What Is Redemption? The Important Meaning for Christians from the Bible
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 800: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 3, 2022
Chances are you feel burdened about one or more issues above. You are certainly not
alone. In fact, the Bible states, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning
together with labor pains until now. Not only that but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the
first fruits – we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our
bodies” (Romans 8:22-23). All of creation groans, longing for redemption.
The Definition of Redemption
The dictionary defines redemption as: 1. the action of saving or being saved from sin, error,
or evil. 2. the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment,
or clearing a debt.
Romans 5:8-11 specifies,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved
through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Redemption is used in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, redemption involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of
a price by a redeemer. The Hebrew root words used most often for the concept of redemption
are pada, gaal, and kapar. The verb pada is a legal term concerning the substitution required for
the person or animal delivered. The verb gaal is a legal term for the deliverance of some
person, property, or right to which one had a previous claim through family relation or
possession. The meaning of the third verb, kapar, is to cover.
Fundamental to the message of the New Testament is the announcement that Jesus of
Nazareth is the fulfillment of Israel's messianic hope and that, in him, the long-awaited
redemption has arrived. Deliverance of humankind from its state of alienation from God has
been accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom 4:25; 2 Cor 5:18-19). In
the New Testament, redemption requires the payment of a price, but the plight that requires
such a ransom is moral, not material. Humankind is held in the captivity of sin from which only
the atoning death of Jesus Christ can liberate. ("Entry for 'Redeem, Redemption'". "Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology")
Redemption is Necessary
When life gets hard we tend to say that we need a break. What we really need, however, is
redemption. Instead of gaining a momentary respite from the madness that surrounds us,
redemption is the promise of God to deliver us from the power and presence of sin.
If this promise sounds too good to be true, consider the fact that the world used to work
this way. Prior to their rebellion, Adam and Eve had unbroken fellowship with God, unparalleled
intimacy with each other and undisturbed enjoyment in their Edenic environment. There has
never been a time such as theirs when humans exercised biblical dominion over creation,
complemented each other so completely and joyously lived every moment of every day under
the rule of God. But there will be.
The Bible envisions a day when these broken relationships will be forever restored. God’s
people will inherit a new earth that bears abundant food apart from the sweat of their brow
and without the threat of thorns (Revelation 22:2). They will never feel pain or cause others to
experience hurt of any kind as their tears have been eternally wiped away (Revelation 21:4).
Death will no longer haunt the living as gentle lambs will rest side by side with formerly
carnivorous wolves (Isaiah 11:6). Best of all, God will dwell with his people (Revelation 22:3).
Nothing unclean will be allowed to enter the new creation. There will be no trees that trick or
serpents that tempt. Worship, not worry, will characterize the family of God in a world without
end. In a word, this fallen world will be redeemed.
Thus, the Christian worldview is premised on two realities: God’s good world spoiled by
human sin (fall) and sinful humans made fit to enjoy God forever (redemption). In spite of the
fall, the world continues to work – sort of. After the fall, Adam and Eve’s oldest son proved
remarkably adept at navigating through life. Cain married a woman and loved their son
(Genesis 4:17). The curse of the ground notwithstanding, Cain became a farmer and then a city
builder (Genesis 4:3, 17). Even Cain’s descendants were known for their creative prowess,
including advancements in shepherding livestock, playing musical instruments and developing
sturdy weaponry (Genesis 4:20-22). Put simply, even fallen people in a fallen world somehow
manage to contribute to human progress.
On the other hand, even morally upright people manage to confirm the human
predicament. Noah is such a man who, in the midst of a moral sewer, managed to find favor in
God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8). His craftsmanship is demonstrated through his ability to build an ark
that withstood the most destructive storm ever. His attention to detail spared not only his life
but that of his family and the entire animal kingdom (Genesis 6:14-22). Nevertheless, in spite of
God’s grace towards him, Noah later became drunk and passed out naked in his tent (Genesis
9:20-21). When he awoke he cursed generations yet to be born (Genesis 9:24). This is hardly
the behavior one would expect from the man God used to rescue the world but Noah’s life
confirms that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10).
