Are Forgiveness of Sin and Redemption for Sin the Same Thing, Similar Things, or Different Things?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Grace in Focus

Episode: Are Forgiveness of Sin and Redemption for Sin the Same Thing, Similar Things, or Different Things?
Host: Ken Yates & Katharine Wright (Grace Evangelical Society)
Date: June 4, 2025
Duration: 13 minutes

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Overview

In this concise episode, Ken Yates and Katharine Wright tackle a nuanced theological question: Are “forgiveness of sins” and “redemption” the same, similar, or distinct concepts—especially as used in Colossians 1:13-14? Drawing from Free Grace Theology, they argue that while these concepts are closely related and often conflated within Christian communities, they represent distinct aspects of the believer’s relationship with God, each carrying specific implications for assurance, sanctification, and spiritual growth.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Listener’s Question and Context ([01:07] - [02:26])

• Topic Introduction:
  The hosts introduce a listener’s question regarding Colossians 1:13-14:
  “Is redemption through Christ's blood the same thing as the forgiveness of sins in this passage?”
• Scripture Reading:
  Ken reads Colossians 1:13-14, highlighting the phrases:

  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

• Common Assumptions:
  Christians typically collapse redemption, forgiveness, and salvation into “going to heaven”—a viewpoint the hosts challenge.

The Problem with Conflating Terms ([03:35] - [04:44])

• Christian Jargon Critique:
  Ken asks, “When you hear the word redeemed, what do you think?”, illustrating that common gospel presentations reduce multi-faceted doctrines to “believe in Jesus and he’ll forgive your sins.”
• GES Emphasis:
  Katharine:

  “At the moment of salvation, many, many things happen. But unfortunately, we tend to lump them all into just the box of ‘I’m going to heaven.’”

• Mission of GES:
  To clarify and distinguish the various gifts and blessings that come with faith, rather than treating them all as synonyms.

Are Redemption and Forgiveness the Same? ([04:44] - [06:23])

• Unequivocal Answer:
  Katharine:

  “No, I like to lay the cards just go ahead and tell you.” ([05:14])

• Citing Lewis Sperry Chafer:
  Ken:

  “The unbeliever doesn’t have a sin problem. He has a Son problem. … It is not our sins that cause us to be cast into the lake of fire. It’s because we don’t have life.”

• Defining Forgiveness:
  Forgiveness of sins results in fellowship (“communion,” “intimacy,” “peace”) with God, rather than being the condition for entering heaven.

Fellowship vs. Eternal Life ([05:49] - [08:35])

• Distinction:
  • Eternal life is a gift received by faith.
  • Forgiveness is a benefit that allows fellowship with God.
• Forgiveness Nuances:
  Ken:

  “You don’t have to confess all the sins that you’ve committed as an unbeliever. … This is a different benefit [than eternal life].” ([08:07], [08:14])

• Clarifying Assurance:
  Spiritual growth, intimacy, and peace with God flow from forgiveness, not merely salvation from hell.

Redemption: A Separate Concept ([08:51] - [11:37])

• Two Distinct Blessings:
  • Both forgiveness and redemption are “through his blood,” but they target different realities.
  • Forgiveness: Restores relationship; ongoing through confession (see 1 John 1:9).
  • Redemption:

    “To be bought out of the slave market … we were slaves to sin … he broke the power of that for us.” ([10:11])

• Practical Implications:
  Redemption frees believers from bondage to sin; they can now “walk by the Spirit” and are “equipped” to live the Christian life.

The Colossians Context—Combating False Teachings ([06:58], [11:52] - [12:32])

• Paul’s Purpose:
  Addressing false teachers who claimed believers needed additional mystical experiences or knowledge to be truly close to God.
  • Katharine:

    “No, you have everything you need in Christ to grow.” ([08:49])

• Modern Application:
  The urge for additional blessings, “super-Christian” status, or unique experiences is still prevalent; Paul’s answer is sufficiency in Christ.

Final Thoughts and Encouragement ([12:32] - [13:32])

• Ken’s Summary:

  “He has paid the price to set you free from the power of sin. He’s redeemed you … and he has forgiven you of all your sins. … You have everything you need in Christ.” ([12:32])

• Caution Against Jargon:

  “I think our Christian jargon has messed us up. Just look at what the Bible has to say. Keep grace in focus.” ([12:59])

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “The unbeliever doesn’t have a sin problem. He has a Son problem.”
  — Ken Yates ([05:17]); summarizing Lewis Sperry Chafer to highlight that lack of faith, not acts of sin, disqualifies one from eternal life.

