Original words:
Heb. Ga’al – to deliver, avenge, act as a kinsman. Deliverance of persons that had been sold into debt (Vine’s)
Heb. Ge’ullah – (noun form) including “right of redemption”
Heb. Padah – ransom, intervening or substitutionary action that effects release from an undesirable condition (Vine’s)
Heb. Kapar – ransom, atone, expiate, propitiate. Material transaction (ransom)
Gr. Exagorazo – to buy out, purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom (Vine’s)
Gr. Lutroo – to release on receipt of ransom (Vine’s)
Gr. Apolutrosis – (noun form) releasing for a payment for a debt (Vine’s)
Preliminary Affirmations about how God uses the word
Redemption has to do with the purchasing of a thing. Once the thing is purchased at the given price, it is then under the ownership of the buyer and is released from the previous owner. Redemption is what occurs when that transaction takes place.
As used in the Old Covenant Scriptures
THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION
In Leviticus 25 we find instructions concerning redemption such as “who can redeem what” and “how” to do so. In chapter 27 we find instructions concerning the price to be paid in the redemption. As we study chapter 25 we see how God is building a teaching concerning the idea of redemption. He is doing so in order to help us to further understand our redemption through the blood of Christ. “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
The Law. In dealing with the Israel as a theocracy (God governed nation), God is going to instruct His people concerning their possessions. This teaching centers around the concept of stewardship. What they have is not their own but God’s. He has given it to them for their management for a time. He starts by saying, “The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me” (Leviticus 25:23). [On a side note, it is interesting that even this early in history it is stated that this land was not the Israelites land, but God’s. He can give it to whomever He pleases.] In short, what Leviticus 25 teaches is that if a man sells his property, he or his closest relatives can later buy it back. Today it would be like leasing the land to use to grow crops. The right of redemption says that the person who sold the property or his family is permitted to purchase it again. The property is then in the possession of the original owner or at least his family.
Jeremiah’s faithful purchase is an example. Jeremiah had the right of redemption to his cousin’s field and purchased it. Certainly, this was part of a prophecy concerning the restoration of the Jews to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian captivity but nonetheless it teaches that they still obeyed the law concerning the right of redemption.
“‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, "Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it.’ Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the LORD and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.” (Jeremiah 32:7-8)
The illustration of Ruth and Boaz. As Ruth desired to be noticed and married to a Moabite, she met Boaz. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, told her to lay at Boaz’s feet in order to show him kindness. This was in hope of Boaz claiming her for his own. Boaz spoke saying, “Now it is true I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. Remain this night, and when morning comes, if he will redeem you, good; let him redeem you. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives” (Ruth 3:12-13). Read the rest of the story.
“Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there, and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz spoke was passing by, so he said, ‘Turn aside, friend, sit down here.’ And he turned aside and sat down. He took ten men of the elders of the city and said, ‘Sit down here.’ So they sat down. Then he said to the closest relative, ‘Naomi, who has come back from the land of Moab, has to sell the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech. So I thought to inform you, saying, “Buy it before those who are sitting here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if not, tell me that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am after you.”’ And he said, ‘I will redeem it.’ Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also acquire Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of the deceased, in order to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance.’ The closest relative said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.’ Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning the redemption and the exchange of land to confirm any matter: a man removed his sandal and gave it to another; and this was the manner of attestation in Israel. So the closest relative said to Boaz, ‘Buy it for yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.” (Ruth 4:1-8)
Here we see the process of redemption taking place as well as the right of redemption. The reason for pointing all of this out is to see more clearly our own redemption. We have come into the world as God’s creation and therefore, His possession. He alone has the right and the ability to redeem us. He has the right of redemption because we were His originally. We chose to follow another master and became slaves to sin. It was as if we were “voluntarily kidnapped” by sin. But God has purchased us with the blood of Jesus. For the price was too high for any man to pay it.
