Redemption is Not Salvation
Are you in position to choose whether to restore someone, or lose them forever?
Redemption is about being bought back. It is the deal embedded in covenant and the integrity that supports it. It would be that someone who restores what was lost, by paying a very hefty price. There is always a cost with restoration.
In the Besorah (Good News and/or New Testament), redemption is the cost paid. That is, Christ’s life blood. This price asked was fully given to reclaim humanity from bondage to sin and death (Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18–19). Redemption is intentionally satisfying the righteous requirements of GOD’s holiness.
Think of redemption as the moment the chains are broken, and the debt is paid. What comes next is the work of it all.
Salvation is a broad thought, as it can be whitewashed, understated, misunderstood and underlived. It’s ACTUALLY, the deliverance, the healing and the transformation that follows redemption.
Is there a relationship between redemption and salvation? We can piece together how an individual working to redeem another (especially from a loss) would honor the fair dealing of GOD. He DID NOT have to supply a way for us to exit the penalty established through the actions of the joint effort of the original “man”. The choice/act to offer and make a way for salvation, reveals His mercy and tenderness. One pays the price, the other welcomes us home.
I found another view… Redemption (what the Messiah did) is the means; salvation (what we receive, by faith) is the end. Redemption is legal (justice); salvation is personal (the cost).
Imagine a broken marriage. Redemption is the moment the spouse pays the price to restore the covenant—perhaps through forgiveness, sacrifice, or costly love. Salvation is the ongoing healing, the restored intimacy, the renewed trust that follows.
Redemption in marriage is not a mystically religious transaction between the parties involved. It is without a doubt a continually lived out, embodied restoration of a covenant. Withing that covenant are dignity and the picture of both of them belonging.
GOD’s justice is very much alive here but is the place it meets His tender mercy(ies).
Many church-goers (consistent and irregular) are not familiar with the Biblical precedent Biblical custom of the kinsman-redeemer and the consecrated patterns of covenant renewal.
We all must remember, in Hebrew thought, marriage is a covenantal bond, not merely a contract. I know… Blah blah. Yeah… we all KNOW this. Right? If this is understood, why do we run to the courthouse or another person’s arms when things go slightly sideways?
When that bond is broken—through betrayal, abandonment, or loss—redemption is the act of restoring what was lost, often at great personal cost.
If you are living by this thinking process, here are some really cool and STRONG words to know and understand:
Padah: to ransom, rescue
Pa'al: to redeem, reclaim
NOTE: Redemption is not passive forgiveness. It’s active pursuit. Frame it to be a person reclaiming their spouse from the divorce heap. It echoes GOD’s redemptive Love for Israel: “I will betroth you to Me forever… in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy” –Hosea 2:19
Do you recall the story of Ruth & Boaz? You should get reacquainted with it if you are married, separated or your spouse has passed away. There is a LOT going on in there!
The story of Ruth and Boaz is the quintessential Hebrew picture of marital redemption:
Ruth, a widowed outsider, is vulnerable and without inheritance.
Boaz, as her go'el, steps in—not just to marry her, but to restore her lineage, dignity, and place in the covenant community.
His act is not romantic alone—it’s redemptive justice, fulfilling Torah obligations and embodying lovingkindness.
What about a broken marriage? This is where some marriage counselors get it wrong. I am not one, but I like to use Biblical (GODLY) Principles when I am talking about this subject. If you desire to save your marriage, it is possible!
A spouse choosing to forgive and rebuild after betrayal—not ignoring justice but paying the emotional cost to restore trust. You may be a couple working to reclaim intimacy after years of emotional distance. Being vulnerable through confession will put the wind back in the once rip-free sails. We can easily call that “covenant renewal”.
What if YOU are THAT partner who is “standing in the gap” for the other’s emotional healing and restoration of a life where hope it not completely lost, but visibly, what do I have to offer me optimism? Well, just like Boaz did for Ruth, he offered her covering, support, and sacrificial love.
Here is a new concept for many of you, but it is Scriptural. Once again, if you and I look to the Scriptures for where our beliefs originate, we will truly learn what GOD said and how His Son, Jesus lived (and spoke). Even today, in Jewish (world-wide) weddings, the groom may cover the bride with his prayer shawl (tallit)—symbolizing protection, spiritual leadership, and covenant guarding.
“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family” – Ruth 3:9
Redemption is the act of covering shame with honor, loss with belonging, and brokenness with rebuilding and repairations.