A Ransom for All

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Short Summary
This discourse explores the biblical concept of Christ’s ransom as a foundational truth in God’s plan for humanity’s redemption. It explains how Adam’s disobedience brought sin and death upon all mankind, necessitating a ransom—Christ’s perfect life—to redeem humanity, emphasizing the legal and equitable nature of this ransom. The presentation highlights the four steps of the ransom process—setting the price, securing it, paying it, and ultimately the loosening or resurrection—and affirms that through Christ’s sacrifice, all will eventually be resurrected and restored in harmony with God’s justice, love, wisdom, and power.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse “A Ransom for All” (Faith’s Foundation Series):

Theme Scripture:
– 1 Timothy 2:5-6: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
– This scripture sets the foundation for understanding the ransom concept—Christ’s sacrificial role as the mediator paying a ransom for all humanity.

Background: The Need for a Ransom
– Genesis 2:15: God placed man in Eden to tend it, originally in harmony with God.
– God’s command: “Thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.”
– The principle of free will was established—obedience leads to life, disobedience leads to death.
– Adam and Eve disobeyed, bringing sin and death upon all mankind.
– Jeremiah 38:20 emphasizes obedience leads to life: “Obey the voice of the Lord… and thy soul shall live.”
– 1 Timothy 2:14 clarifies Adam was not deceived; Eve was deceived but both transgressed, bringing the curse upon their descendants.

Effect of Adam’s Sin
– Sin and death passed down through generations as Adam’s imperfection and disobedience corrupted the life force.
– Humanity is in a “death condition,” metaphorically captive, requiring a ransom for release.

Ransom Defined and Scriptural Basis
– Ransom: A price paid to release a captive or detained person/property.
– Exodus 21:30 and 30:11 reference ransom payments that redeem life or prevent plague.
– The concept is deeply rooted in Scripture, linking ransom with life and redemption.

Key Greek Terms Related to Ransom:
– *Luo* (verb): to loosen or release.
– *Lutron* (noun): price of loosening (the ransom itself).
– *Anti-lutron*: corresponding price for loosening.
– *Lutrosis* (noun): redemption or release on payment of ransom.
– These linguistic roots emphasize ransom as a “loosening” or “redeeming” process.

Role and Promise of the Ransom:
– Psalm 141:8 expresses the soul’s destitution and reliance on God.
– Hosea 13:14 promises God will “ransom them from the power of the grave” and redeem from death.
– The ransom is a legal, statutory requirement to free mankind from Adamic condemnation and restore standing with God.

Four Steps of the Ransom Process:
1. Set the Price:
– Biblical principle of equity (“life for life,” “eye for eye”) found in Exodus 21:23-24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21, Matthew 5:38.
– Hebrews 10:4 states animal sacrifices cannot remove sin, requiring a perfect equivalent.
– Psalm 49:7 emphasizes no one but a perfect man can pay the ransom.
– 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 contrasts Adam’s sin bringing death with Christ’s resurrection bringing life.
– Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death.”
– 1 Corinthians 7:23: “Ye are bought with a price.”
– Adam (the first man) was perfect initially, but fell; Christ (“last Adam”) remained perfect, enabling redemption.
2. Secure the Price:
– Psalm 49:15: God will redeem the soul from the grave’s power.
– Isaiah 6:8: The Logos (pre-human Christ) voluntarily offers himself.
– Mark 10:45 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6 show Christ gave himself as the ransom for many and for all (timing and scope differ).
3. Pay the Price (Apply the Price):
– Luke 23:46: Jesus “commends” or deposits His spirit—payment as a trust (like escrow).
– John 19:30: “It is finished” indicates completion of the sacrifice.
– Hebrews 7:26: Christ is holy and undefiled, suitable as perfect sacrifice.
– Resurrection is God’s seal of acceptance.
4. Loosen After Payment (Release):
– 1 Thessalonians 4:16: The dead in Christ raise first (church resurrection).
– John 11:24, John 5:25: General resurrection of all at the last day.
– The ransom is paid but release happens in stages—first the church, then the world.
– The delay allows mankind to learn from sin and for the church to complete its role.

Harmony of God’s Attributes in the Ransom Plan:
– Love: God’s desire to redeem all (John 3:16).
– Justice: Death sentence for sin must be upheld.
– Wisdom: God’s plan includes a redeemer.
– Power: Resurrection enables new life for all.
– The ransom reconciles all attributes without contradiction.

Scope and Timing of the Ransom:
– The ransom is for “all” (1 Timothy 2:6), but “many” (Mark 10:45) refers specifically to the church at present.
– Resurrection and blessing will extend to all in due time (Acts 24:15, John 5:28-29).
– This explains why some scriptures refer to “many” and others to “all”—different phases and groups.

