Isaiah 48:17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines redeemer as one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs. This title is peculiarly applied to Christ. He redeems us from all evil by the payment of a ransom.

Payment of a ransom is in reference to justification, being held ransom for the debt we owe. Another way to see redemption even more clearly is an exchange of something of no value only at a redemption center for something of value. This is an image of being born again, exchanging the old dead life we led for a life in Christ.

Allow me to refocus on the opening verse and expand on the truth stated therein. While our redeemer has paid our ransom and set of free from the penalty of sin, He is the one that teaches, leads, and is the Way we should go.

We do err if we think that being redeemed from the penalty of sin, death, is all there is to redemption. Being bought with a price, we now become His. He gets to do with us according to His will. We no longer have a choice in this relationship, any more than we did in the law of sin and death.

We have to learn. He would not have us be ignorant. We need to be obedient to be led, rebellion is not an option. Since He is the Way, when we walk in the Way, we are not alone, He is with us. I know for some this is not a message they embrace, they cry out, “I am free in Christ.” You are free from the penalty and power of sin in your life, not its presence.

1 Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Immortality is the end of death. Isaiah 25:8 promised the Lord would swallow up death in victory. Praise God but how do we, as mortals, obtain that victory? The promise above is accessed by following the process in order.

First, what caused the corruption? As we said yesterday, death entered in because of original sin. We are all born into sin by virtue of the laws of genetics. We are sinners because our parents were sinners. This has absolutely nothing to do with personal performance. Moral people, as stated yesterday, who have not sinned after the sin of Adam still die. Death reigns over all of us. Get over any issues you have about being good enough for heaven. Access is not granted by performance.

There is nothing you can do to remove sin from your life. No amount of human effort will satisfy the demands for justice. God will not accept man’s human sacrifice to justify man before His court. In order that God might have His creation join Him again without sin, God had to deal with sin Himself.

Romans 3:20, 24 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Justification is a bookkeeping term. It is a record of debt paid. Here we see that nothing we do can remove that debt incurred by our sin. We also see that debt is paid by Jesus Christ via redemption.