Redditio Symboli i rehearsal of the creed). In early times the candidates tor baptism were accustomed, on Maundy-Thursday, to recite publicly the creed in the presence of the bishop or presbyters, and this act was designated redditio symboli.
Redeemer, a frequent rendering of the Heb.bfetS, goSl, which strictly means the nearest kinsman. It is thus applied to Christ, as he is the avenger of man upon his spiritual enemy, and delivers man from death and the power of the grave, which the human avenger could not do. The right of the institution of ijo'el was only in a relative — one of the same blood — and hence our Saviour's assumption of our nature i> alluded to and implied under this term. There was also the right of buying hack the family inheritance when alienated; and this also applies to Christ, our goil, who has pur- chased back the heavenly inheritance into the human family. Under these views Job joyfully exclaims, " I know thai my Redeemer (my goel) liveth," etc. Wat- son, TheoL Diet. a. v. See (Joel; Jesi s Chkist; Me- diator,
Redemption, in theology, denotes our recovery from sin and death by the obedience and sacrifice of
Christ, wl ti this account is called the "Redeemer"
dsa.lix. 20; Job \i\, 25). "Being justified freely by lu~ grace, through the redemption thai is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. iii, 24). "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Gal. iii, 13). "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. i. 7). " Forasmuch as ye know that
redeemed w ith corruptible things, as Bilver
and gold, from your wain conversation received by tra- dition from your fathers; bul with the precious bl I
of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot" i 1 IVi.i. 18, 19). "And ye are not your own. for
l hi with a price" ( 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20).
By redemption those who denj the atonement made by Christ wish to understand deliverance merely, re- garding only tin effect, and studiously putting out of sight the cause from which it flows. Bul the very terms used in the above-cited passages, "to redeem" and
"to he bought with a price," will each he found to re- fute this notion of a gratuitous deliverance, whether
redemption," says Mr. Cill. "is from the Latin. an. 1 signi- fies buying again; and several words in the Creek lan- guage of the Xew Test, arc used in the affair of our re- demption which signify the obtaining of something hv
paying a proper price for it ; B (times the simple \, rl.
ciyopd'^w. to buy, is used; so the redeemed are said to
be bought unto God by the bl 1 of Christ, and to be
bought from the earth, and to be bought from among men, and to be bought with a price— that is. with the price of Christ's blood il Cor.vi,20); hence the Church of God is said to he purchased with it (Acts \\. 28). Sometimes the compound word i'ZayopaZto is used, which signifies to buy again, or out of the hands of an- other, as the redeemed an- bought out of the hands of justice, as in Gal. iii. 13; iv, 5. To redeem literally means 'to buy hack;' and Xvrpow, to redeem, and d7ro- Xv-fx.jnic. redemption, are. both in Creek writers and in the Xew Test., used for the acl of setting free a captive by paying Xvrpov, a ransom or n d* mption prici ." Yet. as Crotius has fully shown by reference to the use of the words both in sacred and profane writers, redemp- tion signifies not merely •■ the liberation of captives," but deliverance from exile, death, and every other evil from which we may he treed: and Xvrpov signifies every- thing which salislies another so as to effect this deliv- erance. The nature of this redemption or purchased deliverance (for it is not gratuitous liberation, as will presently appear) is therefore to he ascertained by the circumstances of those who are the subjects of it. The subjects in the case before us are sinful men: they are under guilt, under -the curse of the law." the servants of sili. under the power and dominion of the de\ il. and "taken captive by him at his will." liable to tin death of the body and to eternal punishment. To the whole of this case the redemption- -the purchased deliverance of man as proclaimed in the Gospel — applie- itself. Hence in the above-cited and other passages it i> said, "We have redemption through his blood, the forgive- ness of sins." in opposition to guilt ; redemption from "the curse of the law;" deliverance from sin, that "we should lie set free from sin ;" deliverance from the power of Satan; from death, by a resurrection; and from future "wrath" by the gift of eternal life. Throughout the whole of this glorious doctrine of our redemption from these tremendous evils there is. however, in the Xew Test.,a constant reference to the \)7<><n: th< red* mption price, which Xvrpov is as constantly declared to be the death of ( 'hrist. which he endured in our stead. " The Sou of man came to give his life a ransom lor many" (.Matt. x\. 28). "Who gave himselfa ransom for all" il Tim. ii. ti). "In whom we have redemption through his blood" (Eph. i, 7). "Ye were not redeemed with cor- ruptible things, as silver and gold, hut wit h the precious blood of Christ" (d Pet. i. 18, 19). That deliverance of man from sin. misery, and all other penal evils of his transgression, which constitutes our redemption by (.'hrist. is not. therefore, a gratuitous deliverance, grant- ed without a consideration, as an acl of mere preroga- tive; the ransom — the redemption price was exacted and paid: one thing was given for another the precious blood ofChrist for captive and condemned men. ( If the same import are those passages which represent us as having been " bought" or " purchased" by Christ. Peter speaks of those "who denied the Lord rdv tryopaaavra avrovQ, that boughl them;" ami Paul, in the passage above cited, says, "Ye are bought with a price" (i}yo- pao&nn !- « hich price is expressly said bj John to he the