Topical Lexicon
Concept of Redemptionλύτρωσις portrays deliverance from bondage through the payment of a costly ransom. It combines the helplessness of the captive with the sufficiency of the Deliverer, binding together themes of slavery, debt, covenant loyalty, and restored inheritance.
Occurrences in the New Testament
•Luke 1:68 — “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people.”
•Luke 2:38 — Anna spoke of the Child “to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
•Hebrews 9:12 — Christ entered the Most Holy Place “by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.”
The three texts form a narrative arc: redemption promised, anticipated, and accomplished.
Old Testament Foundations
1. Exodus deliverance (Exodus 6:6;Exodus 15:13) sets the pattern: God ransoms Israel from tyranny.
2. The kinsman-redeemer (Leviticus 25:25;Ruth 4:1-10) shows familial, costly rescue that restores inheritance.
3. Prophetic hope (Isaiah 35:10;Isaiah 62:12) ties redemption to the coming reign of the Lord.
These strands converge in the New Covenant, where Jesus embodies and fulfills every redemptive promise.
Christological Fulfillment
Luke locates Israel’s long-awaited liberation in the infant Messiah, while Hebrews unveils the mechanism: Christ enters the heavenly sanctuary once for all, offering His own blood. The ransom is sufficient, final, and acceptable to the Father, establishing Jesus as both Redeemer and High Priest.
Soteriological Significance
• Liberation from sin’s penalty and power (Romans 3:24;Colossians 1:13-14).
• The purchase price is Christ’s blood (Ephesians 1:7;1 Peter 1:18-19).
• The scope is “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12), guaranteeing justification, adoption, and inheritance (Galatians 4:4-7;Ephesians 1:14).
Implications for Ministry
• Preaching centers on the finished work of Christ, not human merit.
• Pastoral care points the guilt-ridden to a completed ransom.
• Worship celebrates redemption through word, song, and the Lord’s Supper.
• Mission proclaims liberty to captives (Luke 4:18) and models redemptive compassion.
• Discipleship calls believers, “bought at a price,” to holy service (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Eschatological Hope
Present redemption guarantees future consummation. “We wait eagerly for… the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23), anticipating the day when creation itself shares in the liberty of the children of God. Resurrection and the New Jerusalem (Revelation 5:9;Revelation 21:3-4) complete the account begun in Luke and sealed in Hebrews.
λύτρωσις thus unveils God’s heart: a redemption promised, purchased, and preserved forever in Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
λυτρώσεως λυτρωσιν λύτρωσιν λύτρωσις lutrosin lutrōsin lytrosin lytrōsin lýtrosin lýtrōsinLinks
Interlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts
