REDEMPTION

 THE USE OF REDEMPTION LANGUAGE IN THE SCRIPTURES ADDS FURTHER NUANCES TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD'S SAVING ACTION IN JESUS CHRIST. EVEN THOUGH  THE REDEMPTION THEME DOES NOT SEEM TO BE IN THE OLDEST LAYERS OF THE SCRIPTURAL TRADITION, IT DEVELOPED RAPIDLY ONCE IT APPEARED. THE NOTION SEEM TO BE DERIVED FROM A JEWISH FAMILY PRACTICE WHERE THE CLOSEST RELATIVE  OF SOMEONE WHO LOST GOODS AND PROPERTY OR WAS ENSLAVED HAD THE OBLIGATION OF "BUYING BACK" WHAT WAS LOST AND GAINING FREEDOM FOR THE ENSLAVED PERSON. THE NOTION IS OPERATIVE IN THE EXODUS DESCRIPTION OF GOD REDEEMING PEOPLE FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT. IN ADDITION THE PROPHETS, ESPECIALLY ISAIAH, EZEKIEL AND JEREMIAH, COMMONLY REFER TO YAHWEH AS "REDEEMER," THE ONE WHO REDEEMS YAHWEH'S PEOPLE FROM SIN AND GUILT. ARLAND HULTGREN MAINTAINS THAT THERE IS FOUR APPROACHES TO CHRIST AS THE REDEEMER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. IN THE FIRST TWO APPROACHES " REDEMPTION THROUGH CHRIST"  GOD IS MORE AT THE CENTER OF THE REDEMPTION PROCESS THAN CHRIST IS. IN THE OTHER TWO MODELS, " REDEMPTION BY CHRIST" AND  "CHRIST AS MEDIATOR." THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST SEEM TO COME FROM LATER EPISTLES AND THE JOHANNINE TRADITION. IT MAY WELL BE, THEREFORE,  THAT THE TRADITION OF THE EARLY CHRISTIANS GRADUALLY MOVED FROM IDENTIFYING GOD AS REDEEMER TO RECOGNITION OF CHRIST HIMSELF EXERCISING THAT ROLE. REDEMPTION "IN CHRIST" IS FOUND IN MARK, THE EARLIEST GOSPEL, AND IN THE EPISTLES OF PAUL. THE EMPHASIS HERE SEEMS TO BE THAT REDEMPTION  HAS BEEN PLANNED AND PROMISED BY GOD, AND WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY GOD SENDING HIS SON TO REDEEM US. HERE, JESUS SEEMS TO BE PASSIVELY OBEYING THE DIVINE DECREE. HE TAKES ON THE "CURSE" OF HUMAN SIN, AND OBEDIENTLY GIVES HIMSELF IN THE SACRIFICE OF THE CROSS.  THE DEATH OF JESUS IS FOR ALL AND MANIFESTS THE SAVING POWER OF GOD. HERE THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION MARK THE END OF AN ERA OF SIN AND SLAVERY AND THE COMMENCEMENT OF A NEW AGE OF ONENESS BETWEEN THE WHOLE HUMAN AND GOD FAMILY.  REDEMPTION IS THROUGH CHRIST. IN THE GOSPELS OF MATTHEW AND LUKE, AND IN ACTS, THE STRESS IS PLACED ON REDEMPTION "THROUGH CHRIST." HERE, AGAIN, GOD IS THE INITIATOR OF SALVATION AND JESUS IS THE ONE CARRYING OUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER., BUT,  IN THIS CASE, THERE IS MORE OF AN IDENTIFICATION OF THEIR WILLS AND LESS STRESS ON THE ROLL OF JESUS' DEATH IN THE REDEMPTIVE PROCESS. REDEMPTION SEEMS TO BE BROUGHT BY THE CHRIST WHO IS IN EXALTED STATE. MATTHEW'S IS A ROYAL FIGURE WHO HAS THE RESOURCES TO AVOID SUFFERING AND DEATH, BUT ACCEPTS THEM IN ORDER TO FULFILL THE DIVINE PURPOSE. JESUS BLOOD IS POURED OUT AT CALVARY, AND HIS LIFE GIVEN AS A RANSOM, YET HE YIELDS UP HIS OWN SPIRIT IN THE DEATH SCENE, AND, AS THE RISEN AND EXALTED LORD, GIVES THE BENEFITS  OF HIS REDEMPTIVE ACT TO HIS FOLLOWERS. WITH "ALL AUTHORITY" HE THEN COMMISSIONS HIS DISCIPLES TO GO FORTH AND TEACH REDEMPTION TO EVERYONE, AND HE PROMISES THAT HE WILL BE WITH THEM WITH HIS POWER UNTIL THE END OF TIME. IN LUKE'S GOSPEL AND IN ACTS, THE NOTION OF REDEMPTION IS FULLY DEVELOPED: JESUS IS PORTRAYED AS THE ONE WHO BUYS US BACK FROM THE SLAVERY OF SIN AND DEATH AND BRINGS US INTO A NEW LAND THAT IS SAFE AND HAPPY. HERE, AGAIN, THIS IS ALL CARRIED OUT ACCORDING TO A DIVINE PLAN WHEREBY CHRIST BRINGS US FORGIVENESS TO MANY DURING HIS LIFE AND MUST THEN SUFFER, DIE, AND RISE SO THAT FORGIVENESS MIGHT BE EXTENDED TO ALL PEOPLE. LUKE DOES NOT CHOOSE TO USE THE "RANSOM" IMAGE OF MARK AND MATTHEW. INSTEAD, HE VIEWS REDEMPTION AS AN ONGOING PROCESS. IT HAD ITS BEGINNING IN THE DIVINE PLAN, WAS ACTED OUT IN JESUS' MINISTRY AND DEATH, AND IS NOW THE BENEFITS OF FORGIVENESS AND THE FINAL
REDEMPTION EXTENDED TO THOSE WHO REPENT. IN THE LATER PAULINE EPISTLES, WHICH SEEM TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY AUTHORS OTHER THAN PAUL, AS WELL AS IN THE JOHANNINE TRADITION AND THE PASTORAL EPISTLES. CHRIST IS PORTRAYED AS THE REDEEMER IN HIS OWN RIGHT. CHRIST IS PRE-EXISTENT. AND, RATHER THAN BEING SENT, COMES IN HIS OWN POWER AS A VIGOROUS REDEEMER IN HIS OWN RIGHT WHO DYNAMICALLY SACRIFICES HIMSELF AND DRAWS ALL TO HIMSELF AND SO THAT THEY MAY BE REDEEMED. HE LOVES HIS OWN AND GIVES HIMSELF FOR THEM,  AN RECONCILES ALL HIMSELF. CHRIST IS NOT SO MUCH ONE WHO PERFORMS THE ACTS OF REDEMPTION AS HE IS THE REDEEMER HIMSELF. HE IS THE "IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD." (COLOSSIANS 2:9), THE AGENT OF CREATION. IT IS NOT SO MUCH BY DEEDS AS BY HIS VERY NATURE THAT CHRIST IS THE REDEEMER, RECONCILER, THE  "VICTOR" OVER COSMIC AND DEMONIC POWERS. CHRIST REIGNS FROM THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD AS A POWERFUL SOURCE OF SALVATION FOR ALL HUMANITY AND PROMISES FINAL VICTORY OVER EVIL IN THE FINAL COMING.
 IN JOHN'S  TRADITION, THE ROLE OF MEDIATOR IS ALSO INCORPORATED INTO  INTO THE NOTION OF REDEMPTION "BY "CHRIST"