Now we can go back to the Old Testament. Come back if you will to Job chapter 19. This is one of the earlier uses of the word redemption in the Old Testament, and Job understood it.
Job 19:25a
"For I know that my redeemer liveth,..."
Do you see how plain that is? Maybe we should stop first and define the word "redeemed" What does it mean? To lose control of something, and then pay the price to buy it back. Now that's redemption. A thought just came to mind and most of us may have heard this same illustration. We've read this story more than once, but it is heart touching, as well as making the point. The story is about a little fellow who had spent the whole winter just laboriously building this beautiful little sail boat. So one day his parents took him out to the beach, and he played with that beautiful little sail boat, and it was all that he could hope for. But being a child something got his attention and he left his boat for awhile and when he came back for his boat it was gone. And oh he wept bitter tears because he had given so much to build that little boat, and for the short time he got to play with it he had enjoyed it. But now it was lost, it was gone.
Months later he and his mom were walking down the street, there in the window of a pawn shop was his little boat. He was absolutely elated. So he goes into the shop keeper, and says, "That's my boat, I want it." The shop keeper says, "No sonny, that's my boat, I paid for it, and if you want it you're going to have to pay me." So the little fellow says, "How much do you want for it?" So the price was such and such, and far more than the little fellow had. So he told the shop keeper that he would have to find a way to get the money to buy his little boat. The little lad did odd jobs all winter by shoveling snow, and in the summer mowed grass, and finally one day he had enough to go back to the pawn shop for his boat. So he went up to the counter and told the keeper, "I want my boat!" The guy said, "Have you got the money?" And he said, "Yes!" and he plunked it down, and so he took his boat, and as he was going down the street holding that boat, he said, "Little boat, I made you, I lost you, but I have bought you back, and you're mine."
Well now that's just a simple little heart touching story of a little lad, but listen that's just exactly what God did. God lost us when Adam sinned, and for thousands of years God prepares the world for the coming of the Redeemer, and all the Old Testament people like Job are looking for the time when the Redeemer would come. Now come on up to the Book of Isaiah chapter 59 because we want you to see that this whole concept of a Redeemer is not Pauline. Paul puts the cap on it, Paul puts the frosting on the cake, but ever since Adam sinned (rebelled by disobedience to) God, God has been preparing for the coming of this Redeemer. Like the little boy out there scooping snow, and mowing lawns, He was getting ready for the day when He could go back in and pay the price of our redemption. And that's exactly what God did. Now here's another thought; we're like the prodigal son who came to himself and realized that he had gone astray and was lost where did he think of? Home, where his father and brother were safe and secure. Are you ready to take of the cup? Now verse 20. This is all prophecy yet, this is all looking forward.
Isaiah 59:20
"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD."
So here we have the promise of this coming Redeemer. Now let's skip over into the New Testament and stop at Romans chapter 3. Now like we've said Paul puts the frosting on the cake so far as the price of redemption is concerned. Here Paul comes to this graphic conclusion that a lot of people don't believe even today. They think they're good enough, they think that somehow God is going to let them slip in. No! He won't because the Scripture says -
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned, (every human being from Adam on) and come short of the glory of God:"
But we know God didn't stop there. He immediately got busy and started preparing for the coming of a Redeemer. For Genesis 3:15 says this is so because from the seed of woman would the Redeemer come. So now verse 24.
Romans 3:24
"Being justified freely (even though we're sinners) by his grace through the redemption (through our conversion see, there it is again) that is in Christ Jesus:"
Through the whole process of buying us back. That's what it was all for, that He could pay the price of redemption which had to be the blood of Christ. Why is the blood so unique? Well it was divine. You want to remember that Joseph was not the father of the baby Jesus, but rather it was God. And as we've pointed out, the blood circulatory system always originates with the father. So Christ's blood originated with God Himself, and so when Christ was born it was divine blood that coursed though His veins. In it is the power of an Endless Life. When His blood was shed it wasn't just the blood of another human being, but rather the divine blood of God Himself, so this was then the price of redemption. It is this blood that we share with Him in the Last Supper and on the cross as it pours over us as it did Him and down His side as He hung there on the tree He created. Now verse 25.
Romans 3:25
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; “
Romans 3:25a
"Whom God hath set forth (that is in Christ Jesus in verse 24) to be a propitiation (now that is what God has done. That's the place of sacrifice and offerings, mercy, and Grace. God did all that, but it was) through faith in his blood,..."
If we don't believe in the shed blood of Christ and it's power for atonement we're as lost as a goose, and we might as well mark it down. There will be no one in Heaven unless he's been redeemed by faith in the blood of Christ! Now getting right down to the nitty gritty on that as that is the Truth in the Word of God. The blood of Christ is the only purchase price for our redemption, and we have to appropriate it by our faith. We believe it, we trust in it. Now continuing on in verse 25.
Romans 3:25b
"...to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,..."
In other words the blood of Christ covered all the sins all the way back to Adam, and all the way forward to the very last person that will be born. So it was a complete purchase price for mankind's redemption. Not the purification of the utensils in the Heavenly Temple of God's presence because we're that temple. Now let's look at another one in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and we could look at lots of them as the references for the blood of Christ are plentiful. Even here in Hebrews there are so many that we can't begin to touch on all of them, so we'll hit the ones that are most emphatic.
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