REDEMPTION is both a series of God’s saving acts on man’s behalf and a profound Biblical doctrine. Christ’s death signaled divine redemption’s greatest moment of agonizing deliverance (Titus 2:14). Christ’s return promises redemption’s most powerful consummation (Ephesians 1:13-14).
For Old Testament Israel God’s redemption spelled freedom from the human bondage of Egypt; from a false identity as slaves; and from a warped purpose and destiny (Exodus 6:6- 7; 15:13; 2 Samuel 7:23-24). To be redeemed meant that the Israelites would be free men with dignity and purpose. The New Testament world understood redemption in the light of widespread slavery. When anybody heard the Greek word for “ransom,” Adolph Deissman has pointed out, “. . . it was natural for him to think of the purchase money for manumitting slaves” (pp. 331- 332, Light from the Ancient East). “Redemption” was not difficult to understand in Paul’s day, Deissman suggests in another of his works. “It was closely associated with slavery, the common social institution of the, ancient world” (p. 172, Paul). Redemption, in the New Testament, “is the emancipation of the slave” (p. 173, Ibid) . , from the slavery of sin (John 8:34,36), from the slavery of death (Hebrews 2:14-15), from the slavery of idolatry (Galatians 4:8-9), from the slavery of an alien world system and its unique life-style (Ephesians 2:1-3), and from every form of degraded personhood (John 10:10), Christ redeems us (Matthew 20:28).
Redemption’s freedom is not without its cost. It cost God his son (John 3:16). It cost Jesus his life (Philippians 2:5-8). It will cost you total renunciation of all forms of self-worship and service (Luke 14:26-33).
Redemption is not the “free” life of moral and spiritual license! (Galatians 5:1). It is freedom to “glorify God therefore in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). It is power never again to be dominated by the false and the fleshly (1 Corinthians 7:23). It is that relationship with Christ that envelopes both life and death with confidence and direction (Romans 14:7-9). It is the successful repudiation of all that, demeans my life with the consequential putting on “as God’s elect” a life of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and love (Colossians 3:5-14).
Editorial: 20th Century Christian Volume 31, Number 9, June 1969
This was written 56 years ago at a time when brother Chalk was still preaching and teaching the truth. I commend this article to you as it truly represents God’s word correctly. (RDM)
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