Without the shedding of His blood, Jesus could not have become our redeemer. We are bought and paid for by blood, the precious blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:7).
The New Testament scholar, Leon Morris, points out that although we use words such as “redeemer” or “redemption” in a religious sense,-- “when the man of the first century heard them he immediately thought in non-religious terms” (The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Eerdmans), p. 11).
In New Testament days, redemption was a commercial term that meant to release from bondage by the payment of a price. And what was the price paid for our redemption? It was the death of Christ by the shedding of His blood. Through His death, Jesus purchased us from the slave-market of sin and death, and we are not for re-sale. What immense value there must be in his blood. Gold can buy many things, but it could not purchase any of us from the slave market of sin and death. Only the blood of Christ could do that (1 Peter 1:18-19). Christ’s blood must, therefore, be the most valuable currency in the cosmos.
By the shedding of His blood, Christ Jesus has declared Himself to be the uniquely placed, redeemer for sinners. In Him, there is redemption for the worst and the best of us. He is our ransom. He, by His blood, paid the price of our release from death row.
Romans 3:24 tells us that our redemption is, “in Christ Jesus.” He did not merely come to pay the ransom, He came to be the ransom. He came not only to be the Redeemer, but also to be our actual Redemption. We have redemption, not because we have had an experience, but because we have a Redeemer who gave Himself and poured out His blood as an acceptable sacrifice in our stead. Our redemption is not because we had something wonderful happen in us. Our redemption, in reality, is objectively found in Christ. Christ became our redemption when He took our sins and paid our ransom with His own blood.
Christ is both our ransom and redemption. The weakest saints can now look to Him and see that their redemption is accomplished and secure. God’s people can cease from striving in their flesh, for the Holy Judge of all the earth continually looks on the Person of His Beloved Son and is well pleased. Christ now stands before the throne as our mediator and acceptable redemption. We are purchased with His blood.
In Old Testament times, it was the priestly function to offer up sacrifices. But, who was qualified to offer Christ as a sacrifice on our behalf? Certainly no other person alive could have done that, for all had sinned. How would it be possible, then, for a sinful man to offer up the sinless Lamb of God? The answer is found in Christ alone. He was both the offerer and the offered. As our High Priest, He presented Himself as the perfect offering (Hebrews 9:14). He did what no High Priest could do … He offered Himself. By His blood, He ransomed and redeemed us, and so powerful was the ransom paid by blood that it has put away our sins forever (Hebrews 9:26).
There is, therefore, no redemption found in any other teacher, guru or preacher, for Christ alone poured out His blood and died for us (John 14:6). I’m sure that the vast array of world religions have founders and leaders who have said some sensible things, but not one of them, by their death, redeemed their people. How vividly this contrasts with Christ. He alone is the supplier of salvation for He alone is the purchaser and owner of salvation. All that we need we find in Him alone. We are paid for by His blood.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!