Redemption, simply put, is deliverance by payment of a price. In the New Testament, redemption refers to salvation by Christ’s sacrifice from sin, death and the wrath of God. In the Old Testament, it refers to kinsman deliverance, rescue or ransom, and it was applied to property, animals, persons and the nation of Israel as a whole. Almost always, it was freedom from obligation, bondage, danger and distress from liability to any evil; this was attained by a price, a bribe, labour, satisfaction, a sum of money paid to attain freedom, favor of reconciliation or other means. Men may redeem property, animals and individuals (slaves, prisoners, indentured relatives) who are legally obligated to God or in bondage for other reasons. God alone, however, is able to redeem from the slavery of sin and the power of death.
The New Testament emphasizes the tremendous cost of redemption – the precious blood of Christ. Believers are encouraged to remember the price of their redemption as a motivation to enhance their personal holiness. The Bible also emphasizes the result of redemption – freedom from sin and freedom to serve God through Jesus Christ. Redemption always speaks of the purchase back by the payment of a ransom or a price paid for something that had been lost. For our redemption, the debt is not only canceled but fully paid as a satisfaction to divine justice. It means believers have been bought with the price of blood and have been redeemed from sin, Satan and the misery of sinful self. The result of redemption is a sending away or a banishment of our debt.
Redemption is the English translation of the Greek word agorazo (Revelation 5:9), meaning “to purchase in the marketplace.” In ancient times, it often referred to the act of buying a slave. It carried the meaning of freeing someone from chains, prison or slavery. Another Greek word relating to this term is exagorazo (Galatians 3:13), which means “to redeem by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to buy off.” Redemption always involves going from something to something else. For us, it is Christ freeing us from the bondage of sin to freedom of a new life in Him. The third Greek word connected with redemption is lutroo (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18), which means “to obtain release by the payment of a price, to liberate, to deliver from evil of every kind.” The cost of redemption – only available in Christianity – is Christ’s precious blood, by which one obtains release from sin and death.
Redemption results in and is equivalent to salvation. Jesus Christ summarized the process or human response required to obtain redemption or salvation. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 NKJV). Redemption is the central point in the Christian’s journey – essentially the divider in one’s life between hopelessly lost in sin and forgiven.
