Redemption as a Purchase: The Price of Christ's Life
Orientation
We often think of our spiritual state as merely unfortunate, but scripture reveals we were sold into a state of bondage.
- Humanity was delivered over to sin, Satan, and the world system.
- This was not a temporary inconvenience but a state of captivity.
- There was no possibility of self-redemption from this condition.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13)
— Colossians 1:13
Clarification
Redemption is not a vague spiritual sentiment but a concrete, finished transaction.
- It is a legal and sacrificial purchasing, not a metaphor for self-improvement.
- The price was not gold, silver, or religious effort, but the life of Christ.
- This transaction results in both forgiveness of sins and liberation from bondage.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:14)
— Colossians 1:14
Structure
God's righteous purchase follows the biblical logic of life for life, with Christ Himself as the currency.
- God's justice demanded a price to satisfy the debt of bondage.
- Christ gave His life as the purchase price, a substitutionary atonement.
- Believers are bought back, resulting in forgiveness and a translated position.
Forasmuch as ye know that ye 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: (1 Peter 1:18-19)
— 1 Peter 1:18-19
Weight-Bearing Prose
Redemption is a Pauline category for a purchasing. Humanity was sold under sin, Satan, and the world system, creating a debt that required a righteous payment. God did not overlook this debt but satisfied it through a substitutionary atonement—the life of His Son. Christ’s blood is the currency of this transaction. This is not a process but a finished work: in Him we have redemption. The effect is twofold, as stated in Colossians 1:14: forgiveness of sins and liberation from the power of darkness. To deny the purchasing nature of redemption is to gut the gospel of its objective, legal foundation and collapse assurance into subjective experience. The believer’s position is one of being bought out of captivity; the chains are broken by a price already paid.
Integration
Your forgiveness and freedom are not up for negotiation. They are secured by the finished work of Christ, who gave Himself as the purchase price. You are not working toward redemption; in Christ, you have it. This is the foundation of your assurance. Rest in the reality that God’s righteous demand has been satisfied, the transaction is complete, and you are His—purchased, forgiven, and liberated forever. Christ is your redemption. There is no pressure to advance from this finished fact, only the invitation to rest in it.