Chapter 7

Jesus Christ

A Ransom for Many

Our study of basic Bible teaching continues in this chapter, centering especially on the question "Why did Jesus Christ come into the world?" In the last two chapters we talked about the person of Jesus Christ and answered the question "Who is Jesus?" We saw that He is both God and man — being both fully God and fully man.

Why Did Jesus Christ Come?

In Obedience to God — The question, "Why did He come?" implies a fact about Jesus which is not true of any other person who ever lived. He existed with God before His birth in Bethlehem (John 1:1). Therefore, He had a reason for coming into the world as God manifest in the flesh.

Just what was His reason? Philippians 2 describes His leaving heaven's glory to become a man who was obedient to God:

Philippians 2:5-8

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The point of His coming to the earth is found in that last verse. He came in obedience to God, which led Him to Calvary. Why was obedience to the point of death necessary? The answer is in many books of the Bible, but we will look briefly at the Gospel of Mark to find the answer.

Mark answers the question asked in previous chapters, "Who is Jesus?" as well as the question before us, "Why did He come?" The first eight chapters of Mark gradually reveal who Jesus is; the full answer is given in chapter eight, verse 29. Peter confessed to Him, "Thou art the Christ." From that time on Jesus began to reveal why He came. Mark explained, "He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31).

To Give His Life a Ransom for Many — As soon as the apostles recognized who Jesus was, He began to show them why He came into the world. The reason He came is clearly given in Mark 10:45 where He said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." A ransom is "the price paid to obtain the release of a person or property," in this case the release of a sinner from the guilt, penalty, and eventually, the presence of sin. The ransom that Jesus paid for us is not the same thing as one paying a ransom to a kidnapper to release a victim. It's the price He paid on Calvary to satisfy justice so that we could be set free.

Some early Church fathers taught that Jesus paid His ransom to Satan because he held us in bondage to sin. But that is totally unacceptable. One writer said that Christ does not recognize the right of Satan. Jesus simply overpowered him and now sets his captives free when they turn to God. I believe that is what Hebrews means when it says:

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself [Jesus] likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

If the ransom Jesus paid was not to Satan, then to whom was it paid? It was paid to satisfy the eternal and universal justice of God. Since the penalty of sin is death, and all have sinned, then the ransom of death had to be paid to deliver the sinner. God could not simply forgive the sinner without having the penalty paid. Otherwise, there would be no basis of law and justice in the entire universe and moral chaos would result. That being so, there are several questions that naturally follow: (1) For whom was the ransom paid? (2) Why did Jesus have to die? and (3) What are the results of His sacrifice?

For Whom Was the Ransom Paid?

The Ransom Was for Mankind – The answer to this question is found in Romans 5, Hebrews 2, and 1 John 2, among many other places in the Scripture. The Apostle John says, "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This means Jesus took our place and made a satisfactory, substitutionary, sacrifice [propitiation] for our sins, and John adds, "also for those of the whole world." Thus, the ransom Jesus paid was valuable enough to ransom every soul from Adam to the end of time because, as God manifest in flesh, His value is without limit. For this reason His death covers your sins and mine as we trust Him.

The Ransom Was Not Paid for Angels — The writer of the book of Hebrews is careful to explain that the death of Jesus was for mankind and not for angels who sinned:

Hebrews 2:9-10, 14-16

9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

The ransom that Jesus paid, therefore, covers only the human race. Each of us was born with a sin nature from Adam and is given the opportunity to receive help from Jesus as a descendant of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:29). Notice that verse 16 says, Jesus "does not give help to angels," but He does help the descendant of Abraham.

Why a Difference Between Men and Angels? — Fallen angels are not being saved because they have no Savior. Each one, created directly by God, chose individually to sin against God while in a state of perfection. Each of us was born a sinner without a choice in the matter, so Jesus came to our aid. Galatians 3:29 says that believing Gentiles are also seed or offspring of Abraham: "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." This verse is in the context of a letter written to a Gentile church. Not only are Jews the offspring of Abraham, but Gentiles who have the faith of Abraham are spiritual descendants. While Jesus is able to redeem an infinite number of men, only those who have the same kind of faith as Abraham are actually redeemed. Perhaps you wonder what kind of faith that is. Abraham believed God's Word. He believed that what God told him would actually come to pass.

Valid Only for Believers — Thus, we have the answer to the first question, "For whom was the ransom paid?" It was paid for every one. However, it is valid only for those who receive it and accept the payment that was made on their behalf. Therefore, while the ransom is adequate for every human being, salvation will come only to those who believe.

In the next chapter we shall discuss two more questions about the ransom Jesus paid for our salvation: (1) Why did Jesus have to die? and (2) What is the result of His sacrifice for us?

Make It Personal

The New Testament makes it clear that you must personally receive Jesus Christ in order for His ransom to be effective for you. You must make a personal choice to receive Him for yourself. John wrote about Jesus:

John 1:11-13

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Many people who know the Gospel fail to benefit from it because they do not receive Jesus Christ. You may ask, "How may I receive Him?" It is a very simple thing to do, yet very profound and life-changing. You may receive Him by acknowledging that He died on Calvary to pay for your sin and that God raised Him from the dead, showing that He was satisfied.

You should come to the Father and pray something like this:

"Father, I know that Jesus died for me and I receive Him now as my Savior. Please take away my sin and control my life for Your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen."

You do not have to be able to live a good life on your own or do anything else to insure your salvation. When you take this step, God will enable you, as you trust Him, to live a life pleasing to Him.

If you have never received Jesus Christ, do not put it off. It is a dangerous thing to do when dealing with your eternal destiny. If you already know Jesus and trust Him, be sure to thank Him today for your own salvation.

Romans 5:8

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Do you know for sure that you will spend eternity in Heaven? The Bible speaks clearly about how you can know for sure if you are Heaven-bound.
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