Final Outcome and Future Hope:
– Job 33:29-30: God brings life back from the pit and enlightens with the Spirit.
– Isaiah 35:10: “The ransomed of the Lord shall return” with everlasting joy; sorrow and sighing flee away.
– Revelation 21:1-4: New heaven and earth; God dwells with mankind; no more death, sorrow, or pain.
– The ransom’s full effect is the restoration of humanity to perfect conditions and eternal life.

Closing Praise:
– Glory given to God “from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36 implied).
– The ransom is foundational to faith, showing God’s plan to redeem all mankind through Christ.

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Key Bible Verses Mentioned in the Discourse:

– 1 Timothy 2:5-6
– Genesis 2:15
– Jeremiah 38:20
– 1 Timothy 2:14
– Exodus 21:30; 30:11
– Psalm 141:8
– Hosea 13:14
– Luke 23:46
– Exodus 21:23-24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21; Matthew 5:38
– Hebrews 10:4
– Psalm 49:7, 15
– 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
– Romans 6:23
– 1 Corinthians 7:23
– Isaiah 6:8
– Mark 10:45
– 1 Thessalonians 4:16
– John 11:24; John 5:25, 28-29
– John 10:10
– John 19:30
– Hebrews 7:26
– Acts 24:15
– Job 33:29-30
– Isaiah 35:10
– Revelation 21:1-4

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This discourse thoroughly explores the biblical doctrine of Christ as the ransom for all mankind, explaining the theological, legal, and scriptural foundations of this core Christian truth, illustrating how God’s justice and mercy harmonize perfectly in His plan of redemption.

Transcript

Our thoughts this morning are entitled A Ransom for all, and this is part of the Faiths foundation series. These are fundamental truths that we believe harmoniously represent God’s entire plan.

Our theme scripture comes from 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verses 5 and 6. For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. This is a scripture we’re all familiar with, and we want to delve into what this ransom for all means and what it encompasses.

You know, when we go back to the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 2:15, we have the background for the need for this ransom. The Lord God took man and put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. That was the original state, and they were in harmony with God.

And the Lord God commanded, thou shalt not eat of it. For the day thou ist thereof, thou shalt surely die, and so early on, God gave the test of obedience. Obey and live, disobey and die, and so what we see is we have this contrast.

Obey and live, disobey and die, and of course, we understand that Adam and Eve both chose to disobey. They were tempted, and as a result, the curse of sin and death has been upon all mankind.

This illustrates God’s principle of free will. God wants to have a creation that willingly obeys, and they have free will to decide what they will do, and we see that has been gone down through the entire human family. In Jeremiah 38:20, we read, Obey the voice of the Lord which I speak unto thee, and thy soul shall live. This is a basic principle given in the Old Testament that shows this principle of obedience and the necessity of it and the consequences of that.

And thou shalt live.

Of course, we understand that Adam and Eve did disobey. We find in first Timothy 2:12, and Adam was not deceived. Eve was, but Adam was not. He willingly disobeyed.

But the woman being deceived was in the transgression. So she was included in the transgression as well, because of course, she was taken out of him, and as a result, Adam and all of his progeny have been under the curse of sin and death.

And the reign of sin and death has really gone down through all the generations of life, because that life force that was given to Adam has been passed down from one to another, and because of his imperfections, because of his sin, the death sentence has been passed down as well.

This explains how Adam’s sin affects all. It’s inherited and also how we need to be redeemed, how we need, as it, as it is mentioned, a ransom, a redemption price.

Now, what is a ransom? A ransom’s demand described as the amount of consideration paid for the release of a person or property captured or detained, and what an appropriate term for the condition that mankind finds themselves in now. They’re caught in this death condition, this downward spiral until a ransom is paid.

Is this concept of the ransom scriptural? That’s a very valid question. Well, we find in Exodus, in the second book in the Bible, Exodus 21:30. This is the new American standard. If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him.

And so this gives this concept of a ransom, and it ensures that whatever is demanded will redeem his life, and so we have a linkage here early on in the Scriptures, but it’s not just in Exodus. We find it in other scriptures as well in Exodus 30, 11. This is the living Bible. Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is numbered shall give a ransom to the Lord for his soul, so that there will be no plague among the people.

So this once again shows this relationship between a ransom price and a life, a living soul.

Now, there are a number of words involved in the ransom, and it’s important that we understand these in order to understand this concept, which is really a foundation concept of the whole plan of God. The first term is luo, and that’s a verb which means to loosen. Next we have the word lutron, that’s a noun, and that is the price of loosening.

