Unshackled

Romans 3:24
November 2, 2008

Redemption: A Definition
“buying back out of slavery that which was bound”

We do hear of this happening today; in some African and Middle Eastern nations, freedom for slaves has been purchased by the payment of a price. But in a theological context, redemption is God at work, buying back that which is rightfully His own, and He does so in order, not to enslave us or to demand His pound of flesh, but that He might set us free. In fact, the Greek word implies just this, that not only has a ransom price been paid, but it has been paid to obtain the release of the one bound.

Last week, we were in a courtroom as we considered the biblical picture of justification. Today, the scene shifts to the marketplace, from judicial proceedings to business transactions. And what has taken place in redemption is this: though I am a slave, “under sin”, I have been purchased and then set free!

I. Redemption implies a previous state of freedom.
Here’s a basic Bible truth: God created Adam and Eve to live free. He didn’t give them a long list of rules and regulations; He said, “do anything you please, except for this one thing Freedom is God’s design, but bondage comes in as a result of sin; we read of that in Genesis 3.

This runs counter, of course, to modern ideas of the state and situation of man. We’re evolving upward from the primordial goulash, from the impersonality of pond scum to a better and better state of humanity. We’re not getting older; we’re getting better! And as proof of this, look at the advance of technology.

But a fair question is, are we better people? Might I suggest that we are now able to sin more efficiently and more creatively than ever before? We can exterminate life much more efficiently; we have more tools with which to satisfy our prurient desires; we have more substances with which to intoxicate ourselves; we have more toys with which to amuse ourselves. At the same time, we have less moral authority than ever before, less tolerance for any voice which suggests that some things are ‘wrong’, less interest in right thinking and more interest in telling ourselves those sweet little lies which keep us mollified and pacified. Lacking a moral compass, our increased technology leads us to increased brutality, increased immorality, and lessened inhibitions. We have much more learning, but were we smarter when we were dumber? And are the things that we are sold as liberating really just bonds and chains by another name?

II. Redemption implies a perilous plight.
Sin enslaves us. The more willfully I practice sin, the more enslaved I will be. We hear of addictions—I’ve never been altogether certain of what I think of that word, because it uses psychological terminology to describe spiritual issues—but we know what we mean when we use that word. A more biblical word would be “slavery”, and while we think of drugs and alcohol and pornography, among others, as things to which people are addicted, the fact is that sin enslaves every one of us. We are all, if you will, “sin addicts”, fallen beings who naturally do not choose God, but who choose sinful ways and practices.

III. Redemption implies the payment of a price.
Redemption is not merely “rescue” or “deliverance”; redemption involves the payment of a ransom, as we might think of a kidnapper demanding a payment to secure release of a hostage. Jesus said that “the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Christmas is so critical: God became incarnate in Jesus Christ, to live among us that He might die and pay the ransom for us, entering the human condition, He Who was God from eternity past. Galatians 4 tells us that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” And I Peter 1:18-19 says that “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Ransomed…purchased from the ways of sin, from the bondage that sin brings. And the purchase price was that of the blood of Jesus. B.B. Warfield said that “Redeemer is the name of the Christ of the cross. Whenever we pronounce it, our hearts are filled with remembrance that He paid a mighty price for our redemption.”

And if Jesus paid the price on the cross, there’s nothing to be added; to try is an insult to God. His was the once-for-all-time payment for our sin.

IV. Redemption implies the proprietorship of the purchaser.
“Blessed Jesus, Thou hast bought us; Thine we are”. I Corinthians 6 reminds us that we are not our own, for we have been bought with a price. If I purchase something, it’s mine. Jesus is the Lord and Master, for He has paid the price to buy the merchandise! We, slaves to sin by nature, are now bought by Christ to serve Christ.

Sin will be a cruel taskmaster; we all know that by experience. Sin promises much but delivers little; pleasures for a season, but anguish for eternity. Serving Jesus, on the other hand, brings true freedom. We all will serve somebody, but serving Jesus brings us the freedom for which God designed us. If Jesus loved us enough to die for us, will we prove we love Him enough to live for Him?

Jesus has paid the entire price for our redemption—but a price paid for a pardon is ineffective if the pardon is not accepted. The only response is faith-acceptance of Jesus Christ!

Taking it Home
• Read Hosea 1. Though we see God’s judgment there, what signs of redemption do you find as well?
• How does the first verse of Hosea 2 bear this out?
• Why do many people seem to misunderstand that God’s desire is for our freedom, rather than the bondage of legalistic rule-keeping? What factors might play into this misconception?
• What are some evidences of the way sin enslaves us?
• Why is “redemption” a stronger word than “rescue” to describe what Christ accomplished for us?
• How do we reconcile the freedom that comes through redemption with the fact that we “serve” God?