“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
— Hebrews 9:11-12 (KJV)

I encourage you to read all the way through to verse 14 for the full context of Christ’s eternal redemption.

Let’s start with what “redemption” means. According to Merriam-Webster, redemption is defined as the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment or clearing a debt. In a biblical sense, it is deliverance from the enslavement of sin and release into freedom by the sacrifice of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

“The death of Christ is the redemptive act. The word redemption contains the ideas of deliverance and the price of that deliverance—a ransom of a person, a soul, or even a human life.”

Romans 3:23–24 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, yet God in His kindness declares that we are righteous. That declaration came when He freed us from the penalty of our sins. The penalty was death.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
— Romans 6:23

Throughout the book of Leviticus, we read of sacrifices that were made—some voluntary, like burnt offerings, and some mandatory, like sin offerings. These sacrifices consisted of animals or grain. The punishment for sin was death. God’s perfect justice demanded a life for a life.

“It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
— Leviticus 17:11

Animal sacrifices were only a stopgap. They could not remove guilt or forgive sin as we read in Hebrews 9. They were symbolic for the present time—rituals that had to be repeated year after year, never enough to satisfy the debt. Sin was never to be tolerated.

When Jesus was on the cross, God had to turn His back on Him because He could not look on sin. Jesus took the punishment for us. Sin was never to go unpunished. When mankind sinned, death was the punishment. We deserved to die, but because of God’s love and mercy, He spared us.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8

During the time of Adam and Eve, instead of killing them, God killed an animal and used its skin to cover their nakedness. Some may refer to this as the first sacrifice. God wanted Adam and Eve to know that sin has consequences. Blood had to be shed for the remission of sin—and in our case, Jesus’ blood was shed for our redemption, to settle our debt once and for all.

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.”
— Galatians 3:13

In the Old Testament, animals were offered as a ransom price—a substitution. The children of Israel were redeemed from slavery in Egypt when God revealed Himself as Deliverer, redeeming His people from danger, oppression, captivity, and death.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul… who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.”
— Psalm 103:4

In the book of Ruth, Boaz acted as kinsman-redeemer to Ruth and Naomi, liberating them from destruction by buying back their land and taking Ruth as his wife. In the same way, Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. Scripture tells us we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity, but God in His mercy sent His only begotten Son to redeem us back to Himself.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
— Matthew 20:28

I love the Old Testament because it gives me a greater appreciation for the New. When I think of how God loves us and the sacrifices He put in place to draw us back to Himself, I am grateful that Jesus appeared in human form, humbling Himself in obedience to God, and died a criminal’s death on the cross for me.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16

God redeemed us on purpose, for purpose, and with purpose. Our minds, bodies, and spirits were corrupted by sin, but in spite of that, God purposely sent a Savior to redeem us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
— John 1:1,14

Hell was not created for mankind but for the devil and his angels. We were born to have fellowship with God, to glorify, worship, and love Him.

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
— Revelation 4:11

We were redeemed so we could serve Him. God does not need us—He is still God—but He gave us the ability to know, love, and serve Him. How do we do that? By loving our neighbors as ourselves, bearing one another’s burdens, and becoming disciples of His.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
— Matthew 28:19

Because of redemption, we are new creations. Old things have passed away; all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1). We now have liberty and freedom from the bondage of sin and from the wrath and judgment of God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
— Ephesians 2:8

“We don’t have to slay a lamb anymore. We don’t have to sprinkle blood on the door. Someone has taken the place of the lamb—His name is Jesus, the Great I Am.”

He paid the debt we owed through His precious blood.

Amen, amen, and amen.

Thank You, Lord. Hallelujah. God, thank You for Your blood. Thank You for shedding Your blood on the cross for us. Thank You for buying us back and paying the debt we could not pay. We thank You this morning for Your redemption. Hallelujah! We glorify You and honor You this morning.

In Jesus’ name, and even when the enemy comes against us, help us remember that we are Yours. We thank You. Amen and amen.