Ransom
“He gave himself a ransom for all”
Those are the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy in 1Tim
2:6 he is speaking about Jesus. Why did
he use the word ransom in this account?
If you look up the word in a dictionary it will say it is a price paid
for the release of something held captive.
It seems obvious that Jesus in someway paid a price for something. Matthew in Matt.20:28 uses this term in
speaking of Jesus where it says that he gave his life a ransom. Mark in Mark 18:45 says the same thing.
How does all this apply to us? What was it that mankind lost? Where did the fear of going to Hell when one
dies come from? Is that why Jesus
died? No! No! No! Adam lost his life in the Garden of
Eden. There was never any mention of a
place where he would burn in agony forever.
It was life that Adam lost and we inherent that penalty from him, that
is why we die. Jesus became a man and
came to earth to give his life as a ransom price for Adam and all of Adam’s
posterity. He had to be a man in order
to take a man’s place. That is were the word ransom comes in. That is why the Bible makes such an issue in
him being a man. He gave a corresponding price. He took
Back to the ransom, we think that this is the pivot point
of the Christian religion. Our salvation
depends on what Jesus did. He paid for
out sins. He has things yet to do. The scripture we started with about the
ransom goes on to say it will be “testified in due time”. In the meantime people are engrossed in
various views about religion and the hereafter.
All are learning about sin and its consequences. In the millennial age they will learn about
doing what is right. We all know of
cases where we feel justice has not been served. God says that vengeance is mine, Romans 12:19
& Duet. 32 :35.
Someway he will deal justice to those that have been unjust but it will
not be by placing them in a place where they will be in agony forever. There is nothing a man could do that would
make that just.
The
Apostle Paul speaks of most of these things in Romans 5:12. This is what he says, “Therefore, as through one man sin entered
into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for
that all sinned”.
That is the penalty in about as few words as it is possible
to put it. Then Paul goes on in the seventeenth
and eighteenth verses with this-“For if,
by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they
that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in
life through the one, even Jesus Christ.
So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation;
even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification
of life”.
And Paul called it a “ransom for all”.
John
5:28 & 29, says this, “Marvel
not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear
his voice, and shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
judgment”.
That is what Jesus did for us by paying the ransom. All will have a resurrection. Those that have done good
are the members of the church that will rule and reign with Christ and be part
of the first resurrection. “You are the
body of Christ”. 1Cor.12: 27. The rest
is everybody else. Their trial for life
will be in the millennial age.
I can see were
some might say, “I can see how all that may pay for Adam’s sin and our part in
it, but all people have sinned individually.
How is that paid for?” Of course the Bible makes it plain that we are
all sinners and it also makes it plain that our faith in Christ is what makes
any standing with God possible. That is
called being covered by the robe of Christ’s rightesness. Those not covered are
not on trial. That will come in the
millennial age. So then you say “it doesn’t matter what we do now”. But it does matter what we do now because we
are developing character. The more
despicable we are now the harder it will be then. Orthodox Christianity thinks
it is terrible for anyone to say that anyone not accepting Christ before they
die will not go to hell. I have probably
not explained it very well but there are too many reasons to think otherwise
than to think that is so.
The
price has been paid. We think we are
living in the “end times” and it won’t be long until Christ’s kingdom will be established
and wonderful things will soon begin happening,
“the restitution of all things as spoken of by all God’s prophets”. Acts 3:21.