Key Verse: "The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe."
- John 1:7 KJV
We have been redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He paid an infinite price for our salvation. The price of redemption is the death of Jesus Christ. That is the inescapable fact in the Old and New Testament.
The idea of redemption comes from the ancient Greek marketplace. The word agorazo means "to buy," or "to buy in the marketplace." In the New Testament the word places the emphasis on the price Jesus paid to redeem us.
In the Old Testament the Jews used the word gaal, "to redeem." The word goel was the kinsman-redeemer who as the nearest of kin had the power, ability, freedom and willingness to redeem his kinsman from difficulty.
The Jews also used the word kofer meaning "the ransom price," or the price of redemption.
These words suggesting redemption by payment may be strange in our day, but were clearly ingrained in the Jewish and Greek culture of the first century Christianity.
The great Gospel of Jesus Christ not only redeems us by the payment of His death, but it goes a step further. Jesus purchased us out of the slave market and permanently set us free to never return to its bondage. The redeemed person has come under new ownership and management.
The apostle Paul wrote, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Eph. 1:7-8; cf. Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Matthew 20:28).
The word exagorazo means, "to buy out of the marketplace" with the idea that the person so purchased might never return to such a state of slavery again.
To what extent has God redeemed us? It is an effective and permanent redemption. The promise is we never have to be sold under the power of sin again. Our salvation is so great that Jesus purchased us, and the transaction is complete so that He has taken us out of the marketplace and, we never have to return.
The price our Redeemer paid was so great that no one can possibly top the price He paid! We are not up for sale! No one can purchase us away from the LORD God. We were purchased at the infinite cost of the blood of the Son of God. Nothing is more precious than the infinite value of that blood.
We have been delivered, luo, "to set free, to loose, or deliver" by the payment of a price. Because Jesus Christ purchased us from sin at the infinite price of His own precious blood, He has also set us free so as to never to return to our slavery again. The emphasis is on freedom. We are free to love and serve Him who redeemed us, and now this is why we worship Him.
Have you paused and thanked God for His Son who actually shed His blood to ransom you?
Have you ever considered the exceptionally great price that was paid for your salvation? It is the most expensive gift you will ever receive. It is not cheap just because it is free.
Moreover, your gift of redemption has been paid in full. All that you can possibly do is come with open hands to receive it. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
The next time you are tempted to throw in the towel and call it quits remind the tempter you are not, and never will be up for sale, ever again.
Why should you ever want to doubt your salvation yet again? It does not depend upon you, but upon the permanent completed transaction by God through the Lord Jesus, your Redeemer.