Third we have the phrase anti, lutron, anti being opposite of, and that is the correspondent price of loosening, lutru, which is to loosen on payment of the ransom, and finally, lutrosis, that’s a noun, to redeem, to loosen on payment of the ransom, and so it’s. You notice the common roots of this.

Luo, Lutron, Lutron, lutru, neutrosis. It’s all about loosening, and that’s so appropriate because this is a redeeming or loosening process, isn’t it? Keep these words in mind. We’ll go through and look at this within Scripture to help solidify this concept of the ransom.

What is the ransom’s role? Well, in Psalm 141:8, we read, Be mine eyes, but mine eyes are unto thee, O God, O God, the Lord in thee is my trust. Leave not my soul destitute, and so in the beginning of this psalm, the beginning of this verse, it’s a realization that his living soul is destitute. No hope.

But continuing in Hosea, we have another promise, and this is early on in the, in the old testament, Hosea 13:14, I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death. So if we were wondering what that destitution was in Psalm 141, it’s answered for us in this Hosea verse, and it’s a ransoming them from the power of the grave and redeeming them from death.

Now what is this ransom and the payment of the ransom? Well, this is really a statutory requirement to release mankind from Adamic condemnation and give them a standing with God. That’s what the ransom’s about. So it’s a legal requirement and that’s why it’s so rigorous as well, and rigid.

So what are the ransom steps? We’re going to suggest that there are actually four different steps to a ransom.

Step number one, set the price, and you know, when we talk about a ransom, we typically think about the, the movie scenario. A child is kidnapped, they contact the family and they set a price. We want so much money, unmarked bills, and then they’re going to arrange the exchange. Now the second step is to get the price.

The family has to go and get the money, take it out of the bank or however they do it, but they have to secure the payment.

Next, they have to pay the price, and upon payment, that individual is loosened, and I know what you’re thinking. Well, isn’t it just three steps? You pay and they loosen.

That’s all, one step, and that would be true in the case of a traditional ransom, and that’s because the parties are not trusted. But in reality, the price is paid and then subsequently there’s a loosening. Now how does that relate to the words we described? Well, Lutron is the price of loosening.

That’s setting that price. Anti Lutron is getting the corresponding price of loosening, securing the payment. Next we have Luo to Lucen, and I know what you’re thinking, but. Hold it.

Didn’t we just skip something? Paying the price? Well, it turns out that paying the price is not one of these Luo prefixed words. We find that payment laid out in Luke 23:46. Father, into my hands.

Into thy hands I commend or deposit my spirit. Now this word command, and we’re all familiar with this, this was when Jesus was on the cross, is his final words. What does this word command mean? Well, let’s look. Paratathemi to deposit as a trust in modern terms, you know, if you’re thinking about when do we deposit as a trust, it might be something like when you’re getting a mortgage and you put money in escrow.

Now, what is escrow? Escrow is a place where you deposit money. Once it’s put in, it can only be taken out for a single purposes purpose and has to be put in in its entirety, and then that’s untouchable until the transaction is complete. So it’s to deposit as a trust.

And so we see here this para tme perfectly describes the paying of the price. The ransom was put on deposit, but the loosening doesn’t have to be at the same time. Why not? Because the parties are trusted.

So Christ’s ransom price was deposited on the cross when he said, I commend my spirit.

So we’re going to look at the ransom steps in a little more detail. First of all, setting the price.

In Exodus 21:23,24, we read, Thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, and we don’t just find this in Exodus 21, we find this exact same corollary in Leviticus 24:20, in Deuteronomy 19:21, and in Matthew 5:38, and so this equivalency, this equity, is shown in all of these scriptures. It’s a basic Bible principle, and we call it God’s law of equity, and you’ll see how that comes into play on setting the price with regards to to the ransom.

In Hebrews 10:4, we read, for it is not possible that the bullet, that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Not possible. It made a temporary arrangement, was not possible. It required an exact equivalent.

In Psalm chapter 49, verse 7, we read, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him. Why not? Because human flesh is imperfect. An imperfect man is not equivalent to a perfect man, and we’ll look into that a little more.

The price, you know, First Corinthians 15 really gives this a wonderful insight into the price and how it’s paid. First Corinthians 15:21. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead, and we could just as well state this. Since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

What’s being spoken of here? Well, this is pointing back to the perfect man. For a perfect man, it’s showing that it has to be an equivalent price. Anything else would not be satisfactory. You know, God’s divine justice.

It requires an exact equivalent.

Continuing, we see that man was specified for us in Romans 6:23. The apostle Paul did not leave this to our imagination about who was being spoken of. For the wages of sin is death that came as a result of Adam.

