In a biblical context, redemption means being bought back by God from the control and consequences of sin.
Redemption is the act of buying back something over which control has been lost. According to Les Feldick, when Adam sinned, God lost the human race, so God set up a plan of redemption and paid the price through Christ's blood. Romans 3:24 says believers are 'justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.'
Romans 3:24 — This verse explicitly uses the word 'redemption' and connects it with being justified freely by grace through Christ.
Romans 3:24 declares, 'Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' The Bible presents redemption as a purchase or deliverance accomplished by a price. First Peter 1:18–19 says believers were 'not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.' Hebrews 9:22 states, 'And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.' Hebrews 11:6 adds, 'But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' Genesis 3:15 contains the first promise of a Redeemer: 'And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.' This points to the coming Deliverer who would undo the work of the serpent.
Les Feldick defines redemption as 'buy back that which you had lost control of.' He illustrates it with a pawn shop: if you pawn something, you lose control of it, and the only way to get it back is to redeem it, or buy it back. When Adam sinned, God lost the human race; therefore God immediately established a plan of redemption. In the Roman world, redemption language came from the slave market—the Greek word agorazo meant to purchase a slave. In the same way, God must buy sinners back out of the slave market of Satan. Les points to Israel's deliverance from Egypt as a picture of redemption. Just as God purchased Israel out of the slavery of Egypt, believers, as sons of Adam, are slaves of sin in Satan's slave market and need to be bought back. The redemption price is not silver and gold; it is the precious blood of Christ. According to Les, God's hands are tied in one sense because He gave mankind free will—He will do everything He can to bring people out of the slave market, but He cannot force them to be redeemed. Les also relates redemption to reconciliation. Redemption is buying back what was lost, while reconciliation is bringing separated parties back into fellowship. The whole human race was separated from God by sin, and through redemption God brings believers back to Himself.
Les Feldick teaches that when Adam sinned, God lost control of the human race. In the garden, Adam and Eve were in perfect fellowship with God, but when sin entered, that fellowship was broken and they came under the control of the god of this world, Satan. From that point God instituted a way to buy the human race back to Himself, and that is what Scripture calls redemption. Romans 3:24 speaks of 'the redemption that is in Christ Jesus' as the means by which God restores what was lost.
Les says God purchased Israel out of the slavery of Egypt, and that is a beautiful picture of our own salvation. Just as Israel was bought out of Egypt, believers—as sons of Adam—are slaves of sin in Satan's slave market and need to be bought back. The account of Joseph and his brothers is another example Les gives: because of their sin, all twelve sons ended up in Egypt, and God lost control of His covenant people and had to buy them back.
The Bible testifies, 'Without shedding of blood is no remission' (Hebrews 9:22). Les points out that God provided the blood sacrifice, but Adam and Eve also had to believe what He said—Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Peter also writes that believers were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18–19).
Les teaches that redemption and reconciliation are alike. Redemption means you have lost control of something and buy it back, while reconciliation brings people who have been separated back into full fellowship. God wants to do this with the whole human race—He has reconciled believers to Himself through what Christ accomplished, and redemption is the buying back that makes that reconciliation possible.
The Promised Redeemer and the Blood Offering
Les connects Genesis 3:15 to the coming Redeemer and explains that God provided a blood sacrifice which had to be met with faith; Eve mistakenly thought her first son might have fulfilled the promise.
Redemption as Buying Back What Was Lost
Les defines redemption as buying back something over which control has been lost, and he shows that Adam's sin caused God to lose the human race, just as sin caused God to lose His covenant people in Egypt.
Redemption in Romans 3:24
Les applies the pawn shop illustration to Romans 3:24, where believers are justified by grace through redemption, and he emphasizes that the price paid was not silver and gold but Christ's blood.
The Roman Slave Market Background
Les explains that the New Testament word for redemption carries the idea of the Roman slave market, where a slave could be purchased.
God Lost Us in Adam
Les teaches that when Adam sinned, God lost the human race, so redemption means buying us back from Satan, who is a hard taskmaster.
Redemption and Reconciliation
Les shows that redemption and reconciliation are similar—redemption is buying back what was lost, and reconciliation is bringing back into fellowship.
God Lost Control in the Garden
Les teaches that Adam and Eve's sin broke their fellowship with God and brought them under the control of Satan, making redemption necessary.
Israel's Purchase from Egypt as a Picture
Les presents God's purchase of Israel out of Egypt as a picture of redemption, and he explains that God cannot force anyone out of Satan's slave market because of free will.
Romans 3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
This is the central New Testament verse where the word 'redemption' is used to describe what Christ did for believers.
Genesis 3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This is the first promise of a Redeemer, the seed of the woman who would defeat Satan.
Hebrews 9:22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
This verse shows why a blood sacrifice was necessary for redemption to be accomplished.
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
This verse shows that faith is required in addition to the blood offering.
1 Peter 1:18-19: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
This verse directly defines the price of redemption as the precious blood of Christ, not silver or gold.
Les describes redemption as 'the next great terminology of the word salvation.' Redemption is the aspect of salvation that emphasizes being bought back with a price. The price is the precious blood of Christ, since believers are not redeemed with silver and gold (1 Peter 1:18–19).
When Adam sinned, control of the human race passed to Satan, the god of this world. Les says God then had to set up a plan of redemption to buy the human race back to Himself.
No. Les explains that God has given man free will; He will do everything He can to bring people out of Satan's slave market, but each person has to want it. God cannot force anyone to be redeemed.
In Genesis 4:1 Eve said, 'I have gotten a man-child, even Jehovah.' Les says she evidently thought the promise of Genesis 3:15—the seed of the woman who would defeat Satan—might already have been fulfilled in her first son, but that defeat actually took place at the cross.
Watch the Teaching: Cain, Abel & The Virgin Birth: Genesis 4 Explained