Paying the Ransom

“who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1Tim 2:6)

A loved one is missing. There are clear signs of foul play. The phone eventually rings. The kidnappers have demands. They want money. Lots of it. Don’t say a word to anybody. The clock is ticking. Life hangs in the balance. You’ve seen it played out many times. Paying the ransom is a consistent theme of movies like “Fargo,” “Die Hard,” “Taken,” and of course “Ransom.” 

Did you realize that you were the victim of a kidnapping? Yeah, I’m talking to YOU! Every single one of us. Abducted. Captured. And the price demanded was through the roof. There was no hope. None. Zero. You may be scratching your head wondering when this happened? What sort of crazy talk is this? Well, Paul wants you and I to know this is EXACTLY what went down before Jesus came to our rescue. 

But Christ didn’t spring us by making the drop of a briefcase full of cash. No, He paid with something far more valuable bag full of Benjamins. Our Savior is the one “who gave Himself as a ransom for all which is the testimony given at the proper time” (v6). Jesus exchanged Himself for us. He substituted Himself to gain our freedom. Once it all went down, the word got out. And it got out to the entire world. 

In many ways this is the Big Idea of Paul’s letter to his buddy Timothy. The apostle has left Tim to pastor the megachurch in Ephesus. It’s the same fellowship he founded a few years back during his third tour of the Mediterranean Rim (Acts 19). Fast forward a few years later. There’s trouble in E City. Big trouble. A team of spiritual hucksters is stirring up believers and selling a counterfeit gospel that’s really no gospel at all (1Tim 1:3-7). These snake oil salesmen are telling people that Jesus may have gotten them into God’s kingdom but it’s up to them to work their tails off to stay in. According to these knuckleheads, Christ paid our initial entry fee but we’ve got to make the payments going forward. 

Paul reminds Tim that Jesus paid the entire bill. He “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (v6). It’s easy just to fly right past the fact that Christ “gave” (v6). God continually gives. He’s the ultimate Giver. It’s His nature. It’s at the core of who He is. The most famous verse in the Bible is all about God’s promiscuous generosity. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

God loves. God gives. We see His grace flowing wild and free over and over and over. It all started with His gift of creation (Gen 1:1-25)) and hasn’t stopped since. He gives us Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit (1Th 4:8). He gives us life (Gen 1:26-27; 2:7, 21-23) and breath (Is 42:5). He gives us wisdom (Ps 119:169; Ecc 2:26; Eph 1:17; James 1:5). The list goes on an on. Music (Job 35:10). Enjoyment (1Tim 6:17). Strength (1Sam 2:10; Ps 29:11; 68:35). Peace (Num 6:26; 2Th 3:16). Rain (Jer 5:24; Zech 10:1). 

The list goes on and on and on. Paul eventually tells the folks in Rome that if God didn’t hold back His Son to save us, “how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). Starting to get the idea? If you have something good, it has your Heavenly Dad’s fingerprints all over it (James 1:17). God gives because He loves. He doesn’t just have a warm fuzzy feeling for you and me. He does something about it. He gives. Oh, does He ever!

Since God is remaking the followers of Jesus into the image of Jesus (Rom 8:29; 2Cor 3:18), He’s transforming each of us into supernatural givers too. God wants us to know the joy of generosity. That’s the reason behind all of the commands in Scripture about giving (Prov 11:24; Lk 6:37-38; 2Cor 9:7). Generosity is the secret sauce of God’s blessing (Dt 8:18; Prov 19:17). Jesus went so far as to say that when we give those who are disenfranchised and cut off from society, we’re actually doing something for Him (Mt 25:4). 

Who do you think came up with the idea that’s it’s better to give than receive? It certainly wasn’t Goldman Sachs. You see, when God loves, He gives. You can’t stop Him. You can’t even hope to contain Him. He’s the ultimate Giver. And since He’s remaking us in His image, we should do the same. When we love, we should give. 