In First Corinthians 7:23, we read, Ye are bought with a price. Now we’re starting to see this correlation between the two, the principle, and here’s the fulfillment in First Corinthians 15:22. For as in Adam all die, being even more specific here. So even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

And so here all the components are linked together. A perfect man for a perfect man, Adam for Christ, and the concept that to redeem from death we will be made alive through Christ. The formula is now complete, and the picture is now complete.

Now the ransom shows equivalence. We had Adam, the first Adam, he was called. He was a perfect man. He started that way and then he fell. The first man is described as being of earth.

And it’s also said that by one man’s offense, sin passed upon all mankind. So this is the equivalent Adam Christ. Well, elsewhere in Scripture, he’s described as the last Adam, and he also was a perfect man. He didn’t just start that way, he ended that way as well, and the second man is described as being from heaven, and by the righteousness of one, all could be redeemed.

So we see here laid out in Scripture, as we start to peel away the layers of the onion, as it were, we can see the correlation that’s being built here when we rightly divide the word of truth.

So going back to our scales of justice, can the ransom release all? That’s a very valid question. How can one person redeem all? Doesn’t seem equivalent.

Well, in Ezekiel 18:2, we have the principle of how this works. The fathers have eaten the sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge, and this was the case with Adam and all of his progeny. They all inherited this imperfection, and they all died as a result. In Exodus 34:7, it says, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, once again reinforcing this concept that this was inherited to the entire Adamic family.

In Romans 5:12, we we read. Here’s where the clue is. By one man, sinner entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men. All men.

And so we see the Old Testament principles laid forth in Exodus and why it applied to all mankind. Once we have this concept, we realize how the sacrifices of one perfect man for a perfect man could redeem all mankind. So redeeming Adam redeemed his progeny, and that’s what the picture is that’s being painted here, you know, What a beautiful concept. God didn’t leave man in this destitute condition.

No. He promised that there would be a bright and glorious new day, and this is the mechanism which ushers that in.

How do we make sense of this? Well, in order to make sense of this, we need to understand God’s attributes, His love, his wisdom, his justice and his power, and all of these work in perfect harmony. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

That’s an important thing. It’s not just so his desire was to redeem the world, but his justice because Adam disobeyed was rigorous. He could not violate the death sentence. In his wisdom, he saw the end from the beginning, and he desired that there would be a redeemer, his only begotten Son, who came down, took on flesh and redeemed the whole world of mankind.

And through the power of God, through the power of his resurrection, all will be made life right. What a beautiful picture. So we understand that God’s attributes must balance out. They must work in harmony with one another, and when we see his plan in this respect, and when we look at the power of the ransom in this respect, we realize it does not violate any of his attributes.

It’s in harmony.

The fall, the ransom and the resurrection are all part of this integral plan that use God’s attributes of love, justice, wisdom and power.

Step number two, securing the price in Psalm 49, 15. This is the Old Testament of course, but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. So even in old times they didn’t know the mechanism, but they had faith, and they knew that God would redeem their souls from the power of the grave, from non existence. This was the promise in the Old Testament.

In Isaiah 6, 8 we read, who will go for us? And the Logos said, here am I, send me. We believe this was an allusion to the fact that the Logos in his pre human existence willingly decided to give, to come down, to be made of flesh and to die for to redeem mankind that perfect corresponding price. In Mark 1045 we read, for even though the Son of man came, came down, as we see in Isaiah to give his life a ransom. Once again we’re seeing this concept being solidified here.

A perfect life for perfect life, and in First Timothy 2, 5 and 6, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. What a beautiful picture, isn’t it? So we see that the Scriptures are a harmonious whole on this concept of the ransom, redeeming their souls, being sent down from heaven. Give himself a ransom.

That was his mission, and then fulfilling that, who gave himself a ransom for all.

The other thing that this shows, if there’s a ransom for all, there’s also a resurrection for all. By definition, all. What part of all do we not understand? All is all. In Acts 24:15 we read, There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

And you know, as I look into the Scripture, it really relates to the justified and the unjustified. So it’s saying that all the dead will be have an opportunity for a resurrection. In John 5:28-29, we read, all that are in their grace shall hear his voice and shall come forth.

All that are in their grace, all shall hear him and all shall come forth. That’s what this Scripture is saying, and so because the ransom is for all, the resurrection is also for all. Christ redeemed, not just some, not just the good, not just those who are in any particular class, but the whole race, and that’s what the ransom is all about.

All are now caught in the Adamic death process. They are in the pit, in the state of the grave. The dead know not anything that’s Adamic death.

