Christ - Our Redeemer

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:68-79

Throughout the Old Testament, there were constant foreshadowings of a divine Redeemer who would deliver men from bondage and captivity. Perhaps the most interesting facet of Old Testament redemption was the kinsman-redeemer which allowed a close family member to rescue a relative through payment of his debts.

The New Testament carry-over is clear. Jesus is our Kinsman. He became flesh and blood so He might share in our humanity, becoming the Son of Man as well as the Son of God. His humanity provided His identity with mankind - being tempted in all things as we are yet without sin.

However, it was the deity of Christ that provided the only acceptable price for deliverance from sin - the shedding of Christ’s blood at Calvary. No one else but Christ could pay the enormous, adequate price. No one could deliver men from sin’s grip except Christ.

The Redeemer has come as your Kinsman, made like you so He could pay the price as your Deliverer. He alone could purchase men from the marketplace of sin and bring them into the kingdom of God.

Our Redeemer came. Our Redeemer lives.

“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20