Christ Alone Can Redeem! Psalm 49:5-8

Text: “None of them (rich, powerful, people) can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.”

Psalm 49:7.

          “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy Blood out of every kindred, and tongue (language), and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 5:9-10.

Good morning, redeemed Christian!  You and I were once blind, now we can see!  We were Eternally lost, now we are found!  We were drowning in our sin and iniquities, now we are safe, and spotlessly clean!  We were on our way to a Christ-rejecter’s Hell, but now, through the shed and sinless Blood of Christ the Lamb, are Spiritually regenerated (born again) and secure for a place in Heaven forever!  How can we not shout, ‘Hallelujah!  All praise to the Lamb Who is worthy!  We worship and adore you, King Jesus Christ!’

“...Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing...Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him (Christ Jesus) that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:12-13)

Verse 5. “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? The man of God looks calmly forward to dark times when those evils which have dogged his heels shall gain a temporary advantage over him.  Iniquitous men, here called in the abstract iniquity, lie in wait for the righteous, as serpents that aim at the heels of travellers.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 227)

Iniquitous men and women have, from time immemorial, sought to hinder true Christians, while at the same time use their financial wealth, status in society, political position in Governments; and worldly family name - to make themselves accepted in God’s Holy eyes.   All to no avail.  They find, eventually, that sinners can never pay for their sins with carnal currency.  Only the precious Blood of Christ, shed for ‘His people’, will ever redeem a soul from sin.

“For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed (bought back from sin, Spiritually ransomed) with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (entire lifestyle) received by tradition from your fathers: but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish or spot: who verily (truly) was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times.”  (1 Peter 1:18-20)

Verse 7. “None of them can by any means redeem his brother. With all their riches, the whole of them put together could not rescue a comrade from the chill grasp of death.  They boast of what they will do with us, let them see to themselves.  Let them weigh their gold in the scales of death, and see how much they can buy therewith from the worm and the grave.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 227)

“What can wash away my sin?  NOTHING but the Blood of Jesus...” (Hymn: ‘What can wash away my sin’, by Robert Lowry 1876)

Verse 8. “For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth forever. In this judgement, tears will not prevail, prayers will not be heard, promises will not be admitted, repentance will be too late, and for riches, honourable titles, sceptres, and diadems, these will profit much less.”  (Thomas Tymme 1634)

“Definition of the term: Redemption.  To be redeemed is to be delivered from some great penalty by the paying of a fee.  Thus, prisoners of war are sometimes released on payment by their Government of a price which is called the ransom price (i.e. the price paid to obtain release of a prisoner; kidnap victim; captured goods; etc).; to release from captivity to a cruel taskmaster; price paid to set slaves and captives FREE).  (John 8:32) (Isaiah 61:1-2) (Luke 4:18) (Revelation 5:9)

For example: pawned possessions are REDEEMED by their owners when the financial loan is repaid at a pawnshop!

Question:  What then does mankind need to be set free from, Spiritually speaking?  (Romans 7:14-24)  Answer: Sin!  We are born sinners, and sin naturally from our birth.

Mankind are born as: Slaves under sin: (Psalm 51:5)

Adam was CREATED perfect, in God’s own Triune image.  (Genesis 1:26)  He then fell from grace (i.e. sinned!) when he and Eve disobeyed God.  Adam thus became a slave to Satan through his sin, and then BEGAT mankind in his own sinful image. (Genesis 5:3)

Therefore, all Creation including mankind, became prisoners of God’s Curse; and NATURAL SINNERS by birth. (Genesis 3:17-19) (Job 14:4)

God Redeemed (i.e. bought back) Adam and Eve by the shedding of the innocent blood of animals, to clothe; or cover, the sins of the pair.  In this manner, God made a blood sacrifice for their sins; their sins were ‘...covered...’ by the blood sacrifice.  (Genesis 3:20-21) (Psalm 32:1-2)

Of course, this sacrifice revealed God’s chosen way of Atonement ( i.e. at-one-ment!), sinful man to a thrice Holy God of wrath against sin; and looked forward in faith to the ‘...once for all time...’ Atonement (or Redemption) Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, at the Cross of Calvary.  (John 1:29)

This Cross-work of Christ is called EXPIATION: the suffering undergone by an innocent substitute to expiate (i.e. make amends for; pay the penalty of) the sins of the guilty parties.  (Hebrews 10:10) It follows, therefore, that, “...without shedding of blood is no remission of sins...”. (Hebrews 9:22-28)  Christ’s Blood was shed for our Redemption.

Thought: Redemption was made by the shedding of Christ’s SINLESS BLOOD.  Thus, there is no Redemption without the precious Blood of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21) (1 Peter 1:18-19)  Thank you, Lord Jesus!”  (The Doctrine of Redemption, Dr C.K. McClinton, www.ulsterchristians.org )