“What is the Christian redeemed from?”
Ransom/redemption presuppose captivity or bondage and the Bible teaches that Christ redeemed His people out of two types of bondage: bondage to the Law and bondage to sin.

The Law. I must state immediately that Christ did not redeem us from the law, but from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13). It would be absurd to claim that we are redeemed from the obligation to love God and others, rather the Scriptures teach we were redeemed bondage to the law. This is expressed in several dimensions.

First of all, we are redeemed from the curse of the law, namely the consequences that breaking the law brings with it (Gal. 3:10). Those who break God’s law inherit the curse of God’s wrath. Christ delivered us from this curse by becoming a curse on our behalf. Secondly, we are redeemed from the ceremonial law. Ever wondered why we don’t slaughter animals in church? According to Galatians 4:4-5, Christ was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. By being born under the Mosaic law, Christ satisfied all of the law’s conditions. Finally we are free from the law of works (Rom. 5:19). John Murray puts it rightly, “Christ has redeemed us from the necessity of keeping the law as the condition of our justification and acceptance with God.”

Sin. Christ has redeemed us from both the guilt and power of sin. In speaking of redemption from the guilt of sin, let us consider that Christ specifically saw His work as a substitutionary ransom for sin (Matt. 20:18; Mark 10:45). Let us also consider Romans 8:33, who will bring a charge against us? Not even Christ himself will, for He is interceding for us. Dear Christian, rest assured that you are free from the guilt of sin.

However Christ also redeemed us from the power of sin. Much could be said here but let it be sufficient to draw your attention to the teaching of new birth (Jn 3:3-21). Those who are in Christ are new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). Additionally consider how the Scriptures teach that Christ did not only die for us, but that we died in Him, and if we died in him then we have surely risen with him (Rom. 6:1-10; 2 Cor. 5:14-15). This truth, that Christ redeemed us from the power of sin is the basis for the process of sanctification. Take heart poor Christian, wearied by sin for “sin shall not be master over you” (Rom. 6:14).

“To whom was the Christian’s ransom paid?”
The observant reader might now ask, “If redemption references paying a ransom or purchasing, then who was paid?” The short and simple answer to this question is that the Christian’s ransom was paid to God. But here is what is even more amazing, it was paid TO God, BY God. Romans 3:26 describes God the Son as both the just (God the Father as righteous judge) and the justifier (God the Son as the ransom for many) for all who believe. Do not think dear Christian that redemption is merely deliverance, for then Christ would not have had to die. Rather Christ ransomed you, He purchased you, He redeemed you. You owed the Triune God a debt that only eternal wrath could satisfy and God the Son purchased you from God.

Conclusion
Though we may not know the mystery of the Cross fully, what we are able to know part… is real. The events of the cross of Christ are the center of history and the most romantic display of love the world has ever known. Even in flawed human love, we say that love is indescribable, how much more indescribable is the cross of love? You will forever fall short of comprehending the love displayed on the Cross of Christ so it would be foolish to think that four new words are sufficient to “speak” of the cross. Yet God has revealed the work of the cross as a work of sacrifice, propitiation, reconciliation, and redemption. May we never cease to speak the language of the Cross.

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable His ways.” (Romans 11:33)

However, as previous posts have already mentioned, creatures have suffered a massive disruption in relations with their Creator because of sin (Is. 59:2). So reconciliation can be summarized as follows: reconciliation assumes hostility between God and mankind but brings about peace. Perhaps it is helpful to think of this in three phases.

1. Right Relationship
Upon the creation of the world Genesis describes a perfect world in which man dwelt with God and enjoyed right fellowship with Him. God and man dwelt in the garden and man was given dominion over God’s creation. The Scriptures even tell of God walking in the garden with man. The world was not yet affected by the horrors of sin. Man was in right relationship with God and so no reconciliation necessary.

2. Enemies of God
This utopia was abruptly shattered as sin entered into the world bringing with it nakedness, death, and separation. Worst of all man was separated from God and cast from the garden. Later Romans describes mankind’s new relationship with God as one of enemies (Rom. 5:10). Isaiah 59:2 describes that man’s sin effectually hid His face from sinful man and even disrupts communication between God and man.

3. Relationship – Restored
However, the work of the cross was a work of reconciliation: the act of removing bondage, captivity, and war from our relationship with God. God’s grounds for relating to us as enemies have been removed and all grievances have been satisfied.

