Salvation as redemption was promised by God through the prophet Isaiah: “The Redeemer will come to Zion” (59:20). Referring to Christ, Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood.” In a similar way, 1 Peter 1:18–19 speaks to believers as God’s children to remind us “that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ.”
When the Bible speaks of salvation in terms of a Redeemer who wrought our redemption by His sacrifice, it presupposes a spiritual plight of bondage or slavery from which condition emancipation must take place.
This spiritual bondage is presented to us in the Bible as enslavement both to sin and to Satan. As to sin’s bondage, Jesus put it this way, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).
Slavery of sin
Chapter 6 of Romans refers to slavery of sin in several ways. First, the newness of life that Christ brings has as one effect, “that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (v. 6). Then, we read that God’s saving grace has as one goal that “sin shall not have dominion over you” (v. 14). Finally, gratitude for salvation is expressed in these words, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin” now having obeyed the gospel, we have “been set free from sin” (v. 17).
Not only is spiritual bondage spoken of as slavery to sin and corruption, it is also termed as captivity to Satan. According to 2 Timothy 2:26, persons standing in need of repentance need to “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” In a similar way, 1 John 5:19 declares, “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” One result of Christ coming in the flesh is declared to be “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14–15).
The analogy of salvation as redemption from bondage suggests the idea of a payment of a ransom.
‘No longer a slave’
Jesus declared, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). As a result of the ransom, God’s word to His children is, “You are no longer a slave but a son” (Galatians 4:7).
At this point a word of caution is in order. The analogy of salvation as redemption cannot be pressed to identify to whom this divinely provided ransom was paid.
The gospel simply leaves the truth of redemption with the idea that the necessary price was paid without pressing the analogy to the point of identifying a recipient for the payment.
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