You Were a Slave
A Ransom Paid for Us
You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
1 Corinthians 7:23 NIV
Redemption, another belief wrapped up in the atonement, comes from the Hebrew words padah (to redeem) and ga'al (to ransom).
Padah, according to the Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, "was originally used commercially to indicate a transfer of ownership." It appears in several Old Testament verses that speak of God's ownership of the people whom he rescued out of Egypt. "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:15 NIV).
The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words further explains that ga'al has a similar meaning to padah, but points more precisely to someone who plays "the part of a kinsman, that is, to act on behalf of a relative in trouble or danger."
Both ga'al and padah refer to persons or objects, which although owned by an individual, are under the power/control of another person. The words also indicate that the true owner is unable to secure the release of his or her possessions until a third party intervenes.
These terms provide great insight into how Christ redeemed sinners through a payment of debt; especially when considered in light of the three Greek words found in the New Testament that are most often applied to what Jesus did on the cross.
First, we have the word agorazo, translated as "bought," that was used in Greek culture to describe the purchase of slaves. "You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20 NIV). The Moody Handbook of Theology tells us that in the Bible this word connotes, "the believer being purchased out of the slave market of sin and set free from sin's bondage through the death of Jesus Christ."
Revelation 14:4 reads: "These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb" (NIV).
Next, there is exagorazo, a strengthened form of agorazo. It also means "to buy out," and like agorazo, is commonly linked to the purchasing of slaves, but with a view to their freedom and focuses more on the actual price paid, explains Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
The apostle Paul uses it in reference to Christ's deliverance of the Jews from the law and its curse. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13 NIV).
Finally, lutroo means "to obtain release by the payment of a price," as defined in Fritz Rienecker's A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament. It conveys the notion of being set free through a ransom. "But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21 NIV).
Christians have been literally purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ (his death), said the apostle Peter. "It was not with perishable things...that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV). Unlike both of the other Greek words, according to Vine, lutroo emphasizes the exact event of deliverance itself or the act of setting someone free.
Excerpted from: He Is Risen: Reflections on Easter and the Forty Days of Lent
by Richard Abanes
A Ransom Paid for Us
You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
1 Corinthians 7:23 NIV
Redemption, another belief wrapped up in the atonement, comes from the Hebrew words padah (to redeem) and ga'al (to ransom).
Padah, according to the Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, "was originally used commercially to indicate a transfer of ownership." It appears in several Old Testament verses that speak of God's ownership of the people whom he rescued out of Egypt. "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:15 NIV).
The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words further explains that ga'al has a similar meaning to padah, but points more precisely to someone who plays "the part of a kinsman, that is, to act on behalf of a relative in trouble or danger."
Both ga'al and padah refer to persons or objects, which although owned by an individual, are under the power/control of another person. The words also indicate that the true owner is unable to secure the release of his or her possessions until a third party intervenes.
These terms provide great insight into how Christ redeemed sinners through a payment of debt; especially when considered in light of the three Greek words found in the New Testament that are most often applied to what Jesus did on the cross.
First, we have the word agorazo, translated as "bought," that was used in Greek culture to describe the purchase of slaves. "You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20 NIV). The Moody Handbook of Theology tells us that in the Bible this word connotes, "the believer being purchased out of the slave market of sin and set free from sin's bondage through the death of Jesus Christ."
Revelation 14:4 reads: "These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb" (NIV).
Next, there is exagorazo, a strengthened form of agorazo. It also means "to buy out," and like agorazo, is commonly linked to the purchasing of slaves, but with a view to their freedom and focuses more on the actual price paid, explains Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
The apostle Paul uses it in reference to Christ's deliverance of the Jews from the law and its curse. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13 NIV).
Finally, lutroo means "to obtain release by the payment of a price," as defined in Fritz Rienecker's A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament. It conveys the notion of being set free through a ransom. "But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21 NIV).
Christians have been literally purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ (his death), said the apostle Peter. "It was not with perishable things...that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV). Unlike both of the other Greek words, according to Vine, lutroo emphasizes the exact event of deliverance itself or the act of setting someone free.
Excerpted from: He Is Risen: Reflections on Easter and the Forty Days of Lent
by Richard Abanes
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