This series of messages concerns the divine economy and the divine dispensing in the accomplishment of God's full redemption and salvation in Christ. Redemption is different from salvation; it is one aspect of God's salvation. In Exodus 12 the Passover typified God's salvation. The Passover was based on God's redemption and carried out His salvation. In 1 Corinthians 5:7 Paul said that the Lord Jesus is our Passover. In the Chinese Union version of the New Testament, the translators added the word lamb to the word Passover, which causes the verse to read, "For our Passover lamb, Christ, also has been sacrificed." Actually, the word lamb should not have been added. Christ is not only the Lamb; He is the entire Passover. Of course, the main item of the Passover is the lamb. Hence, without the lamb there would be no Passover.
The lamb of the Passover consisted mainly of two parts: the blood and the meat, or flesh. The Israelites first enjoyed the covering of the blood of the lamb. That covering was their redemption. In the eyes of God, the Israelites were as sinful as the Egyptians. Hence, the firstborn, representing all the families of both the Egyptians and the Israelites, were to be killed by God. On the night of the first Passover, God intended to kill all the firstborn throughout all the land of Egypt, and He also intended to rescue His people out of Egypt. In order to deliver His people out of Egypt, God told the Israelites to take a lamb for every household and to put its blood upon the doorposts and the lintel (Exo. 12:3-7). When the death angel went to slaughter all the firstborn throughout the land of Egypt, he saw the sprinkled blood upon the doors of the Israelites and passed over their houses (vv. 12-13, 23). This aspect of the Passover typifies redemption. The blood shed by the lamb was the redeeming blood, which redeemed all the firstborn of Israel from the sentence of death. Since the firstborn represented all the Israelites, the redemption of all the firstborn signifies that the whole race of Israel was redeemed by God. This redemption was accomplished by the blood, not the flesh, of the lamb.
God charged the children of Israel to eat the meat, the flesh, of the lamb while they were inside their houses under the sprinkled blood. They were to eat it roasted with fire, and they also were to eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs (v. 8). God prescribed such a healthy diet for them, which included meat (the animal life), bread (the plant life), and herbs (a salad). None of these items was related to redemption, because the children of Israel had already been redeemed by the blood. The meat of the lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs were given to them in order to strengthen, satisfy, and fill them so that they would have the energy to flee out of Egypt. Hence, these things were for their salvation.
The salvation experienced by the children of Israel also included all the miracles performed by the Lord. In these miracles God exercised His arm of power to destroy Egypt by smiting Pharaoh, his country, and his army. These miracles were not redemption but were God's salvation. This salvation also included Christ as the Angel of Jehovah, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt and turned to the rear to protect them from the pursuing Egyptian army (14:10, 19). In addition, it included the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day. The meat of the Passover lamb, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, the miracles, the Angel of Jehovah, the pillar of fire, and the pillar of cloud were the items that constituted God's salvation for the children of Israel.
God's salvation as a whole includes redemption. The rescuing of Israel out of Egypt on the day of the Passover implies both God's salvation and God's redemption. On the one hand, redemption saved them from death under God's judgment. On the other hand, the miracles performed by God in Egypt, the meat of the lamb, the unleavened bread with the bitter herbs, the Angel of Jehovah, the pillar of fire, and the pillar of cloud saved them from Egyptian slavery. When these are added together, they equal God's salvation.
Redemption and salvation are often confused by many Christians. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is salvation, but it is based on redemption. Regeneration must have a base. God is holy, righteous, and pure, but we are dirty, worldly, and unrighteous. God can regenerate such persons only through His redemption. Thus, before God regenerated us, Christ died on the cross and shed His blood to wash and cleanse us from our sins. We were not only washed and cleansed but also forgiven and justified. Through redemption we were right in the eyes of God, so He could come in to regenerate us. Hence, regeneration was accomplished based on God's redemption. The regeneration of salvation is based on the blood of redemption.