The Biblical definition of the word “redeemed” is “to be purchased from the slave-market of sin.”  There are three Greek words for redemption: “agorazo” meaning “to buy”, “exagorazo” meaning “to buy out of or remove from sale” and “lutroo” meaning “to release on receipt of ransom or payment.”  Christ has redeemed us from the slave-market of sin and from the Mosaic Law. (Romans 7:14)

There are several definitions for sin in the Word of God: “falling short of God’s righteousness” (Romans 3:23), “transgression”, which is overstepping God’s law (Psalm 51:1-4),  “trespasses”, which is deviation from God’s righteousness (Ephesians 2:1),  “disobedience”, which is rebellion against God’s law (I Timothy 1:9-10), and unbelief in Christ as Savior (the only unpardonable sin) (John 8:24).  Christ redeemed us from all sin.

The believer is also redeemed from the Mosaic Law, which had been distorted into a system of “pseudo-salvation” by religious Jewish leaders.  The Law was never designed to provide salvation, but rather it shows us our need for a Savior and points us to Jesus Christ.

Christ, Our Kinsman Redeemer

(Book of Ruth)

The Old Testament practice of the “kinsman redeemer” is a perfect example of how Christ redeems us from the Law and from sin. Certain requirements had to be met in order for a person to free someone from slavery.  The redeemer had to be a relative, he had to be able to redeem by meeting the purchase price and he had to be willing to redeem the person in slavery.

By His taking on humanity, Jesus Christ became a “kinsman” to all mankind. (John 1:1-3,14)  In order to meet the purchase price, Christ had to be perfect (no sin of His own to pay for).  He was born of a virgin, therefore, He had no sin nature and He lived a sinless life, which qualified Him to meet the purchase price for our sin.  (Matthew 1:23, I Timothy 3:16; Romans 5:8; II Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 2:9-11, 4:15: I Peter 1:18)  Christ was also willing to redeem us.  He was obedient to the Father’s plan for salvation and gave His life freely.  Christ even restricted the use of the power of His deity (doctrine of Kenosis) and used the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish all of this for us. (Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 5:19, Luke 22:42, 23:46)

The results of redemption are that the believer is:

1. Redeemed from the curse of the Law
   1. Its penalty – Galatians 3:13
   2. Its obligation – Galatians 3:10, 24-25; Romans 6:14; Colossians 2:14-17
2. Adopted into God’s family – Galatians 4:4-7
3. Redeemed from the power of sin – Romans 6:11-14; Titus 2:14
4. Redeemed from the presence of sin in the eternal state – Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14; Philippians 3:21
5. Forgiven for all sin – Colossians 1:14
6. Given an eternal inheritance – Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 9:11-15
7. Justified (declared righteous) – Romans 3:24
8. Sanctified (set apart to God) – Ephesians 5:25-27
9. Victorious over Satan – Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:9-18
10. Given a mediator with God, Jesus Christ – I Timothy 2:5-6

We have been “bought with a price”… the spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  We have been made eternally secure by the sealing of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, we have no reason to ever “doubt our salvation” or to feel insecure in our relationship with God.

Spiritual Death of Christ

Spiritual death in the Scriptures refers to separation from God.  Mankind is condemned from birth because of Adam’s original sin, which is imputed to all of us.  Condemnation means we are separated from God without the ability to do anything about it, and there is a debt to pay.  (Romans 6:23)

This is the reason that Jesus Christ had to come to earth as a man and make the payment for us.  He became our substitute as God placed the sins (past, present and future) of the entire human race upon Christ and judged them.  For three hours the earth was in total darkness as God “turned His back” upon Christ while the debt for sin was being paid.  This was the only time our Savior cried out.   He said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)  Why did God forsake Him?  So that Jesus Christ could become sin for you and me in order that we might be redeemed.  God, a perfect being, can have nothing to do with sin.  Fellowship with God had to be broken, while Christ bore our sin.  After the sin of the world had been paid for, He said, “It is finished.”  (John 19:30)  Salvation for mankind had been accomplished and the work of redemption was complete.  After Christ had made the payment for sin, He died physically, but rose victorious over physical death three days later.

