Someone recently posted Adam sold us out. Jesus bought us back! #PaidInFull.… and I thought about what the Spirit of Truth once taught me …
To this post I had to ask the question Sold out to who … and paid who?
Sold out!
Yes, Adam did more than selling human kind out. He relinquished his rights and power and authority and gave away his precious position in God.
But Jesus didn't negotiate or pay a price to the thief in order to gain our freedom.
Never!
My answer on social media triggered quite a few responses and the price argument continued.
This is when it struck me that we are taught by religion and our western mindsets that a price was paid … after all, there is a market out there and everything has its price!
Money makes the world go round … or does it?
The thing with price is that we attach monitory value.
Yet, money as the standard for exchange is a relatively new concept and even today not used in all areas of the world.
There is also barter for instance.
Barter is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money. That is to trade, swap, trade off, exchange, give in exchange, change.
Money makes the world go round … or does it?
The thing with price is that we attach monitory value.
Yet, money as the standard for exchange is a relatively new concept and even today not used in all areas of the world.
There is also barter for instance.
Barter is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money. That is to trade, swap, trade off, exchange, give in exchange, change.
Basically, someone with a surplus of something could barter it for vital need of something else which someone else had and needed to get that something else that that someone didn't have … if you get my point.
But think about it!
Was there a transaction?
Did Jesus pay anyone?
Who did He pay?
Was this a transaction the way we do business?
What did He pay?
What did He pay?
Someone replied God was the One we are in debt to - our sin debt. Jesus was sent to pay for our sin debt … you know the hymn “He paid the debt He did not owe, I owe the debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away and now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace, Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay"
He gave himself as ransom-payment for everyone. Now is the proper time for God to give the world this witness.
And the respondent then proceeded to quote Mark 10:45 from another English translation, the Passion Translation (TPT) saying For even the Son of Man did not come expecting to be served by everyone, but to serve everyone, and to give his life as the ransom price in exchange for the salvation of many.
... and 1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that your lives were ransomed once and for all from the empty and futile way of life handed down from generation to generation. It was not a ransom payment of silver and gold, which eventually perishes, but the precious blood of Christ—who like a spotless, unblemished lamb was sacrificed for us.
Lots of ransom quotes
... and 1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that your lives were ransomed once and for all from the empty and futile way of life handed down from generation to generation. It was not a ransom payment of silver and gold, which eventually perishes, but the precious blood of Christ—who like a spotless, unblemished lamb was sacrificed for us.
Lots of ransom quotes
Lots of ransom quotes were made in the comments and this made me look up the word again, but only after I responded I like your comments guys, but Jesus did not pay anybody. We were His from the beginning. When the thief steals the property, he does not become the owner and the real Owner does not have to buy His own back again. It already belongs to Him.
The Word says And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1Jn 2:2
Isaiah 53:11 prophesied that He would bear our iniquities.
He took our trespasses upon Himself - that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2Co 5:19
He never paid for us. He took, bore our sins upon Himself so that we don't have to.
In this way Jesus completely destroyed sin and restored our erstwhile position in Him.
HalleluYah!
But there is always a but
Yet, 1 Corinthians 7:23 in TPT (… and others) says Since a great price was paid for your redemption, stop having the mind-set of a slave.
So, true to the way I'm wired, I immediately went into hyperactive research mode and looked up the word ransom.
1Timothy 2:6 says Who gave G1325 himself G1438 a ransom G487 for G5228 all, G3956 to be testified G3142 in due G2398 time. G2540
Even Jesus said in Mark 10:45 For G1063 even G2532 the G3588 Son G5207 of man G444 came G2064 not G3756 to be ministered unto, G1247 but G235 to minister, G1247 and G2532 to give G1325 his G848 life G5590 a ransom G3083 for G473 many. G4183
The word translated here as ransom is antilutron, a Greek compound word consisting of two root words (1) anti, which means opposite, instead or against, often used in composition to denote contrast, and (2) the word lutron meaning something to loosen with or what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption, ransom.
The word translated here as ransom is antilutron, a Greek compound word consisting of two root words (1) anti, which means opposite, instead or against, often used in composition to denote contrast, and (2) the word lutron meaning something to loosen with or what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption, ransom.
When the word antilutron is used
Yip, you guessed my next remark.
Context and use of word is always important when looking at the sentence and the whole scenario!
1 Timothy 2:6 uses the expression antilutron huper pantōn accentuating the aspects both of exchange and also of substitution by using the prefix anti- and the preposition huper.
