Lesson 9: “He has visited and redeemed His people”

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Text Under Consideration: Romans 6

Scriptural & Historical Context:

Between 1500 – 1400 years before the birth of Jesus, the Lord redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 6.6). However, our study of the Old Testament has shown that Israel did not remain free; because of their many sins they were taken captive and lived in exile (2Kings 17; 2Chronicles 36). Yet, there was still hope because even though their captors (Assyria and Babylon) were mighty nations, Israel’s “Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name” (Jeremiah 50.34). However, the Lord did not plan to merely redeem the physical nation of Israel from captivity; His aim was to redeem His people from their true captor… sin! “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression” (Isaiah 59.20). Significantly, the New Testament opens with the acknowledgment that God was about to fulfill this promise. At the birth of John the Baptist, his father Zechariah prophesied, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed His people” (Luke 1.68). Notably, this redemption would bring “salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1.77).

Key Verses & Events:

• Jesus is born in ~ 3 B.C.
• Jesus’ public ministry begins in ~A.D. 27.
• Jesus is crucified, resurrected and exalted in ~A.D. 30. He completes His mission “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10.45).

The Story: 

1. Redemption involves release from bondage through outside help. The concept assumes weakness or inability on the part of the one being redeemed — social, physical, or spiritual.
2. Redemption was embedded in Israel’s law. The kinsman-redeemer was obligated to buy back a poor relative’s property or even their freedom if they had sold themselves into servitude, and the “avenger of blood” redeemed innocent life with the life of the guilty.
3. God’s call for Israel to redeem one another was rooted in His own redemption of them from Egypt. Because God had claimed Israel as His own by freeing them, they were to reflect that same redemptive concern toward each other.
4. The Babylonian captivity deepened the concept. God promised through the prophets to redeem Israel from exile, identifying Himself explicitly as their Redeemer — the Holy One of Israel.
5. God’s ultimate redemptive purpose went beyond national deliverance to freedom from sin itself. Isaiah 44:22 shows God’s heart was always to blot out transgressions, not merely to move people from one geography to another.
6. Isaiah’s suffering Servant is the centerpiece of this redemption. Framed by promises of redemption in chapters 52 and 54, Isaiah 53 reveals that the cost of man’s redemption would be the life of one pierced and crushed for human sin.
7. Jesus’ ministry demonstrated His power to redeem. Just as God proved His power over Egypt through the plagues, Jesus proved His power over sin’s effects through healing and exorcism before accomplishing redemption on the cross.
8. The Passover lamb foreshadowed Jesus. The blood of the lamb that protected Israel from judgment and the lamb required to redeem every firstborn son both point forward to Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
9. All humanity needs this redemption. Sin is the universal condition, and no one has the power to free themselves from it — redemption must come entirely from outside.
10. Redemption in Christ means belonging to God, not autonomy. As Israel was freed from Egypt not for independence but to be God’s people, those redeemed by Christ are freed from sin not to live as they please but to live as servants of righteousness.

Redemption is a key concept in Scripture and “involves the release of people, animals, or property from bondage through outside help. Their social, physical, or spiritual weakness makes redemption necessary.” (IVP New Dictionary of Biblical Theology) Interestingly, the concept of redemption was baked into Israel’s law:

• If an Israelite became poor and sold his property, then a kinsmen redeemer was to buy the property back (Leviticus 25.25-34).
• If an Israelite became so poor that he sold himself to a stranger, the kinsmen redeemer was to buy him back (Leviticus 25.48-52).
• If an Israelite was murdered, the closest relative was to be an “avenger of blood” and put to death the murderer (Numbers 35.19). Note that the term “avenger” is the same word as “redeemer” in Leviticus 25. The idea is that the blood of the innocent was redeemed by the blood of the guilty.

Significantly, God’s interest in Israel redeeming the land and their fellow Israelites was tied to God’s redemption of Israel: “For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 25.55). 

Redemption took on an added significance during the Babylonian captivity. In the prophets God declared that He would be faithful to His covenant promise to bring Israel back to Canaan (Deuteronomy 30.1-3); He would redeem them from their captivity: “Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 41:14, ESV) But the Lord’s idea of redemption went further than freeing a nation from captivity; His purpose was to redeem man from what truly enslaved him… sin! “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22, ESV) Significantly, the description of the suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 is bookended by two promises that God was going to redeem His people (see Isaiah 52.9; 54.5). The cost of man’s redemption would be the life of the One who was “pierced for our transgressions… crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53.5). It was this redemption that would fulfill the prophesy of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1.68).

A couple of important parallel exists between Jesus redeeming man from sin and God redeeming Israel from slavery. First, redemption requires the power to redeem. The Lord redeemed Israel from Egypt with a mighty hand (Exodus 3.19-20) as proven by the plagues He brought on the Egyptians. While on earth Jesus proved His ability to free man from sin by healing the sick (Luke 5.24) and by casting out demons (Luke 11.20-22). Second, the blood of lambs was required in the redemption of Israel. Each family was to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on their doorposts so that the Lord would pass over when He brought judgment on the Egyptians (Exodus 12.13). Furthermore, all succeeding first-born males were to be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb (Exodus 13.13-15). The Gospel declares that Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1.29)

The Gospel Story reveals how redemption is found in Christ. There are several important implications of this theme that we need to consider:

1. Because each of us sin, we all need redemption. Sin has been the universal problem of man ever since the first sin in the garden, a reality the apostle Paul described in Romans. We were all once “slaves of sin” (Romans 6.17).
2. We are powerless to redeem ourselves (Romans 5.7).
3. Only Christ can redeem us. Thus, redemption is found in Him. Jesus died to “ransom” us (Mark 10.45), and those who die with Christ (via baptism Romans 6.1-4) are freed from sin (Romans 6.7).
4. Being redeemed does not mean we are free. Israel was redeemed from Egypt not to be free to themselves, but to be the people of God. Likewise, we who were once enslaved to sin are freed not to live how we please, but to be slaves of righteousness (Romans 6.15-18). 

For Further Consideration:

1. How does the concept of redemption help us to think correctly about the magnitude of sin (cf. Romans 6.23)?
2. What do you think it means to be a “slave of righteousness” (Romans 6.18)?