I sometimes use similar terms interchangeably to keep my blogs from becoming too stale, boring or repetitive. While the meaning of such terms are usually very close, they aren’t always the same. When I talk about Jesus paying our sin debt sometimes I say forgiveness and sometimes I say remission. You can forgive someone for being late for dinner but remission doesn’t fit. Forgiveness is a feeling. You’re no longer feeling angry about an offense or mistake someone has made. Remission is the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty.
For example, let’s say we’re having an old fashioned duel of honor between two gentlemen from the seventeenth century. They use single shot dueling pistols. They stand back to back and step off ten paces before turning and firing. One duelist fires first and his shot misses. By the rules of engagement the second duelist is entitled to take his shot and his opponent must stand and take the shot. The second duelist is an expert marksman and knows he can easily kill his man. He aims at his target but suddenly lowers his arm and doesn’t take the shot he is owed. The duel is over. That’s remission. Remission is showing mercy where none is expected or deserved. Forgiveness, on the other hand, would be showing up on the field of honor and one man deciding not to remain angry any longer about the slight that precipitated the duel and calling off the duel before a shot could accrue any debt, charge or penalty. Forgiveness is deciding not to duel at all. Remission is the same as mercy. The two terms are equivalent.
Matthew 26:28 – (Jesus speaking) – For this is the My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mark 1:4 – John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
Hebrews 9:22 – And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Acts 10:43 – To Him all the prophets witness that, through his name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.
Sometimes I’ve mistakenly used forgiveness in the place of redemption. Forgiveness is a feeling that costs us nothing. We were once angry and now we aren’t. We’ve let it slide. Redemption, on the other hand, always costs us something. With redemption there has to be a ransom paid to get back what is ours. For example, let’s say it’s three days before payday and you’re broke. You need groceries for the kids so you take your favorite shotgun and run down to the local pawn shop and borrow $50 against the shotgun, which the pawn broker holds for repayment. On payday you return to the pawn shop and pay $75 to redeem your shotgun. That’s redemption. Redemption always has a cost associated with it whereas forgiveness doesn’t.
Redemption is when someone holds something of value that belongs to us and we have to pay something (a ransom) in order to get it back. Our immortal souls have value. Our souls belong to God and are priceless in his eyes. Adam pawned our souls to Satan for a handful of fruit. The ransom paid by a just God to redeem our souls and keep us from the fires of hell was the death of his Son Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ is our redeemer because he paid the ransom price for our souls with his blood. It should’ve been us. That’s why we call Jesus Savior! That’s why we call Jesus Lord!
Romans 3:23-24 – For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 1:18-19 – Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Luke 1:68 – Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David.
Galatians 3:13 – Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.
Revelation 5:9-10 – And they sang a new song, saying “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.