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• Jesus Christ: the redeemer

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 Jesus Christ: the redeemer

Though many people these days celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - others out of
a religious motivation and others out of a commercial one - few are those that have an
adequate knowledge of the purpose of this birth. For really, according to the Word of
God, Jesus Christ was born having from the beginning a specific mission, that was to pay
with his life for the remission of our sins. As the angel said to Joseph, when Jesus was
still in Mary's womb:

Matthew 1:21
"And she [Mary] will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus: for he will
save his people from their sins."

"Jesus" in Hebrew means "the Lord (Jehovah) our salvation", and really it was
Jesus Christ the one through whom the Lord, the Jehovah, would bring salvation to the
people and would save them from their sins. As the Word says commenting on the
suggestion of Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews, about the crucifixion of Jesus:

John 11:50-52
"[Caiaphas is speaking] "Nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man
should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." And this he
didn't say of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die
for the nation; And not for that nation only, but also that he would gather together in one
the children of God that were scattered abroad."
(NKJV-KJV)

Jesus Christ was born to die for all of us, and some of the effects of this death we
will examine in this article.
1. Jesus Christ: our redeemer from sins

One of the things that is many times referred as a result of Jesus' death is
redemption. "Redemption" is a work that assumes the existence of a redeemer i.e.
someone that makes the redemption available, and the existence of a ransom that is paid
for it. To find out what was that from which Jesus Christ redeemed us as well as what
was the ransom that he paid, we will go to Titus 2:14. There we read:

Titus 2:14
"Who [Jesus] GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM
ALL INIQUITY"
(NKJV_KJV)

Jesus Christ redeemed us FROM ALL INIQUITY, and he obtained it by GIVING

HIMSELF FOR US. In other words, HE was the ransom of our redemption from "ALL
INIQUITY". As he himself also said in Matthew 20:28:

Matthew 20:28
"just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, AND TO GIVE HIS
LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY."

Jesus came "to serve AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE A RANSOM FOR MANY". And
as great as was this ransom that was paid for us so great was also the redemption that was
obtained by it. Really, Hebrews 9:11-12 speaking for this redemption tells us:

Hebrews 9:11-12
"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; Not with the
blood of goats and calves, BUT WITH HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE
INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR
US."
(NKJV-KJV)

The priests of the law offered calves and goats by which they endeavored to
obtain the remission of sins. As we will see later, what they were doing was inadequate.
In contrast, Jesus presented to God HIS OWN BLOOD by which he obtained ETERNAL
REDEMPTION FOR US. As Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 also say:

Ephesians 1:7
"In him [Jesus] WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of his [God's] grace;"

Colossians 1:14
"In whom [Jesus] WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, even the
forgiveness of sins:"

The redemption is not in our good works and behaviour. It is not in our religious
devotion. It is not in our worth and personal value. Instead it is IN JESUS. And it is a
redemption "according to the riches of God's grace" i.e. an abundant, complete and as we
read eternal redemption.

2. Jesus Christ: our redeemer from Adam's sin

As it was mentioned in the last section, Jesus Christ was the ransom that was paid
for ALL our sins, for "ALL iniquity" as Titus 2:14 says. However, it should be made
clear that to this "ALL", apart from the sins that one commits during his life, it is also
included the sin that Adam committed with his fall, and which passes from generation to
generation to all men, making them sinners from the very moment they are born. Really,
as Romans 5:18-19 tells us:

Romans 5:18-19
"Therefore as by the offense of ONE [Adam] judgment came upon ALL men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ] the free gift came upon
all men to justification of life. For as BY ONE MAN'S [Adam's] DISOBEDIENCE
MANY WERE MADE SINNERS, so by one man's [Jesus'] obedience many will be
made righteous."
(KJV-NKJV)