The essence of the cross as reconciliation is one of a right relationship which went horribly wrong, however through the work on the cross, sin is paid for and God himself completed the work of restoring fellowship between God and man. Let a rich understanding of reconciliation and all its synonyms saturate your vocabulary as you speak of and mediated on the work of Christ on the cross.

The New Testament only uses the Greek word for propitiation a couple times and each time it is applied to Christ’s accomplishment on the cross (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). The Old Testament however employs the concept frequently in connection to the ritualistic sacrifices. So the New Testament, as it often does, takes an Old Testament concept and fills it with additional meaning, namely, that the death of Christ on the cross can be interpreted through Levitical sacrificial methods. So now we must turn to those sacrificial methods.

Let me say this as simply as I can. Just as a priest would pour out death on a lamb to pay for the sins of the people, death was poured out on the Lamb of God to satisfy the wrath of God for the sins of His people.

We must gain several important conclusions from this truth. First of all, the inclusion of the notion of propitiation in Christ’s work on the cross assumes the wrath of God. Propitiation means that wrath was removed, pacified, appeased. Be careful not to think that Christ “talked God into” loving man and forgetting his wrath towards man. Propitiation does not mean that God wrath magically turned into love. Rather, the wrath that God had towards man was pacified since Christ drank every drop of God’s wrath for His people. God did not forget to pay for your sin… rather Christ paid for you.

Additionally, we must remember that the cross, understood as propitiation, does not minimize God’s love, it enhances it. This is true because the cross shows the unthinkable COST of redemptive love. Your sin was not ignored; it was paid for in full. God cannot suffer his character to be compromised. God’s wrath is the necessary reaction of holiness towards sin because sin is the utter contradiction of His character. God did not violate His character to redeem His people. Instead He lovingly redeemed His people and maintained His character by pouring out His wrath on Christ, thus satisfying His holiness. Thus the cross is the perfect union of the Love and Holiness of God. Consequently, I recommend you add propitiation to your vocabulary concerning the cross.

Established in the law was the bloody standard that, “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Lev. 17:11, Heb. 9:22). So the idea was this, when an Israelite sinned, he took a spotless lamb to a Priest who could mediate/intercede between the man and God. This priest would then sacrifice the animal by spilling its blood on behalf of the sinful man and this act would appease the wrath of God. But what does this have to do with the cross?

Hebrews (Heb. 9:8-14) explains that the problem is these sacrifices cannot fully pay for sin. This is true for two reasons. First of all, the blood of bulls and goats cannot fully pay for sin, but that they served as a symbol for the need of forgiveness of sins. Secondly, since they were incomplete and could only atone for individual sins, sacrifices must be made continually, day and night without end. Their imperfect was compounded by the fact that the sacrifices were made by a sinful, mortal priest who had to continually offer sacrifices for himself (Heb. 5:1-3).

Only in light of this can we understand why Christ’s death was a sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, and the Old Law was imperfect in that it “made nothing perfect” (Heb. 7:19), therefore “Christ appeared as a High Priest” (Heb. 9:11-15) and became both the Perfect Priest (who needed no sacrifice) and the Perfect Lamb (who could cleanse once for all the sins of the people of God).

Therefore, Hebrews tells us that in the same way an imperfect priest would spill the blood of a perfect animal, Christ, the Priest-Lamb spilt his own blood once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (Heb. 9:26).

I will explore four important words that are packed with meaning in the Scriptures. Without these four words, one is unable to understand what really happened on the cross and why Jesus had to die. These four words are: Sacrifice, Propitiation, Reconciliation, and Redemption. Together they make up the Language of the Cross.

Briefly, here is what each of them mean:
Sacrifice – Christ suffered and died as the completion of the Old Testament picture of sacrifice in which there was no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.
Propitiation – Christ’s sacrifice pacified or satisfied the wrath of God that was aimed towards sinners.
Reconciliation – Christ’s death undid the separation between Man and God that was caused by sin.
Redemption – Christ’s work served as a ransom by which He purchased sinful man out of captivity caused by sin.

The work of Christ on the cross cannot implore too much thought, gratitude, or awe. But as 1 Cor. 13:12 reminds us, we only know how in part and in fact our knowledge of Christ’s work on the cross is really as J.I. Packer says, “knowledge of a mystery.”