Audio Sermons

Main Reading - Romans Chapter 3 verses 21-26

This is a transcript of a sermon that was preached on Sunday evening 1st October 2000 by Pastor Neil Evans.

We have been studying this section from Romans for the last few weeks and I need not remind you of the importance many scholars place on this section. We have divided these verses into four sections:
Section 1 is verse 21. Section 2 is verses 22 and 23. Last week we started to look at the third section from verses 24 and 25. The last section starts in verse 25 with the words 'to demonstrate His righteousness'; and it ends in verse 26. Last week we took the 3 words justify, freely and grace. This evening we will take the other great word that you have in verse 24, the word 'redemption'. Next week we will look at the word propitiation.

I will recap on the words from last week. But firstly I want to say that over the last week I have been speaking to someone who spent many years in a church where the gospel was preached clearly, and this person for many Sundays heard the message about Christ and the salvation that is found in Him. It was a great shock to me having discovered that this person had listened for so long is still trusting in themselves for a place in Heaven. It is hard for us who believe to think that it could still be the case. What I want to say to you is this, you may have been present on a Sunday for many occasions. I wonder how many here are still in the position where you think you will be in Heaven because of anything to do with yourself. What we have been looking at is that we have all sinned and there is only one way for us and that is in Christ. So let's come and consider these words.

We took the word justified last week and we saw that it is a declaration made by God concerning an individual who has faith in Jesus Christ. That person when they trust in Christ, God makes this declaration about us that we are no longer guilty and condemned, instead we are acquitted and we are free. That is the word justified very briefly.

Then we took the word freely. We saw that the Greek word means a gifts, it means giving something to another person where they make no payment for it whatsoever.

The third word was grace. We saw how this is a tremendously important word for the Apostle Paul. The word grace it describes not something in God but the way God deals with men and women. When we look at the original Greek word we find the word was used to describe how large city states in Greece would help out the weaker, poorer and struggling states. It means acting kindly, mercifully toward someone who is weaker than you.

This Sunday we are taking the word redemption. What I want you to see is that the word redemption, in verse 24 has been chosen by Paul deliberately. He has put it there to contrast with what he has previously said. So take one of the three words already mentioned, freely, what we see is that he says freely and then redemption. You need to see that these words contrast one another and they bring out the meaning of our salvation.

So what about the word redemption? It means to deliver someone by the payment of a price. Let's imagine that in Roman and Greek times we were in a war situation and we had been taken prisoners of war. If our families wanted to release us they would have to make a payment to our captures. They would approach the enemy soldiers offer them a price and that would secure our release. Similarly we could think of slavery, and you know that slavery was common in these times. If you wanted to set a slave free you would pay a price for them. They price was their redemption. There is a third example of a convicted criminal at these times being set free by someone paying an amount to the court. This is also redemption. So tonight we are thinking of a price being paid in order that other people may be set free.

At the end of verse 24 we find these words 'being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus'. We need to realise that Paul is saying that we on the one hand are justified freely by God's grace, whereas on the other hand the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our redeemer. He is the one who has redeemed us. So if redemption is paying a price, what price did Jesus pay for us? , to whom did He pay the price?, and why did we need to be set free?

We will start with the question, why? If we were a prisoner of war or a slave we would see the need to be set free. We need to remind ourselves that every single person in our world is a captive, and that was once true of Christians. We were all once prisoners held by the power of Satan. Satan is described as the god of our world who holds on to men and women and keeps them blind, dark and dead in their sins. Satan used to hold a Christian as a prisoner. You were held a prisoner of your own sin. We were prisoners awaiting execution. We were without God, Christ and hope. We were heading for Hell itself. We needed a redeemer because we were prisoners without hope.

We asked the question what price? Referring to our verse what price did Jesus pay? Remembering that this is very real what I am telling you. This is not a story or theory, we were once a prisoner and Jesus had to pay to redeem each one of us. The price for a slave or soldier was money. Peter in His epistle writes ' knowing this; that you were redeemed not with silver, or gold, but you were redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ'. The answer to the question what price is very clear. He paid Himself, he didn't offer anything less, He came into our world to offer as payment Himself. He came to offer his life and He came to offer His death. There was no higher price that the Lord Jesus Christ could pay. He is the Son of God, God himself paying the price. He who in the beginning was with God, who was God, paid the price. From the moment He took His first breath in this world He began to pay the price. He had to live in a world that hated him, yet He lived perfectly. He became human, and kept God's commandments to the full. He did this becoming the only sacrifice that was able to match the price. He did this for you and me, this was the only way to pay the price for each of us. When you imagine Him on the cross He is paying the price for your personal sin. God freely gave this gift of Himself to pay for our salvation. Whilst suffering on the cross He says 'it is finished' meaning that the price to cover sin is complete it is then He is prepared to die. Read Hebrews Chapter 9, God says that not only is there a punishment price, there is a life price, the wages of sin is death.

Having suffered Jesus offers His life to God as the price to free all believers. He does this so you and I can be redeemed. To whom does He pay this price? It is to God Himself. It is hard to understand but God sends Christ to pay the redemption price to God. Jesus comes as part of the Godhead and is the only one able to meet the required price. We could never see God without this having happened for us personally. Believers must one of those whom Jesus has redeemed through His suffering. Our redemption relies totally on Jesus having come and paid for us as believers. When He pays for His chosen people it is in full every sin you have done and will do. He has done this freely and graciously.

To Him be all the praise and glory. Amen.