What does "ransom them from the power of Sheol" signify for believers today?

Verse Spotlight: Hosea 13:14

“I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting?”

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Key Terms Unpacked

- Ransom – a price paid to free captives (cf. 1 Peter 1:18–19).

- Redeem – to buy back or restore ownership.

- Sheol / Death – the grave, the realm of the dead, the power that holds humanity.

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Fulfillment in Christ

- Matthew 20:28 — Jesus “gave His life as a ransom for many.”

- Hebrews 2:14–15 — His death destroyed “him who holds the power of death.”

- 1 Corinthians 15:55–57 — Paul echoes Hosea: “Where, O Death, is your sting?” because Christ’s resurrection guarantees victory.

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What “Ransom from the Power of Sheol” Means for Believers Today

• Certainty of Resurrection

– John 11:25–26: “Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”

– Our bodies may enter the grave, but Sheol cannot keep us.

• Freedom from Fear

– Hebrews 2:15: we are released from lifelong slavery to the fear of death.

– Courage to live and die in hope.

• Assurance of Eternal Security

– Revelation 1:17–18: Jesus holds “the keys of Death and of Hades,” guaranteeing our ultimate safety.

• Motivation for Holy Living

– 1 Corinthians 15:58: because death is defeated, “be steadfast… knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

• Urgency in Witness

– Knowing others remain under death’s power until ransomed, we share the gospel that sets captives free.

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Living in Light of Our Ransom

- Rest daily in the finished work of Christ; nothing more must be paid.

- Reject hopelessness; the grave is a doorway, not a dead end.

- Walk in holiness, remembering you were bought “with the precious blood of Christ.”

- Speak boldly about the Savior who alone breaks the power of Sheol.