The first term
that I would like to look at is redemption (cf. Rom 3:24). You may have heard
or used this word in a sentence like “I am redeemed by Jesus Christ”. But what does it mean? The word was initially used
concerning a free person paying the asking price for the release of a prisoner
of war. It evolved to being used in the slave market for buying a slave for the
ransom price. So, it related to freeing a person through payment of a ransom.
It has been
explained as a “change for the good; salvage what has been lost”.[1]
In today’s context the idea of redemption is still relevant. An example of this
is a person redeeming a pawned item from the pawn shop. They will need to
present the pawn ticket received when pawning the item and pay the asking price
to redeem the item.
Two Old
Testament events which help to explain redemption are Israel’s exile from their
Egyptian slavery; and Israel’s freedom from Babylonian captivity. In both cases
Israel was repressed, enslaved and then redeemed by God, emphasising their
freedom from enslavement. Did Paul have this in mind here when dealing with the
freedom from the penalty of sin and sinfulness? The freedom of humanity was
purchased through Jesus’ life given on a Roman cross (the ransom price) as He
brought us out from under the tyranny and exile of sin.
When applying it
to the New Testament perspective, redemption deals with the issue of freedom from slavery to sin and the penalty of sin through
the asking price Jesus Christ. As a result of disobeying God we became hostages
and slaves to sin. The only way that we could be freed from slavery to sin and
the penalty of sin was through someone paying the asking price or ransom for
sin. This was done once and for all through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross;
the perfect ransom price.
[1] Sutherland, Heather
(2013-02-06). Speaking
Their Language.
(Kindle Locations 597-598). Kindle
Edition.
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