absent from the writings of St John.
Of one or other of the three words
lutrou'sqai
, to redeem,
luvtrwsi", ajpoluvtrwsi"
, we have the following instances:
( a ) In earlier Epistles of St Paul:
1 Cor. 1:30: in Christ Jesus, Who was made unto us ( ejgenhvqh ) wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption ( ajpoluvtrwsi" ).
Rom. 3:24: being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ( dia; th'" ajpolutrwvsew" th'" ejn Cristw'/ jIhsou' ).
Rom. 8:23: the redemption of the body (
t. ajpoluvtrwsin t. swvmato"
).
( b ) In the Epistles of the Captivity:
Col. 1:14, and here in Eph. 1:7: in Whom we have our redemption ( ejn w|/ e[comen th;n ajpoluvtrwsin )the redemption which is the outcome of our faitha redemption wrought by Christ through His blood (Eph. 1:7)our redemption which is nothing less than the remission of our sins (Lightfoot, Colossians , p. 137).
Eph. 1:14: unto the redemption of God's own possession ( eij" ajpoluvtrwsin th'" peripoihvsew" )this, and the consequent praise of His glory, being the final cause of the work of Christ and of the Mission of the Spirit (vs. 13).
Eph. 4:30: in Whom ye were sealed unto a day of redemption ( eij" hJmevran ajpolutrwvsew" ).
The redemption is of captives from bondagefrom the bondage of sin.
(
c
) In the Pastoral Epistles
lutrou'sqai
occurs once: Tit. 2:14
i{na lutrwvshtai hJma'" ajpo; pavsh" ajnomiva"
, and
ajntivlutron
once, 1 Tim. 2:6
Cristo;" jIhsou'", oJ dou;" eJauto;n ajntivlutron uJpe;r pavntwn
.
(
d
) In 1 Peter 1:18
ouj fqartoi'"...ejlutrwvqhte ejk th'" mataiva" uJmw'n ajnastrofh'"...ajlla; timivw/ ai{mati
we have some words apparently founded on Is. 52:3 (
ouj meta; ajrgurivou lutrwqhvsesqe
): while the idea of the whole passage isdeliverance through the payment of a costly ransom by another (Hort,
ad loc.
).
( e ) In the Epistle to the Hebrews we have luvtrwsi" at Heb. 9:12 aijwnivan luvtrwsin euJravmeno" and ajpoluvtrwsi" at 9:15 eij" ajpoluvtrwsin tw'n ejpi; th'/ prwvth/ diaqhvkh/ parabavsewn as well as at 11:35 ouj prosdexavmenoi t. ajpoluvtrwsin .
Christ entered in once for all into the Holy place, having obtained
an eternal Redemption
an eternal, not a temporary, deliverance for His people (
oujc eJautw'/, pw'" ga;r oJ ajnamavrthto"
ajlla; tw'/ law'/ aujtou'
. Oecumenius). He is Mediator of a New Covenant, that a death having taken place
for redemption from
the transgressions that were under the first covenant they that have been called may receive what had been promisedan eternal inheritance.
( f ) In the Synoptic Gospels, besides our Lord's saying in Matt. 20:28 (=Mark 10:45) The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister kai; dou'nai th;n yuch;n aujtou' luvtron (a ransom) ajnti; pollw'n the starting-point of this and all similar language in the Epistles (Hort on ejlutrwvqhte , 1 Pet. 1:18) we have
Lk. 1:68: ejpoivhsen luvtrwsin tw'/ law'/ aujtou' (from LXX. of Ps. 111:9 luvtrwsin ajpevsteilen tw'/ law'/ aujtou' ).
Lk. 2:38: toi'" prosdecomevnoi" luvtrwsin jIsrahvl .