Within this context God’s deepest desire for all humans to receive salvation is expressed. Between man and God there exists one Human intermediary, Jesus (God-the-Saviour Himself), to be hyper-testified in all ages!
There is only One Who intervenes, intercedes, communicates, interprets, and negotiates peace, because he deals with the sin which has disrupted the relationship once and for all.
Jesus gives Himself as a sacrifice, becoming then the exchange. He has abundance of life, peace, righteousness, health, well-being, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace, all authority and truth.
Man has abundance of sin.
Abundance of life in exchange for abundance of death.
Within this context God’s deepest desire for all humans to receive salvation is expressed. Between man and God there exists one Human intermediary, Jesus (God-the-Saviour Himself), to be hyper-testified in all ages!
There is only One Who intervenes, intercedes, communicates, interprets, and negotiates peace, because he deals with the sin which has disrupted the relationship once and for all.
Jesus gives Himself as a sacrifice, becoming then the exchange. He has abundance of life, peace, righteousness, health, well-being, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace, all authority and truth.
Man has abundance of sin.
Abundance of life in exchange for abundance of death.
The exchange is with us.
Right there is the greatest exchange ever
In the great exchange, He does what only He could do.
He takes on death and exchange it with life. He takes all the sin (missing the mark and being without form) of all mankind upon Himself and places on us the very righteousness of God, making us blameless without spot or blemish, perfect, holy, justified, beautiful and reconciling us humans to God and restoring our God-given authority.
The Price is too enormous to comprehend, what to say to describe!
More than just paid-up!
Sin or harmartia is to miss the mark, to be without form, to be without share. But Jesus took what was without form and having no share in life and missing the mark by us trying to keep the law, and He hit the mark on our behalf, giving us a share of His life and restoring our original form and purpose …
In the process Jesus does more than just exchanging the goods. He totally destroys that that brought a division between man and God - sin and sickness and adversity and accident and fear and shame … so that there is now no more condemnation, no more division!
Right there is the greatest exchange ever
In the great exchange, He does what only He could do.
He takes on death and exchange it with life. He takes all the sin (missing the mark and being without form) of all mankind upon Himself and places on us the very righteousness of God, making us blameless without spot or blemish, perfect, holy, justified, beautiful and reconciling us humans to God and restoring our God-given authority.
The Price is too enormous to comprehend, what to say to describe!
More than just paid-up!
Sin or harmartia is to miss the mark, to be without form, to be without share. But Jesus took what was without form and having no share in life and missing the mark by us trying to keep the law, and He hit the mark on our behalf, giving us a share of His life and restoring our original form and purpose …
In the process Jesus does more than just exchanging the goods. He totally destroys that that brought a division between man and God - sin and sickness and adversity and accident and fear and shame … so that there is now no more condemnation, no more division!
Back to the conversation
I responded to some of the remarks saying I appreciate your responses. Yes, indeed God gave Himself - all of Him so that we may receive all freedom. The problem I have is that many of our English translations (if not all) make of it a kind of business transaction, which it was not. The Greek word used for ransom and purchase is antilutron which more specifically means exchange, which is exactly what happened on the cross.
… he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2Co 5:21
God did not transact or negotiate with the devil when He redeemed us!
Yet, I agree. In the western world it makes it easier for us to understand what happened in terms of transnational talk …
… but it is off-the-grid, way more than that!
The third party is insignificant!
Paul makes it clear that the devil is stripped out of the equation.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
And having spoiled (fully stripped of all power) principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Col 2: 14-15
It even fits our definition
Barter is the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without using money.
Barter-exchange is to trade, swap, trade off, exchange, give in exchange, change.
Basically, someone (Jesus) with a surplus of something (Life, goodness, mercy, truth, well-being, authority …) could barter with someone else (us) who does not have any of this surplus (Life, …). That someone else only had surplus of something else (death, sin, sickness, adversity, lack, inability …) and this was exchanged … wonderfully exchanged!
Basically, someone (Jesus) with a surplus of something (Life, goodness, mercy, truth, well-being, authority …) could barter with someone else (us) who does not have any of this surplus (Life, …). That someone else only had surplus of something else (death, sin, sickness, adversity, lack, inability …) and this was exchanged … wonderfully exchanged!
Not just exchanged, but totally antilutron-ed!
Something of no value became the treasured possession!
Something of no value became the treasured possession!