“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12: 2NIV).

“…Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet
forfeits his soul?…No man can redeem the life of another or give God a
ransom for him—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is enough—that
he should live on forever and not see decay…His soul draws near to the pit,
and his life to the messengers of death. Yet if there is an angel at his side as a
mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be
gracious to him and say, ’Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found
a ransom for him’—then his flesh is renewed like a child’s; it is restored as
in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor with him; he sees
God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.
Then he comes to men and says, ‘I sinned, and perverted what was right, but
I did not get what I deserved ” (Matthew 16:25-26; Ps.49:7-8; Job 33:22-27).

Redemption is the central theme of the Bible. Redemption as it is used in
the Bible, means to be freed from the slavery of sin. All humanity has sinned
and will sin continually; that makes mortal beings, slaves to sin. So, no one
can deliver himself or herself from the consequences of sin. That is where
redemption comes in—it involves two parts: 1) a ransom, a cost paid for the
penalty of sin, and 2) a substitute for sin—in this case, for the universal sin.
In the Old Testament, animal sacrifice was the method prescribed by the
LORD God to forgive and take away one’s sins. The individual sacrificed a
valuable animal without defects to demonstrate that sin’s penalty must be
paid. However, the animals offered as sacrifices were unwilling participants.
The requirements of the Old Testament law were only a shadow of the
good things that were to come, not the realities themselves. For this reason,
animal sacrifice although repeated endlessly year after year could not make
blameless those who drew near God to worship. For if, those sacrifices had
been sufficient, would they have not been stopped being offered? For the
worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have
felt guilty for their sin. Instead, the sacrifices were an annual reminder of sins
because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away any sin.
In the New Testament, at the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus performed
the ultimate act of redemption by sacrificing His own life on the cross. Thus, unlike the unwilling sacrificial animals offered to God in the Old Testament,
the Lord Jesus offered Himself as a willing and spotless sacrifice once for all.
“Therefore, when Christ came into the world he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering
you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offering and
sin offering you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written
about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God’” (Heb.10:5-7).

John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, when he saw Jesus Christ
exclaimed: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29). So, according to God’s unfailing Word, the promised Seed of
the woman (Gn.3:15), appeared in Israel among the descendants of Abraham.
The prophet Isaiah foresaw Jesus’ suffering about seven hundred years
before He came into the world: “…He was pierced for our transgressions, he
was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was
upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone
astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquities of us all” (53:5-6). So, whether we concede it or not, all have
sinned, live in sin, and fall short of the glory of God. Yet Jesus died for us all.
The following words were uttered by the holy lips of the Son of God:
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, So the Son of Man must be
lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:15-16). So, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Ro.5:8). Scripture is clear: there is no redemption apart from the cross!
Besides becoming the symbol of Christ’s sufferings, the cross has been
and continues to be the stumbling block for all the inhabitants of this fallen
world. And surely, the message of the cross is still foolishness for the postmodern, transhuman society. Yet, it is the power of God for all who believe.
The first century Christians firmly adhered to the Way. They contended
for the faith to the point of losing everything, including their life. They believed that, “This is the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the
good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36).
Multitudes of nominal Christians are led to believe that Christ has founded His church on the apostle Peter. But is that true? Peter wrote: “…You
know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you
were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or
defect” (1Pe.1:18-19). So, Am I redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb?
I am a born-again, Bible believing, evangelical Christian. I am crucified
with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, since Christ set me free, I am glad to be His slave!
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