knowing that you were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers,
From your vain manner of life ...  Inherent in all redemption is the state from which we are redeemed, namely, a state of sin.  Peter here notes that the Christians were redeemed "from the vain manner of life"; and this is in every way consonant with what the angel said to Joseph, speaking of Christ, "It is he that shall save his people from their sins."  The vanity, futility, lustfulness and ignorance of the Christless life are pointedly stressed in this chapter.