Redemption
“Redemption has a technical meaning relative to the freeing of slaves. Here, the bondage is to sins; the act of releasing is forgiveness; the price of redemption is blood—the human life of Christ given over to death for the sake of new life. This beginning of life in Christ is not merely legal, nor instantaneous, but living and dynamic.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Ephesians 1:7-8)
“Forgiveness of sins follows redemption, for there would be no forgiveness of sin for anyone before redemption occurs. First then we need to be redeemed, to be no longer subject to our captor and oppressor, so that having been freed and taken out of his hands we may be able to receive the benefit of remission of sins. Once our wounds have been healed we are called to live in accord with piety and the other virtues.” (Origen)
“We could consider the deliverance of God’s people from the yoke of Pharaoh to pre-figure redemption of the People of the New Covenant from the yoke of the evil one. Moses was told by God: “Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Ex 19: 5-6). But God’s work of redemption was not to be limited to this concrete deliverance. It was to be a deliverance from sin and death universally open to all mankind. Jesus, is born to redeem and heal us all. Christ the Ruler would rule over the new law or covenant with His people.” (Fr. George Morelli)
“Through His unspeakable goodness, God gave to the fallen man a Redeemer and redemption. But the redeemed man is still free: free either to make use of the redemption given him and to return to Paradise, or to reject redemption and remain numbered among the fallen angels. His entire life on earth is the time given to man to express his will.” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)
“Theosis [our union with God] describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each person becomes ever more perfect, ever more holy, ever more united with God. It is not a static relationship, nor does it take place only after death. On the contrary, theosis is a movement of love toward God which begins for each Christian with the rites of Baptism and which continues throughout this life, as well as the life which is to come. Salvation means liberation from sin, death, and evil. Redemption means our repossession by God…both salvation and redemption are within the context of theosis.” (Rev. Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald)
“Human life apart from God is presented in the darkest terms by the Word of God. Briefly stated, it is short and full of trouble (Job 14:1), uncertain (Luke 12:16–20), and empty (Eccl. 1:2). In contrast, Paul the apostle describes the life of the redeemed as being like a victorious soldier, a winning athlete, a successful farmer, a diligent student, and a useable vessel (2 Tim. 2). The redeemed life is marked by peace and purpose now, and eternity with Christ later.” (Foundation Study Bible, Psalms 144:5)
“Frequently, life throws us curves, and we make decisions as best we can. We always need to exercise discernment and be willing to see every moment of our lives as redeemable. Even the sad times, the hard times, and the scary times can be productive.” (Father Barnabas Powell)
“Don’t settle for less than God’s highest and best. Allow Him to use you as an instrument of his will. You do this by staying close to Him and keeping yourself pure so that sin and its consequences do not get in the way of what God could do in your life. While God can redeem any situation, how much better it is to stay close to Christ and ready to be used by Him at a moment’s notice.” (Life Application Study Bible, 2 Timothy 2:20-21)
“You don’t know how the Lord will redeem your life from the pit, but you must trust that He will. Like the little boy who offered the loaves and fish to the disciples without knowing how Jesus would use them, offer your circumstances to the Lord. He knows how to transform the worst of circumstances into miraculous healing.” (Brendan O’Rourke and DeEtte Sauer)
“Redemption is God’s mighty act delivering us from anyone or anything that holds us in bondage.” (Mel Lawrenz)
“The central affirmation of Christianity is that Jesus Christ, who is God and eternally both transcendent and immanent, became a human being in order to take human beings back into God's fold, and that by His death and resurrection, He has become the source of forgiveness of sin, newness of life, redemption, and eternal life in God…” (Demetrios J. Constantelos)
“The peculiarity in the Christian consciousness is that everything in it is referred back upon Jesus Christ, and the Redemption accomplished through Him…Redemption means our repossession by God.” (James Orr, Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald)
“...man is a sinner, and that all of his social institutions are affected by sin. Ultimate social change depends upon changing men, and men cannot be changed simply by redesigning or altering the environment. If they could, Christ’s death on the cross would have been completely unnecessary and the whole rationale of God’s plan for man’s redemption would collapse.” (John B. Anderson)
“You are never more like God than when you are living in relationships with God’s people and working in partnerships for the re-creation and redemption of God’s world." (Ray Bakke)
“The dignity of each human being originates in God’s creating, redeeming and deifying grace that enables human beings to transcend their self-existence and move towards the fullness of their humanity in life sustaining and life transforming relations. It is only in communion that human beings become truly what they are destined to be by God.” (Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis)
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