For 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 ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. – 1 Peter 1:18-19
Redemption, according to Dictionary.com,
Redeem is wider in its application than ransom, and means to buy back, regain possession of, or exchange for money, goods, etc.: to redeem one’s property. To ransom is to redeem a person from captivity by paying a stipulated price, or to redeem from sin by sacrifice: to ransom a kidnapped child.
Sin has Power
God’s requirement for each person is that he or she must be holy (1 Peter 1:16). The holiness that the apostle Peter refers to means the taking of something common and setting it apart so that it entirely belongs to God. We are that “something.”
There would be no need for redemption if humanity had never exchanged obedience for rebellion. Sin has power. The unrighteousness that Sin spawns in us feeds our flesh, tempting us to sin, transgress, or commit iniquity. We earn a wage when we sin. That wage is death (Romans 6:23).
Hell was not Made for People
When Adam sinned, the very creation that God made in His image became unable to pay the sin-debt and therefore became separated from Him. Sin always demands death, which is why the Mosaic Law demands the sacrifice of animals. The shedding of blood is required to satisfy the law of sin and death. Now that Jesus has made the perfect sin sacrifice no other sacrifices are needed or are valid.
When Adam chose Satan over God, as an analogy, we could say that Adam became infected with the Sin-nature virus from Satan. Now Adam and all of his descendants carry the Sin-nature as a fundamental trait and transmit this “virus” to their progeny. The only treatment for this Sin-nature “virus” is to always choose righteousness over unrighteousness. Only Jesus has been able to do this.
God created Hell as a place of eternal punishment for the devil and his rebellious angels. However, when Adam sinned, then humanity became subject to that same law. All non-Christians already stand condemned. They are just awaiting their court case to come before the Judge.
The Sinless Adam Saves
God’s word states in Hebrews 9:27, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” So you see the problem. A sinner dies, which is the cost of sin, then they are judged and held accountable for their sins; therefore, they are assigned to an eternity of punishment.
God’s solution for the children of Adam was to sacrifice His only begotten[a] Son. As a sinless “Adam,” (1 Corinthians 15:45) Jesus became the means for unregenerate people to call upon His name. By Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross, He now steps in for “His own” and declares that He already paid the price for their sin. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And in Romans 8:1 we learn, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.“
Praise God! When we accept the free gift of salvation, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus, then we are no longer under condemnation. Yes, our body will die because the Sin-nature remains in it. But we will not be condemned with the devil and his angels because, through Christ Jesus, we have eternal life.
We are Loved
The Son, Christ Jesus, loves the Father, and the Father loves His Son, Jesus. We see this in John 3:35, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” And in John 14:31 we read, “but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” Also, the Father’s loves and His Son’s love live in us. John 17:26 states: “I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.” And, foundationally: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.“
As Christians, God’s love overflows our lives, flooding into the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and to all people. As Jesus commanded us in John 13:35: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
[a] Strong’s Greek 3439: Only, only-begotten; unique. From monos and ginomai; only-born, i.e. Sole.
Photo by Danila Hamsterman on Unsplash
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