Remember the Lord Their Redeemer

One of the most common titles for Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon is Redeemer. We see this in particular in the first book of Nephi. For example, Nephi summarized his father’s teachings with this statement: “And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer” (1 Nephi 10:5-6). Nephi saw the Savior in vision and declared, “And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him” (1 Nephi 11:27). He saw Jesus in mortality, going forth among men as the Redeemer of the world. Nephi also taught his brothers with these words, “And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved” (1 Nephi 15:14). He foresaw our day when the house of Israel would come to the knowledge of a Redeemer. He also spoke of how anciently the children of Israel were “led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them” (1 Nephi 17:30). The Savior was the Redeemer long before His great redeeming act, and He is the Redeemer who still pays the price of our since today.

                As Nephi prefaced some of the words of Isaiah he was about to write, he said this: “And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer…. But that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah” (1 Nephi 19:18, 23). Here Nephi specifically referred to the title of Redeemer twice in explaining why he would quote the words of Isaiah, and I realized today that perhaps one of the reasons for this is because Redeemer was also a favorite title of the Messiah for Isaiah. He used the title 13 times out of only 18 total in the whole Old Testament. The prophet wrote, “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (41:14). Often Isaiah combined these two descriptions of the Lord: Redeemer and Holy One of Israel. Perhaps we can think of these like justification and sanctification; He redeems us from sin (justifies us) and then purifies us or makes us holy (sanctification). Isaiah also recorded this declaration of the Lord: “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (44:6). He is the Redeemer of Israel because He has promised to gather Israel and make them His people again in the last days. The Lord introduced Himself this way in another passage: “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go” (48:17).  I love the idea here of the Redeemer teaching us to profit. We are in debt because of our sins, but the Redeemer pays the price for those since so that we are not in debt anymore, thus allowing us to profit.  The final use of the word in the book of Isaiah comes is this verse: “Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting” (63:16). I love this connection between father and redeemer. As a father I am the one who pays for just about everything for my children. Sometimes they buy things “themselves” with money I gave them in the first place and which often doesn’t truly cover the cost of what is being purchased. In perhaps a similar manner, Christ has redeemed us by paying our debt, and as our spiritual father He asks us to pay a small price through our repentance and obedience to His commandments. But in reality He is the one who has paid the debt and bought us back through His redemptive act.  

                As Nephi summarized some of the words of Isaiah that he had quoted, he wrote, “Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel” (1 Nephi 22:12). We shall all know one day that the Savior is our Redeemer who purchased us through the shedding of His blood so that we could be brought out of spiritual captivity and gathered together back to our Father.