The Redeeming Blood of Jesus
The most precious title of Christ is Redeemer.
It helps us to
understand what it cost Him to get this salvation for us. It is the name
specifically of the Christ of the cross. He is Christ our Redeemer.
Whenever we say "redeemer," the cross is flashed
before our eyes and our hearts are filled with loving remembrance not
only that Christ has given us salvation but the mighty price He paid for
it.
During the first century slaves could be purchased out of the market
place by payment of a price. It was also necessary to pay a price to free a prisoner.
According to the Bible we are slaves to sin, and we
cannot escape from this slavery. However, Jesus has freed us by going to
the cross and paying our redemption by His blood. This is what the
apostle Peter had in mind in 1 Peter 1:18-19, “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.”
The apostle Paul declared that we are “being
justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). The cost of
this redemption is the death of Jesus Christ. We do not pay the cost of our redemption.
That is an impossible debt for us to pay. Jesus Christ paid it for us. We have no means of paying for it because we are spiritually
bankrupt. Our Lord is infinitely rich. He substituted for us, purchasing our redemption by
His own death. God paid the full cost of our
salvation so that our salvation would be His free gift to us.
In Romans 3:24, the apostle Paul uses the word “redemption”
(apolytrosis) meaning redemption, release, or deliverance on the payment of a
price. Paul has in mind a word that always had to do with freeing a slave by paying for
him. Jesus Christ freed us from sin’s slavery by His own death. His death was the
redemption price. “In Him we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the
riches of His grace which He lavished on us”
(Eph. 1:7-8). The blood
testified to His substitutionary.
In the
Bible blood signifies essentially the death and is a clear expression of
the death of Christ for our salvation. The blood is never mentioned
except in connection with the shedding of it, or with the use of it
after it has been shed. The blood shed is the life poured out, and the
poured out life may be used only for atonement. Christ Jesus is our
atoning sacrifice for sin.
It is impossible to escape
the idea of the death of Christ being the high cost of our redemption. Christ’s
saving work involves His purchasing us for Himself in the world’s marketplace so that
we never have to return there again.
Because Jesus Christ redeemed
us by the payment of His blood God can in His grace freely offer us salvation through
faith as a free gift. He freely offers us “the righteousness of God through faith in
Jesus Christ for all who believe . . . being justified as a gift by His grace through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His
blood through faith” (Romans 3:22-25).
The gift has been paid for in
full. Have you received it? Do you realize that Christ is your Redeemer and has actually shed His blood for you as your ransom? Do you realize that your
salvation has been bought? It was purchased at a tremendous price, at the price of nothing less than
the blood of Christ, the Holy One of God? Do you realize that this
Christ who has thus shed His blood for you is Himself your God?
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Click for printer friendly page
SELAH INDEX
CLICK to E-mail SELAH! to a friend.
|
![[Valid RSS]](../gra/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed"){kind=small}