• “At the moment of faith, you received eternal life, but … you also received all of the equipment and positional benefits that are necessary for you to live the victorious Christian life as well.”
  — Katharine Wright ([11:37])

• “Our Christian jargon has messed us up. Just look at what the Bible has to say.”
  — Ken Yates ([12:59]); a call for clarity and returning to Scripture for meaning.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:07] – Host enthusiasm and topic introduction
• [02:12] – Listener’s question read and Colossians 1:13-14 quoted
• [04:01] – Common Christian gospel language and its limitations
• [05:14] – Hosts’ definitive stance: Forgiveness and redemption are different
• [05:17] – The “Son problem” quote referencing Chafer
• [05:49] - [09:43] – Distinction between forgiveness (fellowship) and redemption (freedom from sin's power)
• [10:11] – Detailed discussion of "slave market" imagery for redemption
• [11:37] – The “equipment” for victorious Christian living
• [12:32] – Christ’s sufficiency and critique of mystical “extra” experiences

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Tone and Language

Relaxed, candid, and pastoral—Ken and Katharine blend clear teaching, personal anecdotes, and references to classic evangelical writers. The episode aims for accessibility and practical relevance, especially for those confused by overlapping Christian terms.

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Conclusion

Key Takeaway:
Redemption and forgiveness are not synonymous. Redemption is liberation from sin’s power—freedom to live by the Spirit. Forgiveness restores daily fellowship and intimacy with God. Both are gifts, received through faith and Christ’s blood, but clarity about their differences is crucial for healthy Christian assurance and growth.

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Transcript

[Ken Yates]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.

[Radio Announcer]

Is forgiveness a sin and redemption from sin the same thing, a similar thing, or two different things? This is Grace in Focus and today we'll be looking at this question from Colossians 1:15. What are the meanings of redemption and forgiveness? This is the Grace in Focus radio broadcast and podcast. Thank you for listening daily. And it is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. Find out more about us by going to our website faithalone.org One thing you'll find there is our seminary. It is an online seminary and you can earn an MDiv degree for free if you maintain a 3.0 grade average. If you are thinking of starting in our fall semester, right now is the time to put in your application, get accepted and then registration for the fall semester is right around the corner. Many other things on that website faithalone.org now with today's question and answer discussion, here are Katharine Wright and Ken Yates.

[Ken Yates]

I gotta tell you, Kathryn, I'm pumped up about this question.

[Katharine Wright]

It's a good one.

[Ken Yates]

It's a good question and it is a subject that is near and dear to our hearts. Kathryn and I have talked about doing a book on the forgiveness of sins and I think this is such a misunderstood topic. I, I compare it to years ago there was a book written called Decision Making in the Will of God by a man by the name of Friesen. It really challenged the way so many within evangelicalism look at decision making. You know, I remember as a young man, decision making was cast a fleece or you got to find God's perfect will for every big decision you make. You know, like should I buy this car or whatever. And, and that book really challenged my thinking and it challenged a lot of thinking. I think the same thing needs to happen with this issue of the forgiveness of sins. Yeah, but let's get to the question and ask a question related to this very topic and go ahead and read the question.

[Katharine Wright]

So she's asking about Colossians chapter one, verses 13 through 14. And her question is, is redemption through Christ's blood the same thing as the forgiveness of sins in this pass?

[Ken Yates]

Yeah. And again, let me read these verses for you. She mentioned Colossians chapter 1, verses 13 through 14. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. And here's the issue, verse 14, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. And so the question is, particularly verse 14, is the redemption and the forgiveness of sins the same thing when you talk to most within our churches, I think the tendency would be very strong to say, well, yeah, I'm redeemed from hell. Redeemed. How I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by the blood of the land. I'm assuming that that came from this verse that song does. So we're redeemed from hell and we're forgiven of our sins when we are saved. And therefore, our sins are going to send us to hell. So we've been redeemed from hell, and then we've been forgiven of our sins and we don't go to hell. And so redeemed and forgiveness of sins are going to be the same thing.

