Redemption is the process whereby a person who has been held in bondage is set free. There is always a price to pay for the person’s release, and that is called a “ransom.” Interestingly, the ransom is never paid by the one who is being held captive. It’s almost always paid by a friend or family member who loves the individual and who has access to the financial resources required to pay the ransom.  

The Apostle Paul used this incredibly rich word to describe what Christ accomplished through His death on the cross. The Bible says that we are all held in bondage to sin (the root of which is our desire to live independently of God, with the results of that independence being the actions and attitudes that are offensive to God, and this is called “sin”). For most people, the moment we recognize the reality of sin in our lives, we begin by trying to appease God by working off the debt of sin that we owe Him. We do it by a renewed commitment to religious devotion and/or good works. Remember – the prodigal son had a plan to “work off” the debt he owed his father by becoming a “hired hand” on His Father’s estate. In essence, we try to become our own “redeemer” by attempting to pay the “ransom” to God, hoping that our good and sincere efforts will do what is necessary. The problem is twofold: 1) Such efforts only result in prideful “self-righteousness” which is offensive to God; and 2) The ransom is far too high for any of us to pay because it requires a sacrifice, and a perfect one at that.  

In short, we need a Redeemer, and His name is Jesus. Because of God’s great love for us, He came to earth to pay the ransom so that we could be forgiven of our sins. He became the perfect sacrifice when He died on the cross. Only Jesus could pay the ransom required to set us free from the penalty and power of sin. Here’s what Jesus said about Himself,  

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45).

And then the Apostle Paul had this to say,

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us” (Eph. 1:7-8). 

And then I’d like to share one of my favorite Bible verses:

“…you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold…but with precious blood, as if from an unblemished and spotless lamb, it’s the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). 

And so, if you are trying to be your own redeemer, it will exhaust you, and besides, it will never work. You cannot pay the price for your own redemption. Only Jesus can do that. 

If you don’t already have this word in your vocabulary, then please add it today. The word is “Redemption.” But it’s not just a word, it’s also something to experience. If you haven’t yet been redeemed through the blood of Jesus, maybe it’s time.