And in this case, Jesus comes to our rescue and “gave Himself as a ransom for all” (v6). Instead of handing over truckload of cash to gain our release, Christ exchanges Himself for us. He personally pays the price. In “ransom,” Paul uses a Greek term (Gr. antilutron) we don’t see anywhere else in ancient literature. describing the price paid to release someone from captivity, a means to effect freedom, or what is given in exchange for another. He emphasizes both substitution and exchange. It comes from a root word that means to unchain or untie someone. In effect, the nailing of Christ to the cross broke our chains.

Just who were our kidnappers? And to whom did Jesus pay our ransom? Like most of these suspense flicks, there’s a twist. A VERY big twist. Who was my kidnapper? Who’s the bad guy? It’s the dude who looks back at me every morning when I shave. I am my own kidnapper. It’s my rebellion that holds me hostage. In a very real way, I’m locked in a cell of my own sin from the INSIDE! I have this twisted notion that I don’t need a Savior. I can do this all on my own. To admit I need to be rescued is to admit I can’t do it. But Jesus reminds me of the ugly truth of my situation. “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (Jn 8:34). And the only One who can break the chains of slavery is only One who can pay the price for my release.

Now take a guess at who receives the ransom. It’s gotta be Satan, right? Right? Ready for the big reveal? Who’s the mastermind behind demanding payment? It’s God. Yeah, that’s right. Our holy God. You see, He’s perfect and demands perfection. In case you haven’t been paying attention, you’re not. I’m not. Nobody is. We all fall short of His holy and perfect standard. And by “fall short,” I don’t mean we miss it by a couple of inches. We might as well try take a flying leap to the dark side of the moon. You can probably measure our miss in light years.

If the bad news isn’t bad enough already, the penalty for failing to grade out a perfect score is death (Rom 6:23). Somebody has to pay the price. That’s where our sinless Savior comes to our rescue. He does for us what we can’t and won’t. He lives to God’s perfect standard when don’t. He pays the ransom with His own life on the cross when it should have been us. He rises to a spectacular new life we don’t deserve.  

This all happens through something Martin Luther called “The Great Exchange.” Jesus willing trades His dazzling perfection and obedience for wretched filth and rebellion. Or in the words of Paul, For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God” (2Cor 5:21). That happens when we place our trust in what Christ has done on our behalf. As John Piper says, “What God requires, Christ provides.” 

So here’s the crazy thing. We hold ourselves captive by our own sin. God demands payment. But it’s God who pays the ransom. Literally, a King’s ransom. The King of king’s ransom. Paul describes God as being both the “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26). Think about that for just a minute. We’re our own kidnappers. Yet the Son of God sacrifices Himself to free us. Getting to get the idea of why this is such Good News?

The apostle tells Tim that the ransom payment for our freedom  “is the testimony given at the proper time” (v6). In other words, God couldn’t reveal His spectacular plan to pay our sin debt until Jesus left heaven on His supernatural rescue mission. The plan to send a Hero have been in the works since our first parents thumbed their noses at God’s goodness back in the garden (Gen 3:15). It wasn’t until our resurrected Savior strolled past the stone and out of the cemetery that we knew exactly what the Good News really is. 

Check out the New Living Translation’s take on this phrase: “This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time” (v6 NLT). Not a moment too soon. Not a moment too late. And there’s no way to keep news of this jaw-dropping ransom payment quiet. “Eventually the news is going to get out” (v6 The Message). That’s Paul’s assignment. To broadcast it all throughout the known world. It’s why he’s in Macedonia and not in Ephesus. 

If you’re wondering what you should do with this news, allow me to suggest a couple of items. First of all, live free. Remember what it cost Christ to spring you from your chains of sin. Only His life. He suffered so we wouldn’t have to. Get out of your cell. Run away from your chains. They’re not holding you any longer. Stop letting your sin, your DEFEATED SIN, rule your life. Live free.

Secondly, keep broadcasting the news. Now that the testimony was given at a proper time, make sure you keep giving it out! Tell folks the story of your kidnapping. Tell them the price that Jesus paid. Tell them there’s freedom from their self-imposed bondage. In the words of ‘Ol Blue Eyes, start spreading the news. The Good News. The GREATEST NEWS THE UNIVERSE WILL EVER HEAR!