Physical Death of Christ

Physical death means the separation of soul and spirit from body.  The physical death of Christ was necessary for a number of reasons.  In order for the resurrection to occur, Christ had to die physically.  Christ’s resurrection guarantees a resurrection for the believer. 

(I Corinthians 15:19-20)  Christ’s physical death was also a fulfillment of prophecy. (John 2:19)  We must never forget that Jesus gave His life voluntarily and that no one person or group took it from Him. (Luke 23:46; John 10:18)  After Christ paid for sin by His spiritual death, He once again called God “Father” because fellowship had been restored.

Never do we want to “downplay” the physical suffering and death of our Savior.  However, we must be accurate in our teaching.  Salvation is a “package” involving the spiritual death, the physical death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Without the spiritual death of Christ we have no salvation and the same is true of His physical death and His resurrection. 

Resurrection of Christ

The resurrection of Jesus Christ coincides with the Jewish Feast of the First Fruits, where a portion of the harvest was gathered first and given to the priest for the blessing of the entire harvest.  This feast pointed to the resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and was celebrated three days after the Passover.  It is also closely associated with unleavened bread.  The Passover, of course, represents the Cross and the unleavened bread the sinless nature of Jesus Christ.  Paul writes about “the first fruits” in I Corinthians 15:20-25.  Jesus spoke about this when He described Himself as “the grain of wheat that fell to the ground and died that it might spring to life and bring forth much fruit.” (John 12:23-24)  However, the rest of the harvest (the body of Christ) is still in place waiting to be “harvested”.  Jesus Christ is the first representative of the harvest and is a living testimony to God’s sovereignty, which says, “Because I live, you shall live also.”

The resurrection was prophesied in Job 19:25-26 (1520 B.C.), Psalms 16:9-10 (1000 B.C) and John 2:19-22 (26 A.D.).  All three members of the Trinity participated in the Resurrection: the Father (Romans 6:4; Ephesians 1:19-20; Colossians 2:12; I Thessalonians 1:10), the Son (John 10:10-18), and the Holy Spirit (I Peter 3:18).  The Resurrection indicates the completion of justification (Romans 4:25) and it means that Jesus Christ becomes our mediator (equal with God and equal with man). (Hebrews 9:15; I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25).

The Resurrection becomes the basis for the priesthood of the believer with Jesus Christ becoming our High Priest (Hebrews 10:5,10-14; I Peter 2:5-9).  It also fulfills a part of the Davidic Covenant (Psalms 89:20-37; II Samuel 7:8-16).  Without the resurrection, Christ could not be glorified and the Holy Spirit could not have been given. (John 7:39)  The Resurrection is the guarantee of ultimate sanctification for the believer. (I Corinthians 15:20-23; I John 3:1-2; Philippians 3:21)  The doctrine of the Resurrection gives the believer absolute confidence in this life and in the one to come. (I Corinthians 15:19)

The uniqueness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ sets Him apart from all the religious leaders of all time.  The leaders of these religions are all DEAD.  However, Jesus Christ is ALIVE.  Furthermore, Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship.  The word “religion” comes from two Latin words, “re” which means “back”, and “ligio”

which means “to bind.”  Combined they mean “to bind back.”  This is exactly what religion teaches – that we must bind ourselves back to God.  However, the Bible teaches that it is impossible to bind ourselves back to God.  The exact opposite is actually true – God binds us back to Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.  The redemption that is through faith in Christ has been freely offered to everyone. 

Just as a slave who has been purchased from the slave market can refuse to be set free, a person can refuse to appropriate God’s redemption by refusing to let Christ set him free.  Redemption became effective for you the moment you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.