In providing us with the fourth pillar of thanksgiving to the Father, Paul begins to shift his focus to the Son, the particular object of heretical attack in Colosse. He sets forth redemption as a moral reality, involving the forgiveness of our sins, obtained only in union with the Son of God's love. Four questions are answered.
Who is the Redeemer? It is none other than God's beloved Son, the incarnate God, the image of the invisible God - no mere angel, nor only human or 'only' divine, but the one Mediator between God and men.
What is the nature of redemption? It is not a simple declaration, an equivalent exchange, nor by superior force, but a ransoming - deliverance by means of a price paid, the only way to deliver sinners with strict reference to all the claims and conditions of the parties involved.
What is the cost of redemption? The ransom price is the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. He pays the whole price; man contributes not one penny.
What lies at the heart of redemption? The forgiveness of our sins. This blessing meets us at the point of our desperate need, and speaks of release from debt, the utter and entire removal of sins, without exception or distinction. This, says John Eadie, is a first and prominent blessing in salvation, enjoyed immediately from Christ, and bound up with subsequent gifts.
Let us then give thanks to the Father, beware doubts and abuses of this truth, and remember whose we are, and the price paid.
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