Foundation
of the Christian Faith
Course: Salvation
Lesson
Three
Title: Redemption
Text: Romans 3:24, 'Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus'.
Introduction: Meaning of redemption.
Redeemed (Greek 'lutroo') means to set free upon the payment of a ransom.
The New Testament understanding of redemption is that:
i) We are born slaves in bondage to sin.
ii) A payment must be made to set us free from bondage
iii) We have been bought with a price and now belong to Another
It is deliverance from bondage to liberty.
a.) Set Free
Redemption is deliverance from being servants of sin to becoming the servants of righteousness. Redemption is a process that will be completed when the Lord returns and the outward bodies will be changed into His likeness.
i) We are saved from the penalty of sin (Justification)
ii) We are being saved from the power of sin (Sanctification)
iii) We shall be saved from the presence of sin (Glorification)
A person who has been redeemed will seek to walk in the liberty of righteousness.
b.) Paying a ransom
We associate a ransom with kidnapping.
A ransom is paid to free a person who has been wrongfully taken and is unable to free him or herself.
But ransom in the Bible refers to 'making atonement'. The meaning is that a ransom must be paid to reconcile man to God.
Question: Who demands the payment of a ransom?
A ransom had to be paid that satisfied the holiness of God.
If God denied His holiness then He would be denying Himself which He cannot do.
To redeem His people from sin God had to make a way where the sinner could be free from sin while at the same time justice was not compromised and the holiness of God fully satisfied.
The only One who could pay this price for us was the eternal Son of God who became Man and shed His blood on our behalf.
Introductory
Story: The
Passover (Exodus 12-14)
The story of the Passover is the story of redemption
1) The Israelites were slaves in
2) The firstborn was redeemed by the blood of the Passover Lamb. On the night of the Passover the blood of the Passover Lamb was put on the door posts. If the blood was not there the firstborn died.
3) The children of
Main
Points:
1.
The Price of
Redemption, 1 Corinthians 7:23 'You are bought
with a price; be not the servants of men.'
a)
Bought with a price. The price of redemption is costly. 1 Peter 1:18-19, 'Forasmuch as you
know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,
from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers. But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:'
(1)
The cost of redemption
was the blood of the eternal Son of God. He alone was able to redeem us. Revelation 5:9-10, 'And they sung a new song, saying,
You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were
slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation; And have made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.'
(2)
He alone is able
reconcile Man to God. He is the only
Mediator between God and man. 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 'For there is one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time.'
The word
ransom is the Greek word 'antilutron' which means
instead of the price of redeeming. It
was impossible for mankind to redeem itself.
The eternal Son of God gave Himself as a substitute to redeem us.
b)
Be not servants to
earthly things. The costly price of
redemption shows the foolishness of chasing earthly riches.
(1)
No one can be redeemed
through earthly riches. Psalm 49:6-7 'They
that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their
riches; None of
them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:' Wealth
has limitations. Immense wealth cannot
bring redemption.
(2)
The futility of
trusting in earthly riches. The rich
leave their riches when they die. The inward thought of man is that their homes
will last for ever, (Psalm 49:11)
'Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their
dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own
names.'
2.
The purpose of
redemption. We have been redeemed to be
a people belonging to the Lord who glorify the Lord
with our lives. 1 Corinthians
a)
A people redeemed to be
a place of worship. You are not your own…
1 Corinthians
(1)
We have been purchased
to be the Lord's people. 1
Peter 2:9a 'But you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people'. The
word translated peculiar in the King James Bible is the Greek word 'peripoiesis' which means 'a purchased possession'. We are the Lord's purchased possession. We can no longer live as we please.
(2)
We have been purchased
to glorify the Lord. 1 Peter 2:9b, ' that you should
show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:' Our lives
must bring glory to God. We cannot live
as we please. We are the dwelling place
of God; the temple where His Glory dwells.
The temple is a place of worship and prayer.
b)
A people redeemed to be
holy. We have been redeemed to be the
servants of righteousness. Romans
6:17-18, 'But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then
made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.' We are been set free from the
bondage of sin to live in the freedom of holiness.
(1)
Zacharias
the father of John the Baptist prophesied concerning the deliverance of God's
people from slavery to holiness. Luke 1:73-75, 'The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us,
that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without
fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.' The Lord came to set His
people free to be holy.
(2)
Freedom is living in
holiness. This is does not mean
religiously following a doctrine or moral code that is legalism. We must be careful that we do not become
legalistic or a moralist in our endeavour to be holy. Holiness
is having new life and living this life to the full in the righteousness of
Christ. 1 Corinthians
(3)
Now that we have been
redeemed, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Romans 12:1-2, 'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.' We
have been redeemed to serve one another within the body of Christ.
3.
Redemption
completed. Luke 21:28 'And when
these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for
your redemption draws nigh.'
a) The signs of the coming of the Lord. What are the signs of His coming?
(1) The Jewish nation dispersed among the nations, Luke 21:23-24. The return
of the nation is an end time sign.
(2) Signs in the heavens '...signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the
stars', Luke 21:25a.
(3)
Signs on the earth, Luke 21:25b-26.
(a)
'...distress
of nations, with perplexity'.
(b)
'...the
sea and the waves roaring'.
(c) '...Men’s hearts failing them
for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for
the powers of heaven shall be shaken.' Powers of the heavens – spiritual powers.
(4) Then the Lord will come '… then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory.' Luke 21:27.
It is not so easy to understand what is meant by 'signs
in the heavens', but the 'signs on the earth' are easy to understand. Before the Tsunami on
In recent years we have seen the rise of terrorism, the
tsunami, and fear of the future is very likely to increase in the coming years.
We are told to lift up our heads because our redemption
is near.
b)
The redemption of the body. Romans 8:23 'And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, that is to say, the redemption of our body.' Redemption will be completed
when the Lord returns and those who belong to Christ will be changed into His
likeness.
(1)
We shall receive an
immortal, incorruptible body, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 'Behold, I show you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality.'
(2)
Our glorified bodies
will shine as the stars with the glory of the Lord. If we were to see ourselves as we shall be
the sight would be more glorious than anything that we have ever seen. Paul considered the sufferings of the present
time to be nothing in comparison to the glory that awaits us. Romans 8:18, 'For I reckon that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us.'
Summary:
1) The price that our redemption cost was the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The value of redemption is far greater than earthly riches.
2) The purpose of redemption was that God would have a people for His possession who glorify Him.
3) Redemption will be completed when the Lord returns and our physical bodies will be changed into His likeness. The signs of His coming are appearing so we must 'lift up our heads; for our redemption draws near.' (Luke 21:28b)
Back to Bible
Teaching Program