In this chapter we will consider the redemption of Christ. The redemption of Christ is the accomplishment of salvation. Salvation is accomplished through Christ’s redemption. When we receive Christ’s redemption, it becomes our salvation. Before we receive it, it is only redemption; after we receive and enjoy it, it is salvation. Redemption is objective to us, whereas salvation is subjective. Once we receive objective redemption, it becomes our subjective salvation. We can enjoy salvation only to the degree that we know redemption.
The accomplishment of Christ’s redemption is not only through His death but also through His resurrection, ascension, and second coming. Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming combine to complete a perfect redemption. We will first consider the death of Christ.
The death of Christ solves our problems in at least three aspects. We have already seen that the condition of man consists of problems in three aspects. Man has problems before God, problems in himself, and problems before Satan. The death of Christ on the cross solves these problems.
Before God, man is sinful and has a record of sin. The first problem that Christ’s death solves is the problem of our sins before God.
1. “Who Himself bore up our sins in His body” (1 Pet. 2:24; see also 3:18; John 1:29; Isa. 53:5-6; 1 Cor. 15:3; Heb. 9:26).
The Lord Jesus was sinless. Although He was sinless, He was nailed on the cross to die because He bore our sins. The Lord Jesus was sinless, but when He died on the cross, God placed our sins upon Him so that He might bear them for us. Therefore, the Lord Jesus died for our sins, suffered for our offenses, and was crushed for our iniquities. On the cross He was smitten and judged by God for our sins. The Lord Jesus suffered on our behalf—that is, the Righteous suffered on behalf of the unrighteous—in order to eliminate our sins before God. If the Lord Jesus did not bear our sins and die, there would be no way for our sins before God to be removed.
2. “My blood...which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28; see also Heb. 9:22; 1:3).
According to God’s righteousness and law, sinners are condemned to die. No sinner can pass through the judgment of God’s righteousness and law without suffering the punishment of death. For our sins to be forgiven, someone had to die and shed blood on our behalf in order to fulfill the requirement of God’s righteousness and law. The Bible says, “Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (9:22). Thus, the Lord died and shed His blood on the cross to fulfill the righteous requirement of God’s law so that our sins may be forgiven. Since the Lord’s blood was shed through His death in fulfillment of God’s righteous requirement, His blood can cleanse us of our sins.
3. “Christ died for the ungodly”; “Having become a curse on our behalf” (Rom. 5:6; Gal. 3:13; see also Matt. 20:28; Heb. 2:9).
According to God’s righteous law, a sinner should be cursed and should die. However, the Lord Jesus died for us under the judgment of the law; He tasted death on our behalf, became a curse for us, and gave His life as a ransom to redeem us out of the curse of the law.
The thorns that the Lord Jesus wore on His head while hanging on the cross were a sign of the curse. Thorns came into being as a result of the curse that man received for his sin (Gen. 3:17-18). The curse that man received because of sin was on the Lord’s head as He hung on the cross. There the Lord was cursed on our behalf; thus, through His death He redeemed us from the curse of the law.
4. “Having offered one sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:12).
The Lord died on the cross to offer Himself to God as a sacrifice for sins, thereby redeeming us from our sins and dealing with our sins before God. Just as animals sacrificed for sins did not bleed for their own sins but for the sins of those who offered them, the Lord died as our sin offering, accomplishing redemption for us before God.
5. “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2; see also 4:10; Heb. 2:17).
Our sins caused a problem between us and God. Through His death as the propitiation for our sins, the Lord dealt with the sins that caused our problem with God and thereby restored our relationship with God. We were not only sinful but also were cut off from God. The Lord died to take away our sins and to bring God back to us. Therefore, He is our propitiation.
6. “Reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10-11; see also Col. 1:20, 22; 2 Cor. 5:18-19).
Because of sin, we had a problem with God and were His enemies. The Lord’s death redeemed us from our sins and restored our relationship with God; as a result, we were reconciled to God. Today, if anyone is willing to believe in the Lord, the Lord’s death will reconcile him to God and appease God on his behalf.
7. “Once for all...obtaining an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12; see also 10:14).
The redemption of the Lord on the cross was completed once for all; it is an eternal redemption. The Lord does not need to die separately for each of us. He died once, accomplishing a complete redemption for all, including those who lived before His death and those who lived after His death. He died once on the cross, obtaining an eternal redemption. The Lord’s redemption, accomplished once for all, is eternally effective. When people believe in the Lord, the effectiveness of His redemption before God causes them to be redeemed.