Redemption & Forgiveness of Sins
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7
Introduction
- Metaphors are an important feature of language and communication.
- Metaphor comes from the Greek word meta-phora: meta: “with, across”, + phora: “to carry”. The term originally denoted the transferring, or carrying across, of the property of one object to another object.
- A metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. e.g
- Time is money
- To bite the bullet: to do something unpleasant quickly and with force, so as to have it be over quickly.
- Bent out of shape: a way of describing an angry person
- You’re building castles in the air: you’re making unrealistic plans.
Redemption
- Slave ownership was a part of ancient Near East culture, and the way slaves were freed was by redemption: a fee was paid to let the slave go free.
- This practice became a part of their language, such that redemption became a term used to metaphorically refer to the act of buying back something from an owner, or freeing someone from bondage or slavery.
- Redemption of land
- Redemption of donkeys
- Redemption of houses
“The Levites always have the right to buy back a house they have sold within the towns allotted to them. And any property that is sold by the Levites—all houses within the Levitical towns—must be returned in the Year of Jubilee. After all, the houses in the towns reserved for the Levites are the only property they own in all Israel. Leviticus 25:32-33 (NLT)
“Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. Leviticus 13:11-13
‘Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. ‘Yet if the one who consecrates it should wish to redeem his house, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may be his. Leviticus 27:14-15
Redemption & Exodus
- One of the major uses of the redemption metaphor in the biblical narrative is to describe the Exodus; Israel’s release from bondage in Egypt.
- The Passover (which involved killing a lamb and applying its blood on the lintel) was the event that commemorated their exodus
- Paul was pulling on the event of the Exodus to speak of redemption, but why?
“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
(kingship in v18)
“In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation. Exodus 15:13, 18
Redemption & Exile
- Adam is exiled because of sin
- Cain is exiled (further east) because of sin
- Sin is personified, and is described as a power that seeks to overcome
- God assures them of exile as the consequence of sin.
- Israel, through whom God was going to restore the world, eventually was carried away into exile. Israel now also needs to be fixed, so that the world could be fixed
- If sin got them into exile, then return from exile would mean forgiveness of sin
- The return from exile will also be an event of deliverance; a new exodus - redemption
- Israel’s return from exile was expected to also affect the whole world
- Israel did return from exile, but they did not believe that what the prophets promised had come to pass.
“Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT)
Too long, please open your Bible Deuteronomy 28:58-64, 30:1
‘You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. Leviticus 26:33
“The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword. “According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.” ’ ” Ezekiel 39:23-24
The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. Lamentations 4:22
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. Isaiah 40:1-2
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. Hosea 2:14-15
Too long, please open your Bible Isaiah 11:11-16
Too long, please open your Bible Isaiah 52:1-7
And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:7-8
Jesus & End of Death
- Israel also expected that their return from exile would be a resurrection; a passage from death to life, because their exile was considered as death, just as Adam & Eve’s exile was an event of death.
- Isreal looked forward to their redemption, and Jesus believed that it was fulfilled in His death
Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’ ” Ezekiel 37:11-14
Too long, please open your Bible Luke 24:13-26
Sin as power
The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:6,12,14
- Because of the NT authors’ context, they used several metaphors when speaking about our salvation story
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 1:18-19 (NASB)
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)
Redemption & Forgiveness of Sins
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7
Introduction
- Metaphors are an important feature of language and communication.
- Metaphor comes from the Greek word meta-phora: meta: “with, across”, + phora: “to carry”. The term originally denoted the transferring, or carrying across, of the property of one object to another object.
- A metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. e.g
- Time is money
- To bite the bullet: to do something unpleasant quickly and with force, so as to have it be over quickly.
- Bent out of shape: a way of describing an angry person
- You’re building castles in the air: you’re making unrealistic plans.
Redemption
- Slave ownership was a part of ancient Near East culture, and the way slaves were freed was by redemption: a fee was paid to let the slave go free.
- This practice became a part of their language, such that redemption became a term used to metaphorically refer to the act of buying back something from an owner, or freeing someone from bondage or slavery.
- Redemption of land
- Redemption of donkeys
- Redemption of houses
“The Levites always have the right to buy back a house they have sold within the towns allotted to them. And any property that is sold by the Levites—all houses within the Levitical towns—must be returned in the Year of Jubilee. After all, the houses in the towns reserved for the Levites are the only property they own in all Israel. Leviticus 25:32-33 (NLT)
“Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. “But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. Leviticus 13:11-13
‘Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. ‘Yet if the one who consecrates it should wish to redeem his house, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may be his. Leviticus 27:14-15
Redemption & Exodus
- One of the major uses of the redemption metaphor in the biblical narrative is to describe the Exodus; Israel’s release from bondage in Egypt.
- The Passover (which involved killing a lamb and applying its blood on the lintel) was the event that commemorated their exodus
- Paul was pulling on the event of the Exodus to speak of redemption, but why?
“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
(kingship in v18)
“In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation. Exodus 15:13, 18
Redemption & Exile
- Adam is exiled because of sin
- Cain is exiled (further east) because of sin
- Sin is personified, and is described as a power that seeks to overcome
- God assures them of exile as the consequence of sin.
- Israel, through whom God was going to restore the world, eventually was carried away into exile. Israel now also needs to be fixed, so that the world could be fixed
- If sin got them into exile, then return from exile would mean forgiveness of sin
- The return from exile will also be an event of deliverance; a new exodus - redemption
- Israel’s return from exile was expected to also affect the whole world
- Israel did return from exile, but they did not believe that what the prophets promised had come to pass.
“Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT)
Too long, please open your Bible Deuteronomy 28:58-64, 30:1
‘You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. Leviticus 26:33
“The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword. “According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.” ’ ” Ezekiel 39:23-24
The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. Lamentations 4:22
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. Isaiah 40:1-2
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her. “Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. Hosea 2:14-15
Too long, please open your Bible Isaiah 11:11-16
Too long, please open your Bible Isaiah 52:1-7
And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:7-8
Jesus & End of Death
- Israel also expected that their return from exile would be a resurrection; a passage from death to life, because their exile was considered as death, just as Adam & Eve’s exile was an event of death.
- Isreal looked forward to their redemption, and Jesus believed that it was fulfilled in His death
Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’ ” Ezekiel 37:11-14
Too long, please open your Bible Luke 24:13-26
Echoes in the Epistles
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”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7
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 1:18-19 (NASB)
For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT)
The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21
Too long, please open your Bible Romans 6:1-14
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14
When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14