It is the delightful paradox of the gospel of grace, that `Redemption is

so costly, that it must be free!'  The freeness of our salvation must ever be

uppermost in our preaching to the unsaved, and in our thanksgiving for our own

gratuitous acceptance.  The words `not of works', `without money and without

price', come spontaneously to mind.  The Psalmist said concerning those who

trusted in their riches:

`None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a

ransom for him ... that he should still live for ever, and not see

corruption' (Psa. 49:7,9).

Verse 8 reads `for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it

ceaseth for ever'.  Dr. W. Kay renders this latter clause `and for ever

unachievable', lit. `it ceaseth for ever' or `one must cease (from that attempt)

for ever' (LXX kai ekopiasen).  The Prayer Book version reads `he must let that

alone for ever'.  The fact that redemption is free, without money and without

price, must not blind our eyes to the equally important fact, that the Lord

Jesus Christ is God's `unspeakable Gift'.  To every believer comes the

challenging question:

`What? know ye not that ... ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a

price' (1 Cor. 6:19,20).

To every redeemed sinner comes, with the full assurance of perfect

acceptance, the consciousness of the price that was paid:

`Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but

with the precious blood of Christ' (1 Pet. 1:18,19).

Redemption is the work of The Son, for a principle is involved that

necessitates the incarnation as a prerequisite to redemption.  This principle is

not categorically stated in Scripture but is implicit in several passages, among

which are the following:

`It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away

sins' (Heb. 10:4).

`This' as Dr. Owen says `is the last determinate resolution of the apostle

concerning the insufficiency of the law and its sacrifices for the expiation of

sin'.  These sacrifices had a value in that they set forth in type the one great

and all-sufficient sacrifice that Christ would offer in the fulness of time.

`It is possible that things may usefully represent, what it is impossible that

in and by themselves they should effect' (Dr. Owen).  Following on the statement

that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin,

we have the Saviour's own intervention:

`A body hast Thou prepared Me ... we are sanctified through the offering

of the body of Jesus Christ once for all' (Heb. 10:5-10).

This testimony is not limited to the early ministry of Paul, it is given a

prominent place in that epistle of the Mystery, Colossians:

`In the body of His flesh through death, to present you' (Col. 1:22).