To redeem is to buy back or set free by paying a price. God told Israel, "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm" (Exodus 6:6), and the psalmist promised "plenteous redemption" (Psalm 130:7). In Christ that promise came true: He "gave himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:6), and He "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity" (Titus 2:14).
Redemption is one of the Bible's great words, and Advent and Christmas are the season it comes alive. In everyday Israelite life, a redeemer was a close relative who paid to buy back family land, or a family member who had been sold into service, so that no one was lost for good. God took that ordinary family duty and made it a picture of what He does for His people. He redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt, He promised a Redeemer who would come, and at Bethlehem the Redeemer was born. The King James Version uses redeem, redeemed, redeemer and redemption well over a hundred times. These twelve verses trace that story from the law of Moses to the manger and on to the day when our redemption is complete. For the cost of that ransom, see Bible verses about the blood of Jesus, and for what it means to be saved, see Bible verses about salvation.
What it means to be redeemed
1. Leviticus 25:25
"If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold."
This is the law behind the idea of a redeemer. If an Israelite fell on hard times and had to sell family land, any of his kin could come to redeem it, buying it back so it stayed in the family. The Hebrew word for this relative is goel, often translated kinsman-redeemer. The land really belonged to God (Leviticus 25:23), and He did not want anyone to lose their place permanently. Redemption starts with a God who cares about people who have lost what was theirs.
2. Exodus 6:6-7
"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."
When Moses was discouraged in Egypt, God gave him a string of promises: I will bring you out, I will rid you of bondage, I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and I will take you to me for a people. Jewish tradition links four cups of wine at the Passover meal to these four promises. Redemption in Exodus is not only rescue from something; it is rescue for something. God frees His people so that they can belong to Him: I will be to you a God.
3. Deuteronomy 15:15
"And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day."
Moses gave this reason for releasing Hebrew servants in the seventh year and sending them away with generous gifts (Deuteronomy 15:12-14): thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee. People who have been redeemed should treat others with mercy. The same is true for Christians. Remembering what God has freed us from makes us gentler with others, more generous and slower to hold anyone in debt.
4. Psalms 130:7-8
"Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
Psalm 130 begins Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD (Psalm 130:1). The writer knows his own sin, and he waits for God more than they that watch for the morning (Psalm 130:6). Then he turns to the whole nation with hope: with him is plenteous redemption. Plenteous means more than enough. The psalm ends with a promise that God shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. No one is too deep for God's redemption to reach.
The Redeemer comes: Advent and Christmas
5. Isaiah 59:20
"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD."
Isaiah 59 is a hard chapter about sin and injustice, with no one able to set things right. Then God promises to act Himself: the Redeemer shall come to Zion. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 11:26 and applies it to Christ. In Advent, Christians remember the long centuries of waiting for this promise. The Redeemer comes unto them that turn from transgression, which means He comes for people who know they need Him and turn to Him.
6. Luke 2:38
"And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."
When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, an elderly widow and prophetess named Anna recognized Him. She gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Anna had spent years in the temple praying (Luke 2:37). Her long wait ended with a baby in His mother's arms. Some of the first people to share the news of Christmas were faithful older believers who had never stopped hoping.
7. 1 Timothy 2:5-6
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
Paul explains how redemption happens: there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. A ransom is the price paid to free a captive. Jesus used the word ransom for His own mission (Mark 10:45). The Christmas story and the cross belong together. The baby was born to become the mediator, fully God and fully man, who could stand between us and God and pay what we never could.
8. Titus 2:14
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
Titus 2:11-14 is read in many churches at Christmas. It describes Jesus as the one Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity. Redemption has a purpose: purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. In the KJV, peculiar means His own special possession, not strange. Christ did not only pay a debt; He bought a people for Himself and makes them eager to do good. Our good works are the fruit of redemption, not its price.
Living as the redeemed
9. Psalms 34:22
"The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate."
David wrote Psalm 34 after escaping danger in a frightening situation (see its title). He ends with a promise that covers every believer: The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants, and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Desolate means abandoned and empty. Redeemed people may still go through hard seasons, as David did, but they are never left alone. The one who paid for them will not walk away from them.
10. Lamentations 3:58
"O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life."
Lamentations mourns the fall of Jerusalem, and chapter 3 describes being thrown into a dungeon (Lamentations 3:53-55). Then the writer remembers: thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. To plead a cause is legal language, the work of a kinsman-redeemer standing up for a relative in court (Proverbs 23:11). When you feel accused, condemned or trapped, you have a Redeemer who takes your side.
11. Isaiah 62:12
"And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken."
Isaiah 62 gives God's people new names. Instead of Forsaken and Desolate (Isaiah 62:4), they will be called The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD. The city will be called Sought out, A city not forsaken. Redemption changes how God sees us and what He calls us. If you have carried an old label for years, such as failure, unwanted or too far gone, this verse invites you to hear the names God gives the redeemed.
12. Luke 21:28
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
Jesus spoke about frightening signs before His return, and then said, look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. This passage is one of the readings many churches use at the start of Advent. Our redemption has begun, but it is not finished. Paul calls the coming day the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). So redeemed people live with their heads up, not because life is easy, but because the Redeemer is coming back.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, my Redeemer, thank You for buying me back at such a cost. You came at Christmas to be the one mediator, and You gave Yourself as a ransom for me. Thank You for plenteous redemption that reaches into my deepest places. Help me remember what You have freed me from, so that I am merciful to others. Give me a heart eager to do good, and let me lift up my head as I wait for the day You make all things new. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Follow our free Advent reading plan · Study the Redeemer's story with the SOAP Bible Study Journal · Memorize verses about redemption with the Scripture Memory Cards
Frequently asked questions
What does redemption mean in the Bible?
Redemption means buying back or setting free by paying a price. In Israel, a relative could redeem land or a family member (Leviticus 25). God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt, and in the New Testament Christ redeems sinners by His death: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). See Bible verses about the cross.
Why is Jesus called our Redeemer?
Because He paid the price to set us free. Peter wrote that "ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold" (1 Peter 1:18) but with the precious blood of Christ. Job's famous words, "For I know that my redeemer liveth" (Job 19:25), are often sung at Easter and in Handel's Messiah. Like a kinsman-redeemer, Jesus became one of us so that He could buy us back.
How is redemption connected to Christmas?
Paul links the two directly: "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law," (Galatians 4:4) "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4:5). Zacharias also praised God because "he hath visited and redeemed his people," (Luke 1:68). The baby in the manger came to be the Redeemer. See Bible verses about Advent.
What is the difference between redemption and salvation?
They overlap. Salvation is the broad word for God rescuing us from sin and its results. Redemption focuses on how He does it, by paying a price: "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:20). Justification, forgiveness and adoption are other ways the Bible describes the same rescue. See Bible verses about grace.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Salvation · Blood of Jesus · The cross · Grace · Advent · Restoration · Sin · Kingdom of God
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