[Katharine Wright]

And basically, I think even the idea of being delivered from the power of darkness.

[Ken Yates]

Right, that.

[Katharine Wright]

I don't know. I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth, but I would think something along the lines of, as an unbeliever, you were in the. In the kingdom or in the power of Satan and darkness, but now that you're saved, you'll. You're going to heaven.

[Ken Yates]

Right.

[Katharine Wright]

You're in the kingdom of light. And most all it's all about.

[Ken Yates]

Yeah, this is all about salvation.

[Katharine Wright]

Synonyms.

[Ken Yates]

This is. Yeah, these are all just ways of saying that. And again, I would just ask our listeners, when you hear the word redeemed, what do you think? You know, when you hear the gospel presented, how is it usually presented? By far the most common. Believe in Jesus and he'll forgive you of your sins. You know, it's rare that you believe in Jesus for eternal life. You don't hear that. Believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. He'll wash your sins away. You know, these kind of things.

[Katharine Wright]

It goes back to something that we talk about at GES a lot, which is, you know, at the moment of salvation, many, many things happen. But unfortunately, we tend to lump them all into just the. The box of I'm going to heaven.

[Ken Yates]

Yeah.

[Katharine Wright]

And what we strive to do at GES is define what all of these different, separate things are, because they're not the same. They are different blessings or gifts or. And so as we look at these terms, they're different words, so shouldn't they mean different things?

[Ken Yates]

Yeah, and it's just assumed they mean the same. And that's the question. Are these the same? If you haven't figured it out yet, you may have already picked up that Catherine and I would say no. Well, in fact, a few minutes ago, Catherine said. She said no, I like to lay.

[Katharine Wright]

The Cards Just go ahead and tell you, Lewis.

[Ken Yates]

Barry Chafer famously said that the unbeliever doesn't have a sin problem. He has a son problem. He doesn't have life in the sun. And it is not our sins that cause us to be cast into the lake of fire. It's because we don't have life. And we don't have life if we've never believed in Jesus alone for it. So what does the forgiveness of sins mean? Well, the forgiveness of sins means that we now have fellowship with God.

[Katharine Wright]

We have peace.

[Ken Yates]

Yeah, there's a difference. Okay, I'm given eternal life, but God is. And as Catherine just said, we receive more than that when we believe, we receive the forgiveness of sins. And because my sins are forgiven when I believe, I now can have communion with God, we can have intimacy, we can have fellowship with him. And so Paul is telling the Colossae believers, or the believers at Colossae, that this is what has happened to you.

[Radio Announcer]

You are invited to subscribe to the Grace Evangelical Society's YouTube channel. You will find our Monday, Wednesday and Friday videos there, enlightening and encouraging and even probably humorous at times. If you like Bob Wilkins Hum. Indeed you will get biblical truth about free grace themes like faith alone for eternal salvation and why the Grace evangelical society is zero point Calvinistic. We come your way three times a week at the Grace Evangelical YouTube channel. Check it out and tell a friend about the Grace Evangelical Society.

[Ken Yates]

Paul is telling the Colossae believers, or the believers at Colossae, this is what has happened to you. Now, the reason he's doing that is because he is combating a false teaching that's going on there. And these false teachers, we got to read between the lines. What they were saying is that they needed some kind of additional thing. They needed some kind of special knowledge in order to be close to God. And Paul is saying, no, as believers, your sins were forgiven and you have fellowship with him already. You have everything you need at the moment of faith. You don't need something. In addition, if we're going to apply it today is you don't need to speak in tongues. You know, you don't need some kind of mystical experience.

[Katharine Wright]

You don't have to go to a priest.

[Ken Yates]

That's right. You don't have to do anything. Your sins are forgiven. Now, the believer who sins needs to confess those sins in order to have those sins forgiven in order for that fellowship to continue.

[Katharine Wright]

That's right.

[Ken Yates]

But in him we have the forgiveness of sins. Either when we believe and we receive the forgiveness of sins. I would say all your past sins have been forgiven.

[Katharine Wright]

That's right.

[Ken Yates]

At the moment, you don't have to confess when you become a believer, you don't have to confess all the sins that you've committed as an unbeliever.

[Katharine Wright]

But what you're saying, just to clarify, is that is something in addition to receiving the gift of eternity, this is a different benefit. And because of this benefit from we now can go to him and we can walk with him and we can have peace with him and work with him.

[Ken Yates]

Sure.

[Katharine Wright]

Grow with Him. Which is part of the issue with Colossians as well, that evidently these false teachers were saying they had some sort of special knowledge that they, you know, that they had come to them for. No, you have everything you need in Christ to grow.

[Ken Yates]

Right.

[Katharine Wright]

That's the point.

[Ken Yates]

And I would also say that when it talks about in verse 14, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. The redemption is a result of his blood, which is something different. We're going to talk about that in a second. And so is the forgiveness of sins because he died on the cross. When I believe all my past sins are forgiven, that's through his blood. And then when I confess those sins that I commit in the future, First John 1:919, through his blood we have the forgiveness of sins.

[Katharine Wright]

That's right.

[Ken Yates]

Okay. So in both ways, whether we're talking about when I come to faith and my past sins are forgiven, or when I sin in the future and I confess them, it's all because of the blood of Christ. And all of that is what results in me being in fellowship with God.

[Katharine Wright]

That's right.

[Ken Yates]

Through his blood. So in other words, the blood of Christ here, Paul is not saying here in Colossians because of the blood of Christ, you're going to go to heaven. That's not what he's saying in this verse.

[Katharine Wright]

That's true, but it's just not what's going on in Colossians.

[Ken Yates]

In Colossians, it is the forgiveness of sins that I have through the blood of Christ. And again, this is combating the false teachers there. That was going on. So what about the word redemption? We would say those are not the same thing.

[Katharine Wright]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

There's a reason why Paul uses different terms here. He's not just repeating himself, using different ways of saying the same thing. I would say redemption means to be bought out of the slave market. There's been a price that has set you free. And Paul says, you have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ. Well, you've been set free from a slave market through the blood of Christ. What does that mean? Well, we were slaves to sin. And Paul talks about this in the book of Romans in great lengths that before we became believers, we were slaves to sin. We have no choice but to serve it. But when Christ died and rose from the dead, he broke the power of that for us, and we are united to Him. The same power that raised him from the dead lives within us. He died on the cross because of our sins, but when he rose, the power of sin was broken. And when we believe in him, here's another benefit. We no longer have to serve the power of sin. We can now walk by the Spirit. We've also received the forgiveness of sins, which means we can have fellowship with Him. We have access to him. Romans 5:2. All these things are in addition to receiving eternal life.

[Katharine Wright]

In other words, yes, at the moment of faith, you received eternal life, but at the moment of faith, you also received all of the equipment and positional benefits that are necessary for you to live the victorious Christian life as well.

[Ken Yates]

Yes. And of course, again, that goes with the point of the Book of Colossians perfectly.

[Katharine Wright]

Yeah.

[Ken Yates]

Where you have this false teaching that was saying, oh, no, no, no, you need something extra.

[Katharine Wright]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

When you read the Book of Colossians, what you see is that they were offering some kind of mystical experience that would make you super Christian.

[Katharine Wright]

Which? Goodness. Don't we see that today?

[Ken Yates]

Absolutely, we see it today.

[Katharine Wright]

Yeah. You have to come to me and my church and my special mission, the cult, certainly. But even in mainstream areas we see this. And so, no, everything that you need again to live a healthy Christian life is founded in Christ.

[Ken Yates]

Yes, he has paid the price to set you free from the power of sin. He's redeemed you. He's bought you and he has forgiven you of all your sins. And in his blood you confess those sins and you continue to have fellowship with him. And you have everything you need in Christ. So I think our Christian jargon has messed us up. Just look at what the Bible has to say. Keep grace in focus.

[Radio Announcer]

We invite you to check out our Monday, Wednesday and Friday five minute YouTube videos at YouTube Grace Evangelical Society. You will love the content and learn a lot. Maybe you've got a question or comment or feedback. If so, please send us a message. Here's our email address. It's radioaithalone.org that's radioaithalone.org Please make sure your question is as succinct and clear. As as possible. That would be a great big help. On our next episode was Simon the Sorcerer born again. Please join us for that. And until then, let's keep Grace in focus.

[Ken Yates]

The proceeding has been a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.