The Bride of Christ Lesson 3e (The Bridegroom: Redeemer)

This is our fifth week studying about the Bridegroom: Redeemer. Today we will look at two other words/phrases associated with redemption: ransom and forgive.  

Ransom 

The Webster 1828 dictionary defines ransom as: 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. 

Matthew 20:28, “even as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 

The Son of Man came "to give his life a ransom for many." The word "ransom" was most commonly used as the purchase price for freeing slaves; and there is good evidence that the notion of "purchase price" is always implied in the NT use of this word, even though there is never any mention of the one to whom the price is paid. The preposition "for" denotes substitution or exchange; Jesus took our place. 

The "many" underlines the immeasurable effects of Jesus' solitary death: the one dies, the many find their lives "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven"—a great host no one can number.i 

Matthew Henry in his commentary writes, “Jesus Christ laid down his life for a ransom. Our lives were forfeited into the hands of divine justice by sin. Christ, by parting with his life, made atonement for sin, and so rescued ours; he was made sin, and a curse for us, and died, not only for our good, but in our stead, Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:18,19.” 

1 Peter 1:18-19, You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, 

But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. (AMPC) 

Mark 10:45, For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 

Throughout scripture the concept of ransom is associated with redemption as is used to convey the idea of securing someone's freedom from slavery.  In the Old Testament the idea of ransoming often meant paying for someone’s physical freedom.  For example, in Exodus 21:30 we read, “If a ransom is set for him, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatever is demanded of him.” However, Jesus gave his life as a ransom for our spiritual freedom.  The scriptures teach us that all of mankind is under slavery to sin.   

Romans 3:23-24, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

Here, redemption is linked to a ransom, where Jesus’ death pays the price for sin, liberating those who believe in Him. The ransom Jesus provides is not a financial or temporal payment but a spiritual and eternal one, addressing the most profound need of humanity—reconciliation with God.ii 

Isaiah 53:5, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. 

Jesus’ giving His life as a ransom for many means that He took upon Himself the punishment due to humanity. He substituted Himself in our place so that we might be freed from the penalty of sin.iii 

Forgive 

The Webster 1828 dictionary defines forgive as: to send it away, to reject it, that is, not to impute it, [put it to] the offender. 

Matthew 26:28, this is My blood of the [new and better] covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many [as a substitutionary atonement] for the forgiveness of sins. (AMPC) 

Hebrews 9:25, And according to the law almost everything must be cleansed with blood; without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 

Almost everything under the law was purified with blood.... But as far as remission of sin is concerned, there is no exception: blood must be shed.iv 

Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace. (AMPC) 

The measure of our forgiveness is given in the words according to the riches of His grace. If we can measure the riches of God’s grace, then we can measure how fully He has forgiven us. His grace is infinite! So is His forgiveness!v 

"Forgiveness" means loosing a person from what binds him or her; it stems from a verb meaning "to send away". When God deals with our sin, it is dispatched into the wilderness like the scapegoat (Lev 16:20-22). Here, however, the reference is not to "sin", as in Col 1:14, but to "sins". The first term denotes a sinful condition; the second, sinful acts or deviations from the right path. Forgiveness deals with both.vi 

Leviticus 16:20-22, When he has made an end of atonement for the Holy Place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, then he shall bring the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away by the hand of a designated man into the wilderness. And the goat shall bear on it all their iniquities to a desolate land, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. 

Psalms 103:11-12, For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

Once we confess and repent for our sin, we receive forgiveness due to the sacrifice of our Bridegroom, Jesus.  Then God removes our sin or sends it away, never to be remembered by Him again!!! 

In conclusion, Jesus, has given himself as a ransom for us.  His death bought our forgiveness and the removal of our sin.  Our Bridegroom is our Redeemer. He has delivered us, liberated us, bought us back, ransomed us and he forgave us.  Next week we will begin looking at another characteristic of our Bridegroom: He is Just.   

Questions for reflection:       

1. Am I living every moment of every day as a ransomed child of the King?   

2. Am I following the example of Jesus by sacrificing to serve others?      

3. Am I walking in the revelation that my past is forgiven?   

4. Do I allow the enemy to beat me up about things that are under the blood, forgiven and forgotten by my Father? Our pastor calls this trespassing!  Once it is under the blood, the only time we need to look back at it is if it is to use it as a testimony! 

Note: All