ! No one else could pay this price demanded
by God.
Are you
redeemed? Do you know the power of redemption in your life? Have you made your
claim on Christ? Hebrews 9:12 informs us that, "...He obtained eternal redemption." for the likes of you
and me!
Jon Peasey
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey
[All
Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted.
Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted
for clarity. Words in bold type
emphasise a point
You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or
elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate
directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]
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