5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
~1 Timothy 2:5-6 (KJV)
As we read yesterday about Christ’s crucifixion, you may be asking why would Jesus willingly be mocked, beat, scorned, and crucified just for us? You may understand the fact that it was prophesied that Jesus would be crucified for the sins of the world, but you still may not understand why Jesus came. The reason why Jesus came is three-fold:
- He loved us (John 3:16).
- To seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
- To give his life a ransom for many (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
Today, we will focus on Jesus Christ being a ransom for our sin. Firstly, what is a ransom?
“1. The money or price paid for the redemption of a prisoner or slave, or for goods captured by an enemy; that which procures the release of a prisoner or captive, or of captured property, and restores the one to liberty and the other to the original owner.
5. The price paid for procuring the pardon of sins and the redemption of the sinner from punishment.
Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom Job 33:24.
The Son of man came – to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28. Mark 10:45.” (Webster)
In the context of 1 Timothy 2:5-6, the first and fifth definitions of the word ransom fit best. This is because the Greek word used here for ransom means a “redemption price (Strong Greek 487).” Because Jesus Christ was righteous and sinless, he qualified to be the Lamb of God to pay the “redemption price (Strong Greek 487)” for our sin, which was death on the Cross. By paying this price, Jesus is able to save us from our sins via the free gift of salvation.
Remember Romans 6:23?
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Jesus paid that wage, or earning for sin, which was death on Calvary’s Cross. Well, why would Jesus do that? Because He loves us unconditionally, and he desires that all men would come to know Jesus Christ. As one commentary puts it:
“There is one God (v. 5), and one only, there is no other, there can be no other, for there can be but one infinite. This one God will have all men to be saved; he desires not the death and destruction of any (Ezekiel 33:11), but the welfare and salvation of all. Not that he has decreed the salvation of all, for then all men would be saved; but he has a good will to the salvation of all, and none perish but by their own fault, (Matthew 23:37) . He will have all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to be saved in the way that he has appointed and not otherwise.” (Henry)
God desires for all of us to be saved and dwell forever in Heaven with Him. He also desires for us to live an abundant, victorious Christian life through His eternal sacrifice that was offered on the Cross over 2,000 years ago. If you are not 100% certain that if you were to die today, you would go to Heaven, please read God’s plan of salvation by clicking here.
Bibliography:
Webster, Noah. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of the English Language. 1828. Ebook.
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Updated Edition KJV. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. Print.
Henry, Matthew. “1 Timothy 2 Commentary.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible . 1706. Web.
