The Ransom of Jesus
A ransom is
a fee that transfers ownership or sets free. It is when the agreed upon price
is paid. Often used in reference to hostage or slaves being released.
Key Verses
1Tim2:6 Who
gave Himself a ransom for all.
Mk10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
2Cor5:21 He made Him sin that knew no sin that
we might be the righteousness in God.
Key
Questions
1.
If
Jesus was a ransom, who was paid?
2.
What
was purchased with the ransom of Jesus?
Our
Understanding of the ransom of Jesus
God was
paid by Jesus death on the cross. It was not Satan, he is not equal with God.
Nor is Satan trustworthy in any deal. It was not mankind that that paid itself.
It was “God’s good pleasure” that His servant suffer. God is the “He” in “He
made Jesus sin who knew no sin.” But why would the Father go through the agony
of having His Son be crucified?
There are
two reasons. One is to satisfy is perfect justice. To be Himself, a good God,
breaking His law must be punished. There must by atonement to balance the
scales. Secondly the ransom paid was a demonstration of His love. This is how
much He is willing to pay for you because this is how much He loves you. It could
not be more.
Imagine you
and your son are the greatest weight lifters in the world. You know what it
takes. So the two of you decide to open up a free school in which you can train
the next generation of world champions. Before any students come in, you agree
to the standards that it takes to represent your name. You decide only champion
level athletes that meet your standards can train. As the doors open students
flock in. They stand in line as you clearly articulate the rules and the
expectations. “Any breach and you will do 200 pushups. If you can’t than you
can’t represent us.” You are the best, only the best. As you speak you see the
excitement in their eyes. You start to like the new students. They remind you
of yourself. You see the limitless potential in them and get more excited to
train them. But no sooner do you conclude your introduction than the rules are
breached. “200 pushups, all of you.” Their faces fall. None of them can preform
what is required. None of them meet the standard. Because you love them and
don’t want them to quit you ask your son to do the 200 pushups. As he willingly
does, the students are impressed and inspired by how much you care and how much
you believe in them. But who was that payment of pushups to? To you. So that
you could both hold the standard and build them up.
The Ransom
Christ paid was for our sins. Our transgressions, our law-breaking a Holy Gods
laws had a fine attached. It was a bill we could not pay. We owed it to God. We
broke Gods law. I have heard of a upright judge whose friend stood charged
before him. The good judge handed down the maximum fine and then out of his own
checkbook paid it on the spot. To be good, evil must be punished. Good cannot
but be just and truthful. It is evil that compromises, evil that lies, evil
that is ever changing. But God is good and His goodness demands payment for
wrongs done.
In Conclusion
The ransom
Jesus paid on the cross was for two reasons; to atone for our sins before a
good God and secondly to demonstrate how much God loves us. “In this is
manifest love that God sent His son to the Cross.” “God so loved the world that
He sent His son..” This payment was a proof of how valuable you are.
Take a few
minutes and see if you can give a reasonable answer to the questions we started
with;
1.
If
Jesus was a ransom, who was paid?
2.
What
was purchased with the ransom of Jesus?
If you
can’t answer these questions, what further information is needed?
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