1 Peter 1:18-19—Redeemed

…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19

Peter had just written that our Father judges according to each one’s work, and because of that, we should conduct our lives in fear—the fear of the Lord.

And just in case anyone still thought they could treat their salvation as a “gimme”, Peter stressed his point further with a sobering reminder of the price of their redemption.

…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

Back in the days of the early church, Roman citizenship was highly valued. It was so prized that many non-citizens would save up for a lifetime to purchase it, qualifying them to all the privileges that accompanied citizenship. Even Paul the apostle avoided a lashing by asserting his natural-born Roman citizenship; the commander in charge of Paul’s punishment admitted that he had purchased his citizenship with a large sum of money (see Acts 22).

This well-known method of attaining privileged status was nothing like redemption from God. Unlike Roman citizenship, you can’t buy your redemption. No amount of silver or gold will ever be able to purchase your soul from hell. How could it? Your soul is eternal; silver and gold are perishable.

Only one commodity exists which can redeem your soul from eternal destruction—the precious blood of Jesus the unblemished, spotless Lamb of God. And that blood did not just magically appear before the throne of God in exchange for your sins—no, Jesus had to allow His body to be broken first—marred more than any man, according to Isaiah—before His blood could be presented as the purchase price for your redemption.

… you were… redeemed… from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers…

Jesus redeemed you from something—a futile way of life. No matter how talented, gifted, skilled, intelligent, or charismatic you may have been, your days were spent in futility before God’s intervention.

You were redeemed from constantly having to measure up to the unattainable mandates placed on you by others who themselves live in futility. You were redeemed from sin, hopelessness, and destruction…and your redemption was paid in full by the Savior of your soul.

Think about this: If you were kidnapped, tied and duct-taped by evil souls, and a ransom was paid and lives were lost to attain your release—would you consider your rescue to be no big deal once it was behind you and in the annals of history? Would you seek to return to the lifestyle that brought you into captivity in the first place? Would that be attractive to you? When Peter contrasts the depths of futility to the immeasurable value of redemption, he exposes the folly of such attraction.

That which man could not do for himself, and that which gold and silver could not purchase, God settled, once for all, in the redemptive death of His Son Jesus Christ.

Everything else pales in comparison.

Dorothy

For thus says the LORD, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money.” Isaiah 52:3

© 2015, Dorothy Frick