The Bride of Christ Lesson 3a (The Bridegroom: Redeemer)

Today we will begin looking at the third characteristic of the Bridegroom.  

“A redeemer is someone entrusted with securing one’s release from oppression, harm, evil, enslavement, or some other binding obligation. A redeemer restores the lost rights and freedoms of another by avenging any wrongs and paying whatever price is required to set that person free.”i 

Webster 1828 dictionary defines redeemer as: One who redeems or ransoms. 

Isaiah 54:5, For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He shall be called the God of the whole earth.  

Isaiah 63:16b, You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer; Your name is from everlasting. 

The Hebrew word used for redeemer in Isaiah is gā’al. “Often this redemption is in the context of saving from danger or hostility, as a figure of purchasing a slave or indentured person.”ii 

Romans 3:23-24, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

Ephesians 1:7a, In Him we have redemption through His blood... 

1 Corinthians 1:30, But because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, whom God made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 

In Greek the word apolytrōsis is used for redemption and means redemption, ransom, release, ransom to set free.iii 

All of mankind was held in captivity by the enemy until Christ redeemed us by his death, burial, and resurrection.  

There are five words/phrases that describe and illustrate for us the depth of what it means that we are redeemed.   

First, we have been delivered. 

Webster 1828 dictionary defines deliver as: To free; to release, as from restraint; to set at liberty; to rescue, or save.  

Romans 7:25a, Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (NET) 

We are delivered from: 

  1. 1. Evil: Matthew 6:13, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  


  1. 2. Our enemies: Psalm 31:15, My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and my pursuers. 


  1. 3. Death: Psalm 33:18-19, The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 


  1. 4. Darkness: Colossians 1:13-14, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (ESV) 


  1. 5. Fear: Psalm 34:4, I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. 


  1. 6. All Trouble: Psalm 34:16-17, The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (ESV) 


  1. 7. Hidden Dangers: Psalm 91:3, Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter and from the deadly pestilence.  “Deliverance from hidden dangers. The snare of the bird-trapper speaks of the enemy’s evil plot to trap the unwary.”iv 

 

Questions for reflection:    

  

1. Am I resting in the truth that God is my deliverer?  

  

2. When have I experienced God’s deliverance? 

  

3. When trials come do I look to my deliver, or do I focus on the situation/circumstances around me?  

 

4. Do I seek the Deliver when things get rough and hard, or do I try to figure a way out myself? 


Note: All Scripture references are from the MEV unless otherwise specified.     


Works Cited:


i https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Redeemer.html 

ii NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary. Copyright © 2015 by Zondervan. 

iii NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary. Copyright © 2015 by Zondervan. 

iv Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald.

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