1 TIMOTHY 2:6

“who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” 

How many movies have you seen that involved someone paying a ransom for the release of someone else? Normally, it is someone close to them or someone of great importance. Kidnappings happen all the time for ransom, especially in some of the third world countries. Someone pays the full price to secure the freedom of another.

This word “ransom” is only used right here in the New Testament. It appears nowhere else. Interestingly enough, verse 6 follows verse 5 (lol), which talked about Christ being the mediator. So, our mediator pays the ransom. Better yet, Christ BECOMES the purchase price. He gave His life to secure our freedom from sin and the grave.

APPLICATION

Have you ever taken away one of your child’s toys to discipline them? I had to take away my son’s Nintendo system once. He had abused the privilege of playing it, so he lost it for a whole month. You would have thought I had removed a kidney, lol. But we gave him a way to gain it back. He had to “pay a price” to ransom his game system. Believe me, he would have paid any price to get it back.

That’s a very loose analogy but hear me out. Christ redeemed what was legally already His. We are created by Him in His image, but sin has robbed us from that relationship. The only way to return to our rightful owner is to pay the price of judgment, something we could never do. The price is too high. But Jesus could. He had the correct currency – perfection. His righteousness for our sin – that was the ransom.

Are you even aware of the price He paid for you? Do you care? His sacrifice on our behalf can never be repeated. It doesn’t have to. His one-time payment covers all sin. We just have to be willing to receive it. Will you?

Ransom paying is beyond my realm of thinking. I cannot begin to imagine the weight You suffered with the sins of the whole world on Your shoulders. Thank You for being the ultimate sacrifice to pay the ransom for me.