Christ’s resurrection states that all will be pulled up from the pit. All will come forth and have an opportunity in under perfect conditions to come back into at one minute with God. What a wonderful arrangement.

Next we look at paying the price or applying the price. The third step.

In John 10:10 we read, I am come. That they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. An interesting statement. Is it? And I don’t think it was they really understood what he was saying.

So first he’s saying that they might have life, they might have a newness of life, a new opportunity for life under perfect conditions. But he goes on beyond that and said that they might have it more abundantly. They might have abundant life under perfect conditions and going on forever. That’s what abundantly means, and so that’s what he said when he admitted that he was paying the price.

In Matthew 3:17 we read and lower voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, and we know that God was well pleased with his sacrifice and realized that he could pay the price. He was well pleased, abundantly pleased, perfectly pleased in his beloved Son, and that was the corresponding price.

In John 19:30, we read, Jesus said, it is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. You know, just prior to this was the statement about his commending or depositing his soul, and then he said, what? It is finished.

It is complete. Well, what was finished? His sacrifice was finished. It was complete. That’s what he was telling us.

And that was his very last words. This is a special message to us showing the completion of paying that price.

In Hebrews chapter 7, verse 26, we read, for such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, and the Apostle Paul is once again affirming that this perfect man had given up his life to pay this price. Holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. That’s a powerful statement. It’s a statement that could not be said about anyone except for Christ.

God’s seal of acceptance of this perfect sacrifice was his resurrection, and had his sacrifice not been acceptable, he would not have been resurrected. But he was. So it shows that this is God’s seal of acceptance, was his resurrection.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. We have a couple of scriptures that seem to be at odds with each other. In Mark 10:45, we read, for even the Son of God, of man, did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life a ransom for many.

Is that correct? Because we’ve got another scripture, 1st Timothy 2, 5 and 6, and this is the one we quoted, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time.

Now, as students of the Bible, we must reconcile these two differences.

So we’ll start with First Timothy 2, 5 and 6. The man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. How do we contrast it? How do we harmonize that with the statement, he gave his life a ransom for many? Well, you notice in the first Timothy Scripture there’s a comma and then there’s a phrase to be testified in due time.

And that’s key. When we realize it, we realize that the Mark Scripture is a conditional scripture and it’s for the many. So there’s a special situation where he gave himself for the many, his church, His, His. But we realize that all will be blessed in due time, and when we see it in this way, we don’t have a problem.

So it’s a matter of scope and timing. So these two seemingly at odd scriptures are actually harmonious. For the Son of Man came to give himself for many at this time, the Church, and a ransom for all to be testified not at this time, but in due time, going on to number four, loosening after payment, and this is the arrangement for releasing or loosing in first, Thessalonians 4:16 we read, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, first on respect of the church, those who died in Christ.

Secondly, John 11:24, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection in the last day, not the first day, but the last day, and this is the world of mankind, and so we see scriptures here that show this loosening process, first in regards to the Church, and second with the world. In John 5:25 we read, the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of God and they shall live. That’s the promise, the wonderful promise.

So why the delay? Well, mankind is still learning the lesson of sin. It’s like putting a ransom fee in escrow. So the fee has been deposited, but it’s not yet been applied. The church must be developed.

There’s still footstep followers on this side of the veil, and the church must be complete before the general resurrection work can begin, and that’s because they have an integral part in that work.

So we have to wait on the Lord.

Why two loosenings? Well, the Church waited on the Lord’s return. There’s a spiritual nature and reward. It’s different than the world. They have no earthly life rights.

They must be completed before the marriage so that they can work in the resurrection work. The world is not hearing the message at this time, and we have numerous scriptures that state that, that seeing they won’t see and hearing they won’t hear, but in God’s due time they will, and they will receive life in the resurrection. So it’s all part of God’s master plan.

And in order to understand his plan, we need to understand the players and the sequence of events.

Christ and Adam. Christ for Adam was that corresponding price, and there are provisions. A perfect life for a perfect life, a natural man for a natural man, assures a resurrection for all in due time, and it’s all part of God’s law of equity.

A new day is dawning. In job 33, 29, 30 we read, behold, God does all these to bring back his life from the pit that he may be enlightened with the light of the living. This is really a summary of what’s going to happen. It’s going to bring back his life from death that he might be enlightened in the light of the living, and not just being brought back to light, but being enlightened in the Spirit of God.

In Isaiah 35:10 we read, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy. Upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. A new day is dawning.

In Revelation we read, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. God himself shall be with them and be their God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. This is the reality and the consummation of the application of that ransom price.

We thank our heavenly Father for from him and through him, and to him are all things to God be the glory forever. Amen.

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