ESV | Mark 10 : 45
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
In this passage, Jesus tells His disciples that He came to earth in order to offer His life as a “ransom for many”. This concept of ransom is extremely important for rightly viewing the work of the Savior and is related to several other concepts, all of which we will consider in turn.
Today the term is most commonly associated with kidnapping, where money or some other service is demanded in exchange for the safe return of a victim. In the ancient world, a ransom was paid in order to secure the release of a captive. A price could be paid to buy a slave’s freedom or to release a hostage, for example.
Importantly, the kidnapper determines the price that sets the hostage free. Some in church history have said the devil is the person to whom Christ pays the ransom. But if this were the case, the devil would be the one who wins the victory. After all, the person who receives the ransom payment is the one whose goals have been met. Scripture routinely presents Satan as the foe whom Jesus defeated.
ESV | 1 John 3:8
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
So clearly the evil one cannot demand any ransom. God alone determined the ransom amount, and so Jesus bought us out of the wrath rightly due our sin. Consider how some of us might exchange tokens for some good or service. In a similar manner, Jesus gave His life in exchange for our safety from divine judgment. By faith we are saved — but not from Satan. We are saved from the wrath of God.
ESV | 1 Thess. 1:9–10
9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Propitiation and expiation are the two final theological terms that we will examine in this devotional. Expiation conveys the idea of cleansing sinners of their sin or of removing the penalty of our sins. It is readily associated with the Old Testament sacrificial system and also with the work of the one who “takes away the sin of the world”.
ESV | John 1:29
The next day he (John the baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Yet Christ’s death on the cross involves more than covering our sins, it also placates the wrath of God. This is what propitiation means. The Lord’s holiness demands punishment for sin, and in Jesus, God satisfies His own wrath.
ESV | Rom. 3:21–26
The Righteousness of God Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
He is therefore propitious, that is, favorable to His children.
Christ Our Ransom (Mario Guest Speaker)
Re: Christ Our Ransom (Mario Guest Speaker)
Mario wanted to make sure I gave proper credit to his lesson. His source is from TableTalk Magazine by Dr. R.C. Sproul. Thanks Mario!
Re: Christ Our Ransom (Mario Guest Speaker)
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I would like to add a link too ... hopefully none of you mind ... if so, let me know please
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/daily-stu ... ur-ransom/
December 22nd 2006
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