b) The Price that Was Paid for our Freedom from Sin’s Dominion:

Below, the story about the boy who lost his model boat well illustrates the meaning of ‘redemption.’

Tommy carried his new boat to the edge of the river. He carefully placed it in the water and slowly let out the string. How smoothly the boat sailed! Tommy sat in the warm sunshine, admiring the little boat that he had built.

Suddenly a strong current caught the boat. Tommy tried to pull it back to shore, but the string broke. The little boat raced downstream. Tommy ran along the sandy shore as fast as he could. But his little boat soon slipped out of sight. All afternoon he searched for the boat. Finally, when it was too dark to look any longer, Tom sadly went home.

A few days later, on the way home from school, Tom spotted a boat just like his in a store window. When he got closer, he could see--sure enough--it was his!

Tommy hurried to the store manager: “Sir, that’s my boat in your window! I made it!”

“Sorry, son, but someone else brought it in this morning. If you want it, you’ll have to buy it for one dollar.

Tommy ran home and counted all his money. Exactly one dollar!

When he reached the store, he rushed to the counter. “Here’s the money for the boat.” As he left the store, Tom hugged his boat and said, “Now you are twice mine. First, I made you and now I bought you.” (from a gospel tract by Good News Publishers)

God created man, but because of Adam’s sin, man became lost. Lost mankind had become usurped by Satan. But Jesus said, “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10). God created us and by Christ’s cross… He bought us (He ‘redeemed’ us)

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20)

What price did God pay to ‘redeem lost mankind from Satan’s Dominion?

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (manner of life) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

God the Father made the great sacrifice of His Son… to redeem mankind! So, salvation is FREE to us who will simply believe the blood and cross of Christ are sufficient, but it was certainly not CHEAP!

c) A Wonderful Freedom:

When God redeemed the children of Israel (“see a)”), He delivered them and set them free from Egyptian bondage. They were no longer slaves of Pharaoh!  

“But God be thanked, that ye were (formerly) the servants (slaves) of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine (teaching) which was delivered you.” (Romans 6:17)  

“But now being made free from sin (Sin’s dominion), and become servants (slaves) to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Romans 6:22)

Now we are free to serve Him as “the love of God constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5: 14-15)!

d) Our New Owner as “the Lord” of Our Lives:

           Israel was no longer under the ownership of the Egyptians. Note who became Israel’s new owner.

“… what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? ²⁴ For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.” (2 Samuel 7:23-24)

Israel in Egypt foreshadows our bondage to “the world” and Pharaoh foreshadows “Satan” as its god. Today, God says to every believer: “ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Remember the story of the boat; we are TWICE HIS! Once by His Creation and once again by His Redeeming us!

God has redeemed all believing mankind… all they must do is receive Christ by faith. 

“they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” (Rev. 5:9)

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity (Sin)….” (Titus 2:14a)

We now have wonderful Redeemer and Lord; it’s now for us to be His willing slaves. (cf. Deut. 15:16-17)!

I believe that it is a dishonor it is toward the Lord that so many Christians today view the work of the Christ’s cross and their salvation as… just another ‘item’ in the portfolio of their lives. Our lives are to be taken up with the Lord and His work on the earth…  because of our love for Him and what He has done for us and freely offers to us by the simple exercise of … receiving Him by grace through faith. I would guess it may be because so few Christians understand their lost condition and His glorious salvation that is to be proclaimed by “the preaching of the cross.” And, this I would lay at the feet of the Apostate Christian church today who is focused not on the cross, but upon numbers drawn by the entertainment they offer in their “churches,” which then are really nothing but social gathering to tickle the ears of the attendees.

CONCLUSION: The fact is that the secret of God’s good news to men is centered in Calvary’s Cross. This is because it was there that Christ was to shed His blood and die for sin, so that God could proclaim good news to all lost sinners down through the ages. It was not until sometime after the crucifixion that the Apostle Paul was given to “the preaching of the cross,” as he then widely proclaimed it as “the gospel [good news] of the grace of God.”

“the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God” (1Cor. 1:18b) “…neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)

The proclamation of “the gospel of the grace of God” was the natural accompaniment to the revelation of “the cross.” The Cross is the basis for the good news of God’s ‘mystery gospel’ that had been “kept secret” (Rom 16:25). In Paul’s proclamation of God’s abundant grace to sinners, everything centers in the cross of Christ.

Paul’s epistles tell us; “we have redemption through His (Christ’s) blood” (Eph.1:7), we are;

“justified by His blood” (Rom.5:9), “reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom.5:10), “made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph.2:13), “made the righteousness of God in Him” because…

“God hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us” (2 Cor.5:21).

The “covenant” of “the Law” was abolished by the cross. “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” (Colossians 2:14) The curse of the Law was removed by the cross. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, (by) being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Galatians 3:13)

The long-standing “middle wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile was broken down by the cross.

“he (Jesus) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ¹⁵ Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man (in “the church, which is His Body”), so making peace;” (Eph. 2:14-15)

Thus, believers in Christ are now “reconciled to God in (the) one body (of Christ) by the cross” (Eph. 2:16). Little wonder that Paul calls his gospel message “the preaching of the cross”! To genuine believers, this is inspiring. How thankful we should be, to see the Cross as “the wisdom of God.” The Cross is His reply to Satan.

Yes, at first glance it had appeared that the Cross was Satan’s greatest triumph. The outworking of the cross of Christ as “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” now indwelling His believers is “the revelation of the mystery” that God had “kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25, cf. Col. 1:25-27).

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a ‘mystery (secret plan),’ even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: ⁸ Which (Satan and) none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8)

Yes, Satan, in retrospect would have a living Jesus today than the crucified Lord who rose as the life-giving spirit (1Cor 15:45) to indwell the spirit of every believing member of “the church… the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 1:22b-23a)