The disobedience of Adam didn't cost only his own fall1, but it also made all those
that were born after him sinners, though they themselves didn't commit his sin. Thus,
there is no man that can say that he does not need redemption, for even in the
hypothetical [however, only hypothetical2] case that he hadn't done something wrong,
there is still the sin of Adam that makes him a sinner from the time of his birth.
Obviously therefore, our redemption would be completely inadequate, if it didn't include
the sin of Adam. For really what would be the profit if we were "redeemed" from the sins
that we have done and we weren't redeemed from the sins that we haven't done, yet we
have been charged of (Adam's sin)? Thus, Jesus Christ had also to redeem us from the
sin that Adam bequeathed to us. And that's what he did. As Romans 5:19 told us:

Romans 5:19
"as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, SO BY ONE MAN'S [Jesus']
OBEDIENCE MANY WILL BE MADE RIGHTEOUS."
(KJV-NKJV)

1
See Biblical Insights, Vol.1, Iss. 5, 6 for more on what happened at the fall.
2
As I John 1:10 tells us: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His
word is not in us."
 Though Adam's sin passes from generation to generation, infecting all men,
through the obedience and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, we can all get rid not only of this
sin but also of every other sin that may have infected our lives. As we read in Titus 2:14:

Titus 2:14
"Who [Jesus] GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM
ALL INIQUITY,"
(KJV-NKJV)
When it says ALL iniquity it means ALL iniquity obviously including the sin of
Adam. Today when someone is born, is still born a sinner. However, now there is a way
out from this situation, that is called believing in the Lord Jesus. Really, as Acts 10:43
tells us:

Acts 10:43
"To him [Jesus] all the prophets witness that, through his name, WHOEVER BELIEVES
IN HIM WILL RECEIVE REMISSION OF SINS."

It is so simple: you believe in Jesus Christ and all your sins are forgiven. Yet it
cost so much to be obtained. It cost the precious blood of the only begotten Son of God.
To conclude therefore, though in the first birth we are born sinners, in the second
birth, the birth from above (see John 3:3-8), which occurs at the moment we believe in
the Lord Jesus and in his resurrection, we are re-born totally pure, as the believing that is
responsible for this second birth, cleanses us from ALL sin.

3. Jesus Christ: the perfect sacrifice

Having seen that Jesus' sacrifice redeemed us from all sin, someone may ask what
was then the role of the various sacrifices and offerings that are recorded in the law3, and

3
See for example: Exodus, Leviticus, Deutoronomy and Numbers.
which aimed to the forgiveness of the sins for which they were offered? Before we say
anything about the value of those sacrifices, it should be made clear that there was
nothing anticipated in the law, for the forgiveness of Adam's sin. Nothing was able to
help man to get rid of it. Thus people were born sinners and remained sinners even if
they had offered all the sacrifices of the law for the various sins recorded there. This
situation changed only with the sacrifice of Jesus after which, though we are still born
sinners, we can be cleansed from this sin and in fact from all sins, by believing in Christ.
Now, leaving aside Adam's sin, and returning to the sacrifices and offerings for
sins recorded in the law, the Word of God characterises them as inadequate. Really, in
Hebrews 10:1-4 we read:

Hebrews 10:1-4
"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year,
make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered?
For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in
those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. FOR IT IS NOT POSSIBLE
THAT THE BLOOD OF BULLS AND OF GOATS COULD TAKE AWAY SINS"

As the last verse of the above passage makes clear, the animal sacrifices that the
law anticipated for the remission of sins, were insufficient for this job, for as it says "it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins". And since
Hebrew 9:22 tells us:

Hebrews 9:22
"without shedding of blood there is no remission."

it is obvious that another blood was needed to be shed for true remission. What was this?
The blood of Jesus Christ. Really, in Hebrews 10:6-12 we read:
Hebrews 10:10-12
"By that will [see verse 5-9 for the context] we are sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. And every priest stands ministering daily and
offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins: But this man
[Jesus Christ], after he HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER sat
down at the right hand of God;
(NKJV-KJV)

Jesus Christ dealt with the problem of sin ONCE FOR ALL. In contrast to the
priests that repeatedly offered the same sacrifices "which can never take away sin", his
sacrifice for sins was ONE by which he obtained "eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12).
That's why there is now no need for other sacrifices as also Hebrew 10:18 very plainly
tells us:

Hebrews 10:18
"Now where there is remission of these, THERE IS NO LONGER AN OFFERING FOR
SIN."