TO PAY A RANSOM
Redemption also has to do with paying a ransom. The idea is that there is a debt that must be paid or a cost for the item to be purchased. When we purchase something in a market place we must pay the owner of it according to the price. In a spiritual sense, a man that is held captive by sin must be purchased or ransomed. Someone is enslaved and in order to be released, the current owner must be paid the ransom price. This happens in redemption. David said, “Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies!” (Psalms 69:18)
There is a price to pay. In a ransom, the price must be paid. In Leviticus 27 there is instruction about the values of certain things but there is no negotiation of the cost of payment for sin. “For the wage of sin is death.” The price must be paid. “If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him” (Exodus 21:30).
THE ILLUSTRATION OF EGYPT
Every Bible student knows of God’s dealings with Israel and His delivering them from Egypt through Moses. They spent about 400 years in bondage, in order to help Pharaoh build one of the greatest nations known to man. But God’s plan was to show Himself as the Almighty God, greater than all of the so-called gods of Egypt. God spoke to Moses about this mighty work, “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments’” (Exodus 6:6). Redemption went beyond the deliverance. He said He would “also redeem” them. Not only did He take them out of Egypt but He purchased them for Himself. We must see how personal redemption is. It is being received or accepted by God. He purchases you, accepts you, receives you, and uses you for His purposes. “But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me” (Psalm 49:15).
Ownership. When God receives you, you are His. Redemption involves the concept of ownership. “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!’” (Isaiah 43:1) He purchased them in order to be their God. And yes, that means He is their Lord and Ruler.
“You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 22:33)
“But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.” (Deuteronomy 4:20)
Several times in Deuteronomy we find the phrase “you were a slave in (the land of) Egypt” and then it goes on to say that they were redeemed and therefore I command you to do a thing. The idea is that they must obey God because He is the One who redeemed them. He is the One who purchased them; therefore, He can command them.
“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord you God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15)
“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.” (Deuteronomy 15:15)
“You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.” (Deuteronomy 16:12)
“But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.” (Deuteronomy 24:18)
“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.” (Deuteronomy 24:22)
There was a reason for them remembering that they were slaves in Egypt and that God redeemed them. The reason was obedience to God. They must remember that He is the One who purchased them and He is the One who is their God. Therefore, He is to be obeyed. As the doctrine of redemption begins to unfold, those in Christ begin to see the ramifications of their own redemption. He is Lord!
REDEEMED FROM…
When something or someone is redeemed, they are purchased and the one who once had ownership over them, no longer does. They former owner is forced to release the thing or person. There are several things mentioned in Scripture from which we are redeemed including “the adversary” (Ps. 78:42); “the pit” (Ps. 103:4); “the hand of the enemy” (Ps. 107:2); “the oppression of man” (Ps. 119:134); “all his iniquities” (Ps. 130:8); and “the grasp of the violent” (Jer. 15:21) to name a few. Because redemption has to do with ownership, it also has to do with purchasing from a current owner.
GOD THE REDEEMER
When it comes to the redemption of man, as far as eternity is concerned, it can only come from God. While Boaz served as “a redeemer” and the one who buys back family land is “a redeemer,” God is the Redeemer of our souls. In the midst of much affliction without any man to comfort him or provide for his needs Job says, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth” (Job 19:25). David, also, in having great confidence and faith in God while constantly fighting against enemies calls God “my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). The Redeemer is the One who we come to for “grace and help” in our time of need. “‘Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel’” (Isaiah 41:14). He rightfully deserves the name “Redeemer.” “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Your name” (Isaiah 63:16).
Like we have said, man can redeem things, property and even people for a time but when it comes to the souls of men and eternity, it must be God
“Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him-- for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever-- that he should live on eternally, that he should not undergo decay.” (Psalm 49:5-9)
It is a great task to redeem man, thanks be to God that “with the Lord there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption” (Psalm 130:7).
Conditions for redemption. God does not redeem everyone but those whom He chooses. And He does not choose them arbitrarily. Isaiah prophesied of a time when “Zion will be redeemed with justice and her repentant ones with righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27). Hosea even spoke of when God would have redeemed men but they did not warrant it. “Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me! Destruction is theirs, for they have rebelled against Me! I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me” (Hosea 7:13). Man can be a hindrance to his own redemption is God determines that they do not “meet the conditions.” Regardless of what those who propagate a “total depravity” and “total inability” doctrine say, God will redeem “Zion” and “repentant ones” and not those who “have strayed…rebelled…speak lies” against God. This is the Old Covenant but it does show us that there are conditions involved in redemption.
THE EFFECTS OF REDEMPTION
There are many blessings that come along with redemption. Isaiah spoke of Zion being redeemed saying,
“A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; these will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 35:8-10)
“‘I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud and your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.’ Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it; for the LORD has redeemed Jacob and in Israel He shows forth His glory. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone.’” (Isaiah 44:22-24)
PROPHECY OF A COMING REDEMPTION
Isaiah records a time when, “‘a Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 59:20). These people will be called ‘The holy people, the redeemed of the LORD’; and you will be called, ‘sought out, a city not forsaken’” (Isaiah 62:12). As Isaiah continues to speak of this time, he associates redemption with “vengeance.” “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come” (Isaiah 63:4). Isaiah goes on to say, “I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me” (v. 5). When it came to the redemption of the world, no one could do it but God Himself. He loves His people and knows of their need for redemption. The prophecy continues, “For He said, ‘surely, they are My people, sons who will not deal falsely.’ So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old (v. 8-9).
As used in the New Covenant Scriptures
As we enter the New Covenant we will see everything involved in “redemption” being accomplished in Christ Jesus. The unredeemed man is said to be a “slave to sin” and slaves “to corruption.” He is a slave to the law and slave to the fear of death. “When you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods” (Galatians 4:8). When a man is redeemed by God through Christ, he is then a “slave to Christ” and at the same time, no longer a slave but a son. So when they see that we are also owned by God in Christ and that the price for our redemption was not silver and gold but the blood of Christ.
JESUS
In Christ “the Lord God of Israel…visited us and accomplished redemption for His people” (Luke 1:68). Not only has Christ Jesus become to us “wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification,” but He also became to us “redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30) and redemption “is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). When Anna heard of the birth of Jesus she proclaimed Him to those who were looking for “the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). When Christ came the redemption came. Redemption wasn’t realized until the New Covenant began but the means of redemption came as soon as Jesus came.
THE PURCHASE
Jesus accomplished redemption through the cross. The payment for the redemption of man was the blood of Christ.
“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:17-19)
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’” (Revelation 5:9)
“And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14:3-4)
Ownership. Peter warned about those who would even deny “the master who bought them” (2 Peter 2:1). How appalling and offensive it is to deny the very One who purchased you. As seen in the Old Covenant, that which is redeemed is a possession of the one who redeemed it. In the same way, we are not our own but we are Christ’s if indeed we are in Him. “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). And again, “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Corinthians 7:23). Redemption goes beyond getting out of hell and into everyday life. We have been purchased through the blood of Christ and now God is using us for His purposes. We are “the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28).
REDEEMED FROM…
So what have those in the New Covenant been redeemed from? Enemies? Sheol? The Scripture speaks, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE’” (Galatians 3:13) and again “He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5).
Not only have we been redeemed from the curse of the law but “from every lawless deed.” Truly God’s redemption is “abundant” and far stretching. It was Jesus, “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:14).
THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
The New Covenant Scriptures really point us to the fact of “the forgiveness of sins” and define that as what was accomplished in redemption. The debt of sin that was stored up was to be stricken from the record and forgiven like the debt in the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25). Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” and Colossians 1:14 echoes that sentiment saying that in Jesus “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
ETERNITY SEALED
The primary difference in the New Covenant is that it is not focused on the temporary “problem” but the eternal one. Hebrews 9:12 says that with His blood He “obtained eternal redemption”. “For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:15)
REDEMPTION STILL HOPED FOR
The abundant salvation that we enjoy through the glorious riches of the grace of God continues to amaze. While we are still waiting for the day that we will dwell with Christ forever, there is sustenance to make it through our pilgrimage. Part of the sustenance is the “hope of salvation” and the looking forward to the “day of redemption.” Luke recorded Jesus’ words encouraging us to “straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).
The Holy Spirit is given to those in Christ to assist them in their trek through the wilderness in this “vile body.” Listen to the words of Paul on this matter. “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). It the Holy Spirit “who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:14). Therefore, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).