BibleProject | Redemption in the Biblical Storyഉദാഹരണം

Humanity’s Endless Redemption

Today’s video recaps key moments we’ve explored so far—the exodus from Egypt, exile in Babylon, and Jesus’ arrival—to show how all humanity awaits redemption.

In previous takeaways, we’ve seen that redemption can include rescue from death, freedom from enslavement and a return to one’s true family with God, and the life-giving restoration of Sabbath rest. Humanity longs to rest in peace, not after death but as an actual way of life.

Today’s readings are from New Testament passages that suggest redemption into real peace is happening now because of and through Jesus. But the multi-layered biblical concept of redemption does not refer to a single idea or moment. Hebrews 9 shows Jesus, the Christ, securing “eternal redemption” for people, not by slaughtering human enemies but by facing death and giving himself in love to friend and enemy alike.

Peter portrays Jesus’ blood as a ransom payment, but notice that it’s not to appease God. Instead, by willfully dying, Jesus gives his life over to death and crushes death’s power. In the power of God’s love, he invites everyone into resurrection life with him, setting humanity free.

Jesus frees people from death’s captivity so that they may instead be captivated by righteousness (Rom. 6:15-19) and compelled by love to live in right relationship with God and others. As 1 Peter says, Jesus redeems people from an “empty way of life” to be “born anew,” into lives driven by love for God, others, and all creation (1 Pet. 1:18, 22-23).

By giving of himself and teaching us to love, Jesus is restoring us into a true human family made in God’s image. He repossesses us back into the family of God, expanding indefinitely the redemption pattern that began in Exodus.

From God, we are given life, and through God in Christ, we find redemption for our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls—total, incorruptible, and lasting redemption.

Reflection Exercises:

• Some of the early pictures of redemption in the Hebrew Bible include the destruction of “bad guys” in order to free, or redeem, the “good guys.” But over time, the good guys become no better than the bad guys, leading to the conclusion that redemption for humanity needs to happen in a different way. According to today’s video, how is Jesus’ way of redemption different from our expectations of redemption? (Hint: Review the final half of the video and focus on what Jesus does and does not do.)
• You may have entered this reading plan with an already formed understanding of redemption in the Bible, or you may have started fresh. Take a moment to meditate on what parts of your understanding have deepened, and pay attention to the new questions that have emerged.

Final Greetings:

Thank you for engaging with the BibleProject Redemption reading plan. We hope that this adventure through key Hebrew Bible and New Testament passages has been helpful. This plan is intended to guide readers through only a sampling of the many biblical pictures of redemption, so consider this the start of a longer journey. You’ve got the basics, and you know what to look for. Keep seeking, and remember that Jesus promises to help you learn the truth.