Biblical Topics A to Z
Redemption
What the biblical language of redemption means, drawing on its Old Testament background in slavery and the kinsman-redeemer, and what it means that Christ redeems.
At a Glance
Redemption is being bought back from slavery to sin at the price of Christ's own blood, echoing the exodus and the kinsman-redeemer.
Overview
Redemption is the biblical picture of being bought back from slavery or bondage at a price, drawn from Israel's exodus from Egypt and the kinsman-redeemer custom, and fulfilled in the New Testament through the blood of Jesus Christ, who purchases sinners out of slavery to sin.
Learning Objectives
- •Trace the background of redemption language to the exodus and the kinsman-redeemer.
- •Explain what Paul means by redemption 'through his blood' in Ephesians 1:7.
- •Describe what believers have been redeemed from and what they have been redeemed for.
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 Peter 1:18-19
Read It in Context
This study quotes 1 Peter 1:18-19, but no verse stands alone. Open a Bible and read the whole surrounding chapter to see the full argument the passage sits within, then look up the other references cited throughout this study — Ephesians 1:7 and beyond — in their own context. Scripture is the final authority here, not this summary.
Historical & Literary Context
Redemption language grows out of two Old Testament pictures: God redeeming Israel out of slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand (Exodus 6:6), and the kinsman-redeemer custom, seen in the book of Ruth, where a near relative had the right and responsibility to buy back property or people from debt or bondage. Both pictures inform how the New Testament describes what Christ accomplishes for sinners.
Redeemed Out of Slavery to Sin
Titus 2:14 says Christ 'gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,' applying the redemption pattern to slavery not to Egypt or debt, but to sin itself, from which believers could not free themselves.
Redeemed by a Price
1 Corinthians 6:20 declares believers are 'bought with a price,' and 1 Peter 1:18-19 specifies that price as 'the precious blood of Christ,' not silver or gold, emphasizing the infinite worth of what redemption cost.
Redeemed from the Curse of the Law
Galatians 3:13 says 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,' applying redemption specifically to the legal condemnation sinners faced under the law's demands, which Christ bore in their place.
Christ-Centered Focus
Mark 10:45 says the Son of Man came 'to give his life a ransom for many,' Jesus himself describing his mission using the very language of redemption, as the price paid to free sinners from bondage.
Practical Application
This week, when tempted to think lightly of sin, remember 1 Peter 1:18-19's reminder of the price paid for your redemption, letting the costliness of that ransom shape how seriously you take sin in your own life.
Prayer
Father, thank You that I have been redeemed, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Thank You for buying me out of slavery to sin and out of the curse of the law. Help me live as one who has been bought at so great a price. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture Memory
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."
Ephesians 1:7
Reflection Questions
- 1How does the background of the exodus and the kinsman-redeemer custom deepen your understanding of what redemption means?
- 2How does knowing you were 'bought with a price' (1 Corinthians 6:20) shape how you view your own body and choices?
- 3How does Galatians 3:13's picture of Christ redeeming you from the curse of the law address any lingering sense of condemnation?
- 4How does Mark 10:45's description of Jesus's mission as a ransom deepen your gratitude toward Him?