#77: The Infinite Value of Redemption

The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

You and I have been held captive to sin, but Christ has purchased our pardon and set us free. We call this redemption. Redemption is a theological term I don’t hear to much anymore, but it’s a truth we need to know and a gift we must receive.
There are a lot of names that we give to Jesus. We use words to describe his character, his power, and his importance in our lives, but none is more valuable than the name Redeemer. There are other names we use more often, such as Lord and Savior. When we say Lord, we are saying we have given the direction and leadership of our lives to Christ.
When we say Savior, we are reminded that he is the one who has saved us from our sins. But when we say Redeemer, we remember what it cost him to save us. Redeemer is the name of Christ on the cross. When we say that word, a picture of the cross comes to our minds. We remember not only that he gave us salvation, but that he paid a great price for it.
Look at 1 Peter 1:18-21 – “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life…”
Peter is reminding us that we have been redeemed. This word “redeem” or “redeemed” appears in the Bible 116 times. It might be kind of strange to us. Many of us are familiar with the idea that we have been saved or forgiven, but what does it mean that God redeemed us?
The words “redeem” and “redemption” are actually financial terms. To redeem means:
1. To recover ownership of by paying a specified sum.
2. To pay off (a promissory note, for example).
3. To set free; rescue or ransom.
In the NT the word redeem means to set free by the payment of a price. It was a word most often used in connection with slavery. In NT times, men, women, and children were routinely bought and sold. They were owned, traded, purchased, and put to work. They could be handed down from one generation to another. You might be born into slavery or you might go into debt and legally fall into slavery. You might be captured by an army and taken as a slave as part of the victorious spoils of war. If you became a slave, there were very few ways to ever be freed. It is estimated that in the NT times in the Roman empire, there were as many as 6 million slaves. Selling slaves was a major business.
If you had enough money, you could purchase your own freedom, but this rarely happened. But if someone had pity on you and decided to purchase you, they could, if they wished, set you free. The purchase price for the slave was called “redemption money.” One man pays the price so another man can go free.
With that in mind listen to Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”
There was a great price paid for our salvation. Instead of our death, there is his. Instead of our blood, there is his.
Remember these truths about redemption.

• Apart from Christ, we are all slaves to sin.
• Jesus paid the price to free us with his own blood.
• Redemption means that we are set free from sin.
• Redemption proves that you are very valuable to God.

Today’s Challenge: Redemption is a gift that must be received. Though it reveals God’s amazing generosity, He doesn’t force this gift on anyone. The gift of redemption becomes personal to us as we place our faith in Jesus Christ and confess him as savior and Lord. Have you done this? If not, stop right now to pray and receive God’s gift of redemption.
Visit the website: 5MinuteDiscipleship.com
Follow on social: