Here is something that sits right at the heart of the Bible.
It’s this idea that Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all. Now, “ransom” isn’t a word we use much anymore, unless we’re watching an old Western or a crime show. But in the Bible, it’s a powerful word. It means a price paid to set someone free.
And the Bible tells us that Jesus paid that price for every one of us, 1 Timothy 2:5-6.1 (Question: Is He going to get all those He paid for?) From the first page of Genesis to the last page of Revelation, Scripture tells one big story. It’s the story of creation, of falling away, of being redeemed, and of being restored – all of mankind.
And right in the middle of that story stands Jesus.
Jesus: Creator and “The Glue”
Back in Genesis 1, we read that God created the world by speaking.
He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light…
He said, “Let there be land,” and there it was…
He spoke—and things happened.
Then John comes along and tells us something amazing. He says that this “Word” who spoke creation into being is Jesus Himself. Hebrews says God made the world through His Son. Colossians 1:15-172 says Jesus holds everything together.
I like to think of Him as the “glue” of creation.
Without Him, nothing holds together…
With Him, everything makes sense.
He’s not just our Savior…
He’s our Creator…
He’s our Sustainer…
He’s our Life.
The Problem: We Fell Apart
But something went wrong.
In Genesis 2, God gave Adam and Eve one clear law of instruction.
Don’t eat from that one tree. And we all know what happened. They chose to disobey. They chose to decide for themselves what was right and wrong. And when they did that, sin and death entered the picture.
Genesis 2:16 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat [the law of sin], for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die [the law of death].”
Romans 8:1-2 calls it “the law of sin and death.”3 In simple terms, when mankind turned away from God, we disconnected ourselves from the One who held us together. We fell away from and out of the “glue” Himself, Jesus. And ever since, people have lived with fear, guilt, brokenness, sickness, and death.
That wasn’t God’s plan…
That was the result of rebellion.
Who Held Us Captive?
So who was holding us captive? Hebrews tells us that the devil used fear of death to enslave people.4 Romans tells us that sin and death ruled over us. But here’s something important. We also held ourselves captive. Every time we chose sin, we tightened the chains.
We weren’t just victims. We were participants. We were prisoners of our own choices.
The Ransom Price
So now comes the big question. What could possibly be worth enough to rescue the whole human race? What could pay the debt of billions of sinners? Not money. Not gold. Not angels. Not good works.
Nothing in creation was valuable enough. Only the life of the Creator Himself. Again, 1 Timothy 2:6 says Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all.
The price wasn’t silver. It wasn’t property. It wasn’t power.
It was His blood.5 The Son of God laid down His life for us. That’s how much we matter to Him.
Who Was the Ransom Paid To?
Some folks ask, “Who did Jesus pay the ransom to?” Was it God? Was it Satan? Who was holding us captive? Scripture points us in another direction.
It was paid for us!
We were the ones trapped…
We were the ones lost…
We were the ones broken.
Jesus gave His life to buy us back from ourselves. To rescue us from destruction. To bring us home.
Getting Back into the “Glue”
So how does this work in real life? Jesus said, “You must be born again.” That means we need more than religion. We need new life. Born again? Think of our first birth. It was set in motion when dad’s sperm (think Jesus) “knocked on the door” of mom’s egg (think you). Mom’s egg with her 23 chromosones then opened to receive dad’s sperm with its 23 chromosones. They combine into 46 chromosones with everything you need to commence life. As per Revelation 3:20 Jesus “knocks on the door” of our hearts. As we open to Him and receive Him (John 1:12), His Spirit comes in with all He is to combine with our spirit. We are now in Him and He in us so we can go forth and walk in newness of life, a “new creature”, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
When we trust Christ…
When we open our hearts to Him…
When we receive Him…
Something supernatural happens. We become new people. Paul says we become “new creatures.”6 We get reconnected to the Word. We get reattached to the “glue”, the Word, Who holds us together.
His Spirit comes to live in us…
His life flows through us…
His power changes us.
We’re not perfect overnight…
But we’re no longer the same.
Resurrection and Hope
And it doesn’t stop when we die. Because Jesus rose from the grave, we will too. Death doesn’t get the last word. Life does. Those who are in Christ will rise as He rose. That’s our hope. Not just heaven someday—but new life now, today with resulting restoration and future resurrection.
What Ransomed People Look Like
So what does a ransomed person look like? First, they grow.
They don’t stay babies in the faith…
They keep learning…
They keep trusting…
They keep walking with Jesus.
Second, they obey. Not out of fear. Out of love.
Third, they bear fruit. Galatians tells us what that looks like:
Love…
Joy…
Peace…
Patience…
Kindness…
Faithfulness…
Self-control.
Fourth, they stop playing God.
They quit deciding for themselves what’s right and wrong (eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)….
They trust God’s Word. And they live in love.
1 Corinthians 13 love.
Patient…
Kind…
Forgiving…
Hopeful.
They bless instead of curse…
They serve instead of fight…
They care about souls.
That’s freedom.
When Does the Fruit Show Up?
Now, not everybody grows at the same speed. Some folks take off fast. Some are slow and steady. Some stumble and get back up. And that’s okay. God is patient. We need to be patient too. No comparing. No judging.
Just loving and encouraging.
Summary
Let’s wrap this up.
Mankind fell into sin and death, Genesis 2:17 and Romans 8:2.
We disconnected ourselves from God.
Jesus, our Creator, became our ransom.
He paid the highest possible price.
He gave His life.
That ransom was for us.
When we trust Him, we are restored.
We are freed from sin…
Freed from death…
Freed from guilt.
We are brought back into life and light.
Back into the glue.
Closing
God gave His Son because He loves us. Jesus gave His life to set us free. Now we are invited to live in that freedom.
Not bound by our past…
Not chained by our failures…
Not ruled by fear.
We are ransomed.
We are restored.
We are free.
And friends, this isn’t the end.
This is just the beginning.
Listen to the song below:
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. ↩︎
- Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” ↩︎
- Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” [as set forth in Genesis 2:17]. ↩︎
- Hebrews 2:14 “Therefore, since 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 free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” ” ↩︎
- Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.“
Colossians 1:20 “and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” ↩︎ - 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” ↩︎
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