Redemption Before The Law

Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher, explains that “redemption” in Scripture is a legal, transactional concept involving multiple parties—a debtor, an owner, a redeemer, and often a governing authority that confirms the transaction. While the Old Testament shows many kinds of redemption (land, animals, people) handled through monetary payment and legal process, the sermon narrows the focus to the redemption of the soul before God. Using passages like Psalm 49 and 1 Peter 1, he emphasizes that no amount of earthly wealth—silver, gold, or any “precious” commodity—can pay the ransom required to redeem a human soul to God. Only the precious blood of Christ is sufficient to meet that infinite price.

From there, Pastor-Teacher Strelecki addresses how souls were redeemed *before* the giving of the Law. Drawing from Romans 3–5 and Hebrews 11, he shows that God has always operated by a “law of faith,” and that Abraham “found” this principle when righteousness was imputed to him by faith apart from works or circumcision. Thus, saints before the Law (like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and possibly Job) were made right with God by believing what God had revealed of Himself and His word at their time, even though they did not yet know the details of Christ’s cross-work. God, in His forbearance, could remit their sins in view of the future payment Christ would make, and then apply that redemption backward to all who had faith.