How and to whom did Jesus pay our ransom?

Such was our condition. We had failed to answer God's claims upon us, and had consequently fallen under the penalties of sin; and, at the same time, we came under the dominion of Satan, who reigned over us through the power of death which he wielded as the judgment of God upon us on account of our sins. Then it was, when we not only had no claim upon God, but had incurred the just penalty of our sins, that He, according to the counsels of His grace, being rich in mercy, in His love and in His pity redeemed us — redeemed us not with corruptible things, as silver and gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18).

We will now consider more particularly the method by which our redemption was effected. It consisted properly of two parts, the price paid, and the deliverance effected; the claims of God met, and our deliverance from the hand and power of Satan; and we shall find these two things historically illustrated in the redemption of Israel.

(1) The price paid, or the ransom money. Speaking to the disciples, our blessed Lord said, "The Son of Man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). In another scripture we read that Christ "gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:6). That is, He gave Himself in death — corresponding so far with the other scripture quoted, "gave His life." The significance of these statements will be explained by a passage from the Old Testament "The life of the flesh is in THE BLOOD: and I have given it to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls: for it is THE BLOOD THAT MAKES AN ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL" (Lev. 17:11). Hence, "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 11:22). It was therefore the blood of Christ (for the life is in the blood) that constituted our ransom money: this was the price paid for our redemption. Hence Paul says, "In whom we have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7); and Peter, in the scripture we have before cited, that we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. It is no wonder that he terms it "precious," since it availed to meet all the claims of a holy God upon us, so that on that foundation he could proclaim salvation to all. For, in truth, it not only satisfied God's claims, but so infinite was its value that the Lord Jesus, by the shedding of His own blood, glorified God in all that He was, — in every attribute of His character, — and thus He can righteously justify every one that believes in Jesus. Yea, more, He glorifies Himself, in bringing every believer to Himself, in making him His child, and if a child, then an heir, an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17).

(2) The blood of Christ was the price, or ransom, paid for our deliverance or redemption from this state of bondage and captivity. (See the passages already cited, especially 1 Peter 1:18-19; Matthew 20:28.) For He died in our stead, 'the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God' (1 Peter 4:18). Thereby He met and satisfied all the claims which a Holy God had against us: He accepted the whole of our responsibilities: 'He bare our sins in His own body on the tree' (1 Peter 2:24): in a word, He paid the whole of our debt, and the price was His own blood. And thus His blood-shedding — the offering up of His own life for us — availed both to vindicate the holiness of God, yea, to glorify Him even about our sins, and to secure for us eternal redemption. Well, therefore, might it be termed precious blood! So precious as to exceed all finite estimate. It is precious according to the infinite judgment of God; and yet nothing less would have availed. Had there been collected all the wealth, the gems, and costly stones, all the diamonds of Africa and Brazil — all these riches would have been as dust before God. For 'they that trust themselves in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever): that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption' (Ps. 49:6-9). God only could provide the ransom. He gave it in the gift of His Son; and the ransom was paid in the blood-shedding on the Cross. Blessed be His name!

In pursuing our enquiry into the nature of redemption, there are three distinct things to be considered, and the first of these is the ground on which redemption is effected. We have already pointed out that the heart of God is its source, even as the apostle speaks, "All things are of God." And, indeed, grace can never be entered into or apprehended until it is perceived that redemption, with all its blessed fruits, is but the expression of the eternal love of God. (See Rom. 8:28-39; Eph. 1; Titus 3:5-7, etc.) But God Himself, being what He is, was powerless to act until He could be just as well as the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. But now He justifies us freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:24.) It was therefore the death of Christ, the atonement for sin which He thereby made, which laid the foundation of our redemption; or, to speak more accurately (for redemption signifies a buying back), the blood of Christ was our ransom price - the price paid for our redemption. Two scriptures will explain this. "The Son of man came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life" (and "the life is in the blood") "a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28.) Again, "Redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19.)

