“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
(1 Peter 1:18–19 NIV)
What Does It Mean to Redeem?
To redeem is to purchase by the payment of a price. I learned this Bible word as a child through a simple story that has stayed with me. It’s the story of a boy who liked to make things.
A Story to Help You Understand Redemption
One day the boy’s father said to him, “Why don’t you make a boat?” The boy loved that idea, so he worked with his father to make a beautiful sailing boat. He painted it blue and red, and it had a tall white sail. When it was finished, the boy put a special mark on the boat so that he would always know that it was his.
The boy loved his boat, and he had great joy when he took it out to sail on the lake. But one day the boat was caught in a great wind that took it away. The boy was brokenhearted.
Sometime later, the boy was walking past a toy shop in the town when he saw a beautiful boat in the window. It was blue and red, and it had a tall white sail. And when the boy looked closer, he could see the special mark he had put on it so he would always know it was his.
The boy went home, gathered all the money he had saved, and went back to the shop and bought the boat. On the way home, he hugged the boat, and he said, “You are twice mine! You are mine because I made you, and you’re mine because I bought you!”
How Can I Be Redeemed?
If you put your faith in Jesus Christ, then that is what Jesus Christ can say to you and me! “You’re twice mine. You’re mine because I made you, and you’re mine because I bought you.” That is what it means to be redeemed. You are bought by Jesus Christ through the shedding of his blood (1 Peter 1:18–19).