Q3. Kinsman-Redeemer

[Krissi]

I'm not sure I understand this. 

Ruth and Naomi were victims of circumstance--famine, it's ensuing poverty, being widowed and women in a male-ruled society, the deaths of sons who would normally protect them, etc. These circumstances don't seem to be punishments for their sins of a consequence of their behaviour.

Boaz fulfils a predictable social or cultural role, then, by marrying one of the women and carrying for the other. He does what's expected of him at that time and place, his duty.

Jesus, on the other hand, redeems us from sin for which we are responsible. We don't deserve or expect to be redeemed (as did Naomi and Ruth), but are surprised by His grace toward us -- undeserved, unmerited and unexpected.

Ruth and Naomi were rescued from horrible circumstances -- Jesus rescues us as well, though from circumstances we created for ourselves. Though Ruth and Naomi's needs were provided for, they weren't really ransomed, though were caught in social circumstances that permitted few ways to survive. 

 

 

[Niyonka16]

Q3. (Mark 10:43-45) How does Jesus serve (like Boaz) as a Kinsman-Redeemer to us?

ANSWER: By definition, a Kinsman-Redeemer was someone who redeemed what was lost. In short, the Kinsman was a rescuer and restorer. There were four requirements that had to be met to be a Kinsman-Redeemer.

1. You had to be kin.
2. You had to be willing.
3. You had to be able to redeem.
4. You had to pay the price in full.

How Jesus met all the requirements necessary to be our Redeemer. 

1. Jesus became just like you and me, which put Him in position so that He could redeem us.
2. Jesus was willing to be obedient and see this process all the way through to the end. He gave up His life as a sacrifice of His own free will. No one twisted His arm to do it.
3. Jesus was able to redeem. The death and obedience of Jesus was everything that was needed to bring about our redemption.
4. Jesus paid the complete price for our sin. The beautiful thing about our redemption is that it is a complete redemption. There is one thing that is needed to complete it or bring it to pass. You must put your faith in the redeemer of your soul. When you do that, then the work is finished and the sin debt that was owed on your account will be paid in full.

A Kinsman-Redeemer is all about what was lost being found. You and I were lost and on the verge of losing everything, but Jesus stepped in. He restored what was lost and gave us a new identity in Christ. The beauty of it all is you never have to worry about having to be redeemed again. He paid the price of redemption once and for all.

In summation, as a Boaz was willing to be the kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 3:11), Jesus also was willing to redeem humanity (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; John 10:15-18). Just as Boaz took Ruth as a Gentile bride whom he financially enriched; Christ also took a Gentile bride (the church) that He spiritually enriches (Ephesians 1:3; 5:31-32). Boaz had to be next of kin; while Jesus Christ became a member of the human race to quality as humanity's redeemer (John 1:1,14; Galatians 4:4). Boaz had to have the means to pay the purchase price of the land (Ruth 2:1); while Christ also paid the expensive price to redeem the lost humanity (1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

What does the idea of needing a ransom imply about our condition?

ANSWER: Ransom as an act means “to redeem from captivity, slavery, punish­ment, or the like, by paying a price; to buy out of bondage; to deliver, as from sin, its penalty, or the like; to be the redeemer of”. (Webster’s New International Dictionary) In the Bible a ransom means that which buys back, loosens or releases, providing deliverance from trouble, distress and calamity, or, more especially, releasing from inherited sin and from prospects of eternal death as a result of sin. A true Bible doctrine.

Unquestionably, Jesus paid the ransom for our lives to God. That ransom was His own life, the shedding of His own blood, a sacrifice. Due to His sacrificial death, each person on earth has the opportunity to accept that gift of atonement and be forgiven by God. For without His death, God’s Law would still need to be satisfied, by our own death. Below are a few reason(s) why we needed a ransom: …

1. Ransom Releases from Trouble and Distress.
2. Man Needs a Ransom from In­herited Sin and Death.
3. God Makes Provision According to His Expressed Purpose.
4. Exact Price Needed for Human Life Rights Lost.
5. Perfect Human Life of Jesus Christ Meets All Requirements.
6. Available to All Kinds of Men of Faith.
7. Restores Man to God’s Favor and Brings Life Everlasting.
8. Those Not Ransomed Dead Eter­nally, Annihilated.

What was the redemption-price that the Father paid for us?

ANSWER: Jesus was the price for our redemption OR Jesus is our ransom. That is the ransom paid that brought redemption to us. Jesus is the ransom: 1 Timothy 2:6 says, “who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time”. It suffices us to say that Jesus offered Himself or made Him available for all who believes in Him. He is the price for our redemption; He is our redemption. He is God’s love dispensed; He is the gift of God’s love; He is God’s love revealed. Jesus is God’s love manifest; Jesus is the expression of God’s love. Jesus is an expression of God’s character and nature where mankind is concerned. Jesus is God’s love manifest to an undeserving man (John 3:16; Romans 5:18). The love of God is the reason for God’s giving.