Redemption

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Ephesians 1:7)

Redemption basically means to save or deliver by payment of a price. In the days of pawnshops, to rescue an item that you had pawned you had to pay a price. You had to redeem it or it was lost and gone from your possession. In the Old Testament buying freedom from slavery was called redemption, or a former owner buying back his land. Rescue by purchase sums up the meaning of redemption.

In our text the Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ. The price payed is "his blood" and the deliverance bestowed is the forgiveness of sins. The question naturally arises as to whom this price is paid Is it Satan? No, Satan has no rights that God recognises at any time. Forgiveness brings deliverance from the power of Satan but God does no deals with Satan. The obvious answer to our question is that God himself demands the price as well as giving it in Christ. It is from God that we need forgiveness and our text tells us that forgiveness is possible only because of Christ’s work of redemption.

A Right View of God.

It comes down to a right view of God. Modernistic and liberal churchmen today believe in a god who simply overlooks sin if men are sorry or even though they are not. Their god is different from the God of biblical Christianity. The biblical teaching is that God is holy and always punishes every single sin; not one sin, even those little sins (in our eyes) of our thoughts, will go unpunished. God’s righteous character requires that the demands of His perfect justice be satisfied. He sent Christ to be the substitute of every sinner that puts his trust in Him.

This is why the text speaks of redemption "through his blood". Sometimes well-meaning Christians can use phrases like "cleansing through the blood of Christ without ever explaining them and non-Christian friends can be quite mystified by these phrases and even regard them as a kind of charm. Familiar phrases can become meaningless phrases if we do not ensure that they are correctly understood. They need to be regularly explained. The shedding of Christ’s blood sums up all of Christ’s suffering on the cross of Calvary. Although much of that suffering was inflicted by men, all was under the control of God. He suffered not only outwardly but inwardly under the sense of loss of the Father’s favour. This is why he cried "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" All of this suffering was the pouring out of God’s wrath upon Christ as the one bearing the punishment due to sinners. The cross shows the justice and the love of God. It declares God’s righteousness (Romans 3:26) in that God was inflicting the full penalty that sins deserved. It shows God’s love and grace (or undeserved kindness) in that Christ endured it for others. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). Christ satisfied the justice of God on behalf of all believers, so that they will not have to bear the punishment of Hell. He paid the price that was due. That is why his death is called a ransom. "The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28).

Christ has done all that is necessary to make sinners accepted before God. Put all your trust in him. "He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." (Hebrews 7:25).