This morning, we are continuing our series on Romans title Paul’s Magnum Opus. And in this series, we will be going verse by verse through what is arguably Paul’s greatest work, and that is saying something considering Paul wrote over a third of the New Testament.
This morning, we are continuing to look at these critical few verses found near the end of chapter 3. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there are some who consider this the heart of the entire Bible. That is how important these verses are. They are verses that we should at the very least be familiar with if not have memorized and always on our minds.
And because these words of Paul are so important, we’re taking some time to break down the important words and thoughts that Paul included in them. As I said last week, it doesn’t matter if you know the words if you don’t understand what the words mean or why Paul is using them.
And here are the verses that we have been looking at and really diving into:
Romans 3:23–25 (ESV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. …
So this morning, we are going to look at the next important part of these verses that is found in verse 24. And that is redemption. Specifically, as Paul points out, the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
Now, as I say the word redemption, many of you might know what I am talking about. Others, not so much … are maybe you just aren’t sure. So if you aren’t familiar with this important idea and biblical theme, here is a quick breakdown of what it is:
At the heart of the image is the idea of paying a price to regain something that will otherwise be forfeited. Redemption thus carries double connotations: it implies deliverance and restitution but also a cost that must be paid. -Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
The image of redemption involves three aspects: (1) the *“bondage” or special circumstance from which a person, object or animal needs to be freed; (2) the payment of a redemption price; (3) usually a human intermediary acting to secure the redemption. -Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
So as you see, the idea is that something happens to someone or something that leaves it in a position where it needs freeing. In order to free it, there is a price that is paid by someone or something who is choosing to free or save it … redeeming it.
And while we probably don’t use this term in our everyday lives, it is certainly not an odd one when it comes to our Bibles. It is a prominent aspect of most of it, at least in the OT. As a matter of fact, almost all of our examples and instances of redemption are in the OT (130 out of 150 specific references).
Really, as I said, while redemption may not play a big part in our lives, you could not have lived as a part of God’s people and not had this important theme play a part in your life.
The OT construct of redemption pervades every aspect of life. All manner of things-animals and people-stand in need of redemption for a multitude of issues (e.g., being firstborn, having been dedicated to a special purpose, having been sold). Lambs are redeemed (Ex 13:13), slaves can be redeemed (Ex 21:8), donkeys might be redeemed (Ex 34:30). A woman can be ransomed (Lev 19:20), and when Jonathan unwittingly disobeys his father’s command for soldiers not to eat anything as they are routing the Philistines, the people ransom him (1 Sam 14:45). -Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
And probably the greatest example of redemption that everyone knows or would have known comes from the Exodus. God’s people were enslaved under Egyptian rule, and scripture records what God did in a very specific way:
Exodus 6:6 ESV
6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.
Deuteronomy 7:8 ESV
8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
So the people of that day would have undoubtedly understood what Paul was saying when he mentions redemption, especially since his focus has been heavily on the Jewish Christians within the church. They would know all about redemption, redeeming, and all it entailed.
But since it is so varied, it can be hard for us to know exactly what Paul means when he brings up redemption in this context. He doesn’t make it very clear what specifics he is getting at when he talks about redemption here.
However, I think that Paul had in mind, at least in some major part (as we will see), the way redemption would have been used in slavery, especially in light of the Exodus as we just saw.
It was something so important to God’s people, and I believe Paul is building off of it in an important way. But also, redeeming from slavery would have been something they all were familiar with besides just when talking about the exodus:
Leviticus 25:47–49 ESV
47 “If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan, 48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself.
So, there were times when people would find themselves enslaved because of bad choices or just life being tough or whatever. Regardless, this person was enslaved. The good news for this person is that God made a way for them to be freed from their slavery.
And it was through redemption. The debt they owed could be paid, and as a result, the individual would have been free. A family member or even the individual could free themselves if they were able.
Now, applying this to what Paul has been writing and we have been discussing, I believe we start to see some important connections. As Paul has made clear at the start of these verses, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
There is not a single person who has or is or will come who is not a sinner. And our sin has made us slaves to it. We are enslaved away from God and under sin (which we will see Paul make clear later):
Isaiah 50:1 ESV
1 Thus says the Lord: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
John 8:34 ESV
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
So just like the people would have understood, Paul is establishing that we are enslaved and need to be freed. Our problem, as we have seen, is that we cannot free ourselves … we cannot save or take care of our sin problem ourselves.
Unlike people being able to redeem themselves in biblical times, we need someone to free us and redeem us. Think of it more like what happened in the Exodus. God’s people were enslaved, and they had no hope outside of something outside of them intervening in.
Well, what Paul is succinctly saying in the verses we have been looking at, is that … like with the Exodus … God has stepped in and redeemed us from our sin through Jesus.
Jesus, who is God, stepped down from heaven and into our mess, and lived perfectly under the law like we never have or could. So though Christ was perfect and not worthy of facing God’s judgment and wrath, He then went to the cross to die in our place in order to pay the price for our redemption:
Hebrews 9:11–12 ESV
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Christ’s blood was spilled for each and every one of us so that we can be redeemed … get an eternal redemption where we are free from our sin and ultimately the wrath and judgment of God.
So let me put this together with what we talked about last week … our justification. And in order to do that, I will bring up the courtroom imagery I have been using and that I believe Paul has established.
