Scripture Reading: Rom. 3:24; Gal. 3:13; 4:5; Eph. 1:7; Titus 2:14
Ⅰ
To the believers Christ is the Redeemer; in Him we have redemption— Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7:
A
To redeem means to purchase back something which originally was ours but which has become lost; thus, to redeem is to purchase back at a cost—Gal. 4:5.
B
We originally belonged to God; we were His possession, but we became lost through sin—Rom. 3:23; 1 John 3:4.
C
The requirements of God's righteousness, holiness, and glory were so great upon us that it was impossible for us to fulfill them—Rom. 3:23-25.
D
Christ died on the cross to redeem us; God paid the price for us through Christ, repossessing us at a tremendous cost—Gal. 3:13; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18.
Ⅱ
In the Beloved "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses"—Eph. 1:7:
A
The Beloved is Christ, God's beloved Son, in whom He delights, and in the Beloved God makes us an object in whom He delights; this is a pleasure to God—Matt. 3:17; 17:5:
１
In the Beloved we have been graced, made the object of God's favor and pleasure—Eph. 1:6.
２
Now as the object of His grace we enjoy God, and God enjoys us in His grace in His Beloved, who is His delight; in His Beloved we too become God's delight—Col. 1:13-14.
３
We have been redeemed in the Beloved, the One in whom God delights; in the sight of God redemption is something to be delighted in—Eph. 1:7.
B
The forgiveness of our offenses is the redemption through the blood of Christ— v. 7:
１
According to the requirement of God's righteousness, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins—Heb. 9:22.
２
Redemption is what Christ accomplished for our offenses; forgiveness is the application of Christ's accomplishment to our offenses—Eph. 1:7.
Ⅲ
The New Testament reveals six aspects of Christ in redemption:
A
In redemption Christ is the Lamb of God—John 1:29:
１
Christ died on the cross as the Lamb of God to deal with sin and sins— 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26, 28.
２
Christ as the Lamb of God satisfied the requirements of God's righteous-ness, holiness, and glory.
３
Christ was foreordained, prepared, by God to be His redeeming Lamb according to His foreknowledge before the creation of the universe; this was done according to God's eternal purpose and plan; it did not happen accidentally, and it was not an afterthought—1 Pet. 1:20; Acts 2:23.
４
In the eternal view of God, Christ as the Lamb of God was slain "from the foundation of the world," from the time creation came into existence, since the fall of man as a part of the world—Rev. 13:8.
B
In redemption Christ died as a man in the flesh—John 1:1, 14; 1 Tim. 2:5:
１
When Christ died as man in the likeness of the flesh of sin, God condemned sin in the flesh—Rom. 8:3.
２
As a man in the flesh, Christ died so that sin in the flesh might be con-demned by God; sin and the fallen flesh were dealt with by the death of Christ.
C
In redemption Christ was the last Adam, a man in the old creation—1 Cor. 15:45b:
１
His death as the last Adam was for God's dealing with our old man.
２
Because the Lord Jesus died as a man in the old creation, our old man was dealt with through His death; we were crucified with Him—Rom. 6:6.
D
In His death for our redemption, Christ died as a creature—Col. 1:15:
１
Christ is both the Creator and a creature, for as God He is the Creator and as man He is a creature; with respect to His humanity, Christ is a creature— John 1:3; Col. 1:15; Heb. 2:14.
２
Because Christ died as a creature, He accomplished redemption for all creation—Col. 1:20; Heb. 2:9.
３
The fact that Christ's death as a creature terminated the entire old creation is indicated by the rending of the veil in the temple from top to bottom; when the flesh of Christ was crucified, all the creatures borne by Him were cruci-fied as well—Luke 23:44-45; Heb. 10:20; Exo. 26:31; Ezek. 1:5, 10; 10:14-15.
E
In redemption Christ died on the cross as a serpent in form—John 3:14-15:
１
Christ was a serpent in form, but He did not have the poisonous nature of a serpent—Num. 21:4-9; 1 John 3:10; Matt. 23:33; John 8:44.
２
It was through being crucified as a serpent in form that the Lord Jesus crushed the head of the old serpent, the devil; in this way He judged the ruler of this world—Gen. 3:15; John 12:31.
３
As the One who died as a serpent in form, Christ destroyed the devil and dealt with his world, the satanic system—Heb. 2:14; John 12:31.
F
In redemption Christ died as the Peacemaker, as the One who makes peace; He Himself is our peace—Eph. 2:14-16:
１
By Christ's abolishing in His flesh the separating ordinances, thus slaying the enmity, and by His creating the Jewish and Gentile believers into one new man, peace was made among all believers—vv. 15-16.
２
In the redeeming Christ, who is the bond of oneness, both the Jews and the Gentiles are one—v. 14.