1 Pet 1:18,19
INTRO: To call upon God as our Father involves our being born again ... it involves our being adopted by God to become His children. But the New Testament uses many other figures to explain and describe this new and lovely relationship. And one thing they seem to have in common is the fact of a change in positions and relationships. One of those additional figures is set forth in our text ... it is found under the term redeemed. And Peter is not hesitant to use the motivation of obligation and gratitude to urge Christians to be holy.
I. THE IDEA OF REDEMPTION
A. Some common ideas
1. a pawn shop an item in pawn redeemed at a price
2. redeem yourself a person is under obligation must perform in a certain way to redeem himself
3. stamp redemption center your stamps redeem products (or the products redeem the stamps)
4. slaves could buy freedom (Acts 22:28)
B. Redemption in the Old Testament
1. Num 3:13 all firstborn belonged to God ... man and beast were His
2. but firstborn children and unclean beasts could be redeemed by payment of a sum of money
3. thus, the redeemed came back into owners control
C. Redemption permeates the New Testament
1. ransom, redeem are great New Testament words, concepts
2. Lk 1:67-69 Zacharias announces that the time of redemption has come
3. Rev 5:9 that provision is now an accomplished fact
D. But redeemed from what or whom?
1. in general - from dominion of Satan/sin (Col 1:13,14)
2. in our text ... futile way of living (Ph) received by tradition of your fathers
3. for Jews Judaism had become empty, vain by its wrongful interpretation by Pharisees, etc. ... for Gentiles nothing about paganism was wholesome!
4. worthy of thought ... and inherited faith needs examination
II. NOW, WHAT WAS THE REDEMPTION PRICE?
A. Not corruptible things (1:18)
1. silver and gold are specifically mentioned
2. some might wonder what is more valuable the recent scramble for silver/gold supports such as wondering
3. butthere are things money cannot buy -Acts 3:1-3,6-8
B. Not with animal sacrifices and blood
1. this is implied in 1:19
2. Heb 10:1,4 however, those offerings did foreshadow what was to be the perfect offering
3. and we know pagan offerings had no efficacy - 1 Cor 10:20
C. ...the precious blood of Christ ... (1:19)
1. here was the perfect, planned price (Heb 10:10-12 and
Rev 13:8)
2. some have irreverently said there wasnt enough blood to cover one man, much less all humanity! but we speak of quality not quantity!
3. 1 Pet 2:22-24 here is quality! Mk 10:45
D. So, we are bought, ransomed to the Lord
1. 1 Cor 6:20; 2 Pet 2:1; Gal 3:13
2. which is further basis for our having to live holy lives .. the Lord has a righteous claim on us
3. it seems, though, the people have lost the sense of obligation to anyone, anything ... much less to Christ
CLOSE: There is nothing wholesome or right about doing things which shame our Master. It is not funny; it is not responsible; it is not profitable for ourselves. Let us always remember how much it cost God to ransom us and give Him back lives of holiness.
Cecil A. Hutson
25 April 2001
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)