This passage does not say that there is no more sin. What it says is that there is no
more offering for sin. And this because the offer of Jesus Christ has eternal power
against sin. Not only against the sins that we have committed as unbelievers or against
Adam's sin, but also against the sins that we may have committed after we became
Christians. These sins are also forgiven through the redemptive power of the blood of
Jesus, when they are confessed to God. Really, I John 1:7-9 says:

I John 1:7-9
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
 The blood of Jesus is the only medicine that can cure us from the illness of sin.
The law commanded this sacrifice for this sin, that sacrifice for the other and so on. And
yet all these sacrifices could not cure the problem of sin. However, what the law could
not obtain, Jesus Christ obtained it by sacrificing himself. Now, everyone that believes in
him is washed from ALL his sins. As Revelation 1:5 tells us:

Revelation 1:5
"And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler
over the kings of the earth. TO HIM THAT LOVED US, AND WASHED US FROM
OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD,"

Jesus Christ washed us from our sins in his own blood. It was he that did the job.
It doesn't even say that we washed ourselves. He did it all. And he did it COMPLETELY
with no need for something more.

4. Jesus Christ: our reconciliation with God

Having seen that the sacrifice of Jesus gave us the remission of sins, let's now
move ahead to see something else that it also gave us, through this remission. What was
this? Our reconciliation with God. Really though before Jesus' sacrifice we were sinners
and therefore enemies to God, after his sacrifice and our believing in him, we were
redeemed and washed from all our sins. This made us righteous and reconciled us with
God. As Romans 5:6-10 tells us:

Romans 5:6-10
"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man someone would
even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, WE WERE
RECONCILED TO GOD THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON, much more, having
been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
(NKJV-KJV)

Jesus Christ died for us, when we were still sinners and enemies to God. With his
death, he reconciled us to God, for his death paid for all our sins and transformed us,
when we believed, from sinners to righteous. As I Peter 3:18 also says:
I Peter 3:18
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, THAT HE MIGHT
BRING US TO GOD, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit:"

Jesus Christ, the just suffered for all of us, the unjust, and with his sacrifice he
BROUGHT US to God. Now if Christ has brought us to God, do we still need to be
brought to Him? No, for Christ has done it. As Christians, we are no longer far from God
nor we need to be brought to Him. Instead, we are reconciled with Him. And it was not
we that made it possible but Jesus. As the text says: "HE suffered....THAT HE might
bring us to God". Moreover, Colossians 1:19-23 adds:

Colossians 1:19-23
"For it pleased the Father that in him [Jesus] all the fullness should dwell; And, having
made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself; by
him, I say, whether things on earth, or things in heaven. And you, who once were
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the
body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach
in his sight: If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not
moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, and which was preached to
every creature under heaven, of which I Paul became a minister;"
(NKJV-KJV)
 Are we now alienated and enemies to God? Are we now strangers to Him? No.
We "WERE SOMETIME alienated and enemies". We are not now. For, "NOW he [God]
has RECONCILED us in the body of his [Jesus'] flesh THROUGH [Jesus'] DEATH". As
Ephesians 2:19 says:

Ephesians 2:19
"Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and members of the household of God;"
5. Conclusion

In this article we examined some of the effects of Jesus' sacrifice, giving special
emphasis to the remission of sins that was obtained by it. As we saw, by his death Jesus
redeemed us from all sin, the sin of Adam included, reconciling us with God. Therefore,
today we are neither sinners, nor strangers, nor enemies to God. In contrast we are,
saved, righteous, sanctified and reconciled with God, and this all not because we did
something but because Jesus Christ, our redeemer did, by giving himself a ransom for all
of us. Closing therefore this article, let's keep in mind the words of I Peter 1:18-19 that
says:

I Peter 1:18-19
"knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from
your aimless contact received by tradition from your fathers, BUT WITH THE
PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND
WITHOUT SPOT."

Tassos Kioulachoglou