In pursuing our enquiry into the nature of redemption, there are three distinct things to be considered, and the first of these is the ground on which redemption is effected. We have already pointed out that the heart of God is its source, even as the apostle speaks, "All things are of God." And, indeed, grace can never be entered into or apprehended until it is perceived that redemption, with all its blessed fruits, is but the expression of the eternal love of God. (See Rom. 8:28-39; Eph. 1; Titus 3:5-7, etc.) But God Himself, being what He is, was powerless to act until He could be just as well as the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. But now He justifies us freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:24.) It was therefore the death of Christ, the atonement for sin which He thereby made, which laid the foundation of our redemption; or, to speak more accurately (for redemption signifies a buying back), the blood of Christ was our ransom price — the price paid for our redemption. Two scriptures will explain this. "The Son of man came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life" (and "the life is in the blood") "a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28.) Again, "Redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:18-19.)

(1.) He has ransomed or repurchased both us and our inheritance, which had been righteously forfeited to God by transgression, paying the full price, weighing out the uttermost farthing to his most just demands upon us, not indeed in silver and gold, but in His own most precious blood. (See Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:24-25. Eph. 1:7-14; Col. 1:14; 1 Tim. 2:6; Heb. 9:12; Heb. 10:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19.)

A similar scripture is: "The Son of Man came … to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Here again the actual result of His death amongst men is in question. But we also read: "The Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:5-6). Here, taking up the standpoint of propitiation, the value of His death before God is in question, and hence the scope and bearing of His death towards all men comes into view.

The Son of Man Himself is the shining example of service of this kind. Who so great as He in His original estate? Then "thousand thousands ministered to Him" (Dan. 7:10). Who took so lowly a place, ministering to others? Who carried service to such a length as "to give His life a ransom for many"? For this reason alone, apart from other considerations, the place of pre-eminence must be His. They, who follow Him most closely in lowly service in this day, will be chiefest in that day.

In verse 45, the Lord not only brings His death before His disciples for the fifth time, but He explains its significance. Previously He had emphasized the fact of His death, so that the minds of the disciples might no longer be obsessed by expectations of a coming visible kingdom. Now the meaning of the fact appears. He would die to pay the ransom price for many. Here then we have a plain statement as to the substitutionary and atoning character of His death from His own lips. It is "many" here, for the actual, realized effect of His ransoming death is the point. In 1 Timothy 2:6, where the bearing and scope of it is in question, the word is "all."

If the sacrifice of Christ is of infinite value to God in securing all His will, it is of infinite value to men, for the work accomplished on the cross, in the sovereign goodness of God, is available to all men. A ransom is paid to set at liberty those in captivity; and the Lord Jesus has paid the price to liberate all who believe in Him from the captivity of Satan, the power of sin, and the fear of death.

Towards the close of His public ministry, with the cross so near, the Lord Jesus called His disciples around Him, when they were displeased at the sons of Zebedee seeking a special place in His kingdom, and told them, "For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). After the Lord Jesus had given His life, the Spirit of God announced, through the Apostle Paul, that the ransom was available for all.

Christ has redeemed those who belong to him (and only those). More specifically, the price which He paid was His blood (1 Peter 1:18), that is His life.

Believers also have been redeemed. Once they, like the Israelites, were in bondage — "the servants of sin" (Rom. 5:17), under the blinding influence and power of the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), and taken captive by him at his will. (2 Tim. 2:26.) It was for them, in this condition, that the Son of man gave His life as a ransom, His blood being the price paid for their redemption. Hence it is that we read, that "by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption." (Heb. 9:12.) Silver was used as a type of the price of redemption in days of old (Ex. 30:11-16), and on one occasion gold was given in the place of silver (Num. 31:48-54), these being the two most precious metals, and employed therefore to signify that the redemption of the soul is precious; that is, beyond price. For "they that trust themselves in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him … that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." (Ps. 49:6-9.) It is on this account that Peter contrasts typical redemption by silver and gold with the precious blood of Christ. For how precious must that be which secured redemption for all believers, so precious as to exceed all finite estimate. God only could provide such a ransom; for He only knew what was needed to effect the deliverance of His people. How, then, should it fill our souls with adoring gratitude as we think upon the unspeakable value of the blood of Christ, with gratitude to Him who gave the Lamb for the sacrifice, and also to Him who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God?