Again, we are like the defendant who is standing before the ultimate righteous and holy judge God. And across from us is the law. It makes its case to the judge that we are guilty and worthy of judgment and God’s wrath.
And of course, the law would know this. The law is God’s will, way, demands, and expectations. We would need to perfectly keep it to be able to escape the judgment that comes from breaking it … to measure up to how we are supposed to live.
But as we have talked about, that is impossible. While God’s law is good, it wasn’t given because we could maybe keep it perfectly and be made righteous … or right with God … through it.
It is impossible because of our sin. Instead, the law was given to make it absolutely clear how bad our sin problem is … how hopeless it is to think that we could ever be righteous through works of the law and what we can do. We can never be right with God through that.
So the law makes it clear how far we have all missed the mark and rebelled against God’s will, way, expectations, and demands … how we are supposed to glorify God, and how we absolutely fall short of everything.
And the case against us from the law is so strong that we have no defense. Not a single word could be uttered that would provide even a glimpse of hope to defend ourselves against the case the law makes for us to face God’s righteous wrath.
But incredibly, when it is time to hand down the verdict, God … the judge of all things and eternity … does not declare us guilty. Instead, He declares us innocent. And with that innocent declaration … in that moment … we are made right with God … we are justified.
Now, we are no longer estranged from Him. We have right relationship with the God of the universe. We are declared righteous! We have gone from death to life … unrighteous to righteous … in the moment God has declared it.
And the reason God did it is because of His grace. It is completely a gift. We did nothing to deserve or earn that verdict and declaration from God. As we saw, it was instead the exact opposite.
It was clear and without any doubt that we deserved His judgment and wrath, yet He graciously gave a different verdict. He justified us and declared us righteous. All through His grace … as a gift.
And what we are doing this week is beginning to expound on that gracious gift … because it could obviously be asked, “That is great, but how can God just declare us righteous when we were unrighteous … or innocent when we are guilty? That doesn’t seem like the thing a just judge and God would do?”
And it wouldn’t be if He just declared it for no reason. But there was a reason God could declare that … and that reason is what we have been looking at. Jesus has redeemed us … He has freed us from our enslavement and debt. The debt we owed was paid!
So we are justified through God’s grace … as a gift … and that justification comes through our redemption in Jesus. So though we were guilty and deserved God’s judgment and wrath, Jesus has stepped in to redeem us from that debt that is left by our sin and rebellion against God.
So get this beautiful picture. God is the judge, but He also steps in to pay our ransom and debt (because Jesus was God). As a result, we are made righteous … we are justified freely through God’s grace as a gift … all because of our redemption earned for us through Christ.
Any just judge couldn’t just let us off the hook because we were absolutely guilty … no one could question our guilt. So if a judge just let guilty people walk free simply because he or she wanted to, everyone would say that judge was a wrong and unjust and bad judge.
And as we talked about when we discussed God’s righteousness, God cannot act outside of His character, which includes being good and just. So there is no way for God to just overlook our sin in order to keep us from HIs right judgment and wrath.
So instead, God incredibly and graciously makes a way for our sin debt to be paid … the righteous requirements of the law could be fulfilled … so that we can be declared righteous instead of guilty … be free and in relationship with Him instead of facing His just wrath.
So simultaneously, God can graciously demonstrate His love and His character by forgiving our sins and cleansing us of all unrighteousness … justifying us and making us right with Him … freeing us from sin and death …
While also maintaining His righteousness by acting according to who He is … which is just and good. And that happens through Jesus redeeming us and paying the price we should have to pay … taking what we deserve so that we would never have to face God’s wrath. Instead, we are free from sin and death and left with life and freedom and relationship with God.
Whew! This is all so beautiful, and so important that we understand. We are justified if we are Christians, and as verse 24 says, that justification came through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
So I hope that we all understand a little more about what Paul means when he says redemption. Whether this is your first time hearing about this or your 1000th, I hope that the incredibly beautiful picture of the price of sin being paid for you and you being freed from sin and death and all of that for all of eternity just blows you away.
I mean, how can it not, right? And if you ever get confused or need help remembering, just think back to the Exodus and realize your situation is similar. We were all slaves to sin … trapped and with no way to free ourselves from that bondage that would ultimately result in our death and separation from God … facing His just and right wrath.
But God … through the person of Jesus … steps in to free us from our slavery and hopeless situation. Now, we are not only free from sin and the terrible future that was awaiting us because of our sin …
But we are also free to live our lives free from guilt and shame and condemnation and all the other things that could come against us because of sin and maybe what we have done before we came to God.
None of that defines us or is how we live anymore. Christ paid the price for us … paid what we owed because of sin. And now, we are free from sin and death and can have a relationship with God and live our lives glorifying Him instead of worrying if we are measuring up or doing enough.
So stop living your life like you aren’t free … like you are still under condemnation or God’s wrath. You aren’t! You are free, so start living that way. Stop living like the world and all those who aren’t free … you were destined for something greater in God!
Galatians 5:13 ESV
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Everything has been taken care of for us, so we get to live for God … in freedom … glorifying Him in our lives by loving and serving others knowing what is coming for us when we finally get to God.
Man, this is so incredible and life-changing if we would just get it. The price has been paid church! You are justified … made right with the God of all things and eternity through the redemption that we have in Christ Jesus.
And that is something certainly worth celebrating and being thankful for, and I hope you were able to see that this morning!
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