05/14/2018
When we think of the ransom that was paid for us by Jesus, it is easy to think about that ransom being paid to some entity, or to someone, for us, but this is not the case. Who would be powerful enough to hold us ransom from God? No, we are ransomed from the sin and death that is within us... the very punishment that was created and placed there by God Himself. God is ransoming us from His own steadfast law against sin... against the imbalance of wrong that became inherent in us.
“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV
We ask ourselves why it was necessary for God to sacrifice his only begotten Son for us... why didn’t he just speak away our sin the same way He created the earth, or reshape us as He did when He first created us? It is because God is not like us... to go back on a Word He has spoken would be a contradiction of all that He is.
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.”
Numbers 23:19-20 ESV
No, God does not change His mind, or quibble with Himself over the meaning of His creation, the imparting of life, or the steadfastness of a promise. His Word is more than a tool... it is an extension of Himself, and that does not change; it is steadfast forever. Thus the dilemma... what to do about man’s sin? The solution was the blood of Jesus Christ, an extension of the sacrificial blood of lambs upon the temple altar... and it was perfect, all encompassing, and forever in its efficacy.
“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,”
Hebrews 6:17-19 ESV
Our promise of life in the blood of Jesus is thus just as steadfast as our promise of death is the wage of sin. It is unbending, uncompromising, irrefutable. It is not a solution for the nature of sin, it is the only solution, and thus God sacrificed His own Son that it be made possible for us to be reconciled to Him.
The price was high; higher than any we can imagine. It wasn’t a lamb from the flock, but a one of a kind sacrifice... perfect in every way, and holy beyond our wildest dreams. It was His only begotten Son, and it began with God humbling Himself by implanting his own divine seed in a woman... of His creation.
God was paying ransom to His own nature, to redeem us from His own unchanging Word... and He did so out of infinite love, at immeasurable cost, and untold humility. Do we understand the price? Are we worth it? Can we live up to the price of His sacrifice?
So as we live out our lives of faith there is much expected of us. We are more than a trivial purchase, but rather the ultimate expenditure. The blood of Jesus that has cleansed us demands more than a casual trip to church on Easter Sunday, or a quick prayer when we are in trouble. Jesus speaks to us of heaven as being the pearl of great price that we would sacrifice all we have to obtain, but his parable has more than this obvious meaning... it speaks to us of God finding us to be the one pearl of great value, and securing us at the cost of His own Son.
“"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:45-46 ESV
So, whether we are Popes, Bishops, Pastors, Deacons, Sunday School Teachers, Saints, or New Christians, we have a responsibility to uphold before the throne of God. We have an obligation to live up to the price that has been paid for us... and every other soul we come into contact with. The blood that washes us brings with it more than the pain, and sacrifice of Jesus... it carries the promise of God, and the humility of His joining with us.
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
Acts 20:28 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the steadfastness of your Word, and your nature which is good, unyielding, and true. My soul finds hope in your promises because I know that you are unyielding in them, and that they are forever... eternal. I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ, and the ransom that was paid with His life, and blood, that I might be redeemed, and reconciled to you. I take great comfort Father in knowing that not one of your Words, or Promises were comprised in my ransom, and that your nature is just as true today as it has ever been... even from the instant of creation. Help me Lord as I strive to earn the love, sacrifice, and humiliation you endured to redeem me... in a thousand lifetimes I don’t see how I could repay such a price. So let me love you with all my heart, my mind, and my soul, for this is all I have to give. Let my everything be enough Father; let this pearl have been worth the price you have paid for it. You are my God, and your Son Jesus my savior... Holy are you, And great is your name, and character; help me as I work day and night to capture your image in my life. I praise you as I labor, I pray to you all the day long, and I rest in your arms as I listen to your will for me. You are the light of my life, and are Holy, Holy, Holy, to me. You are my God almighty, the hope of my soul, and the blood of Jesus the manifestation of your grace in eternal promise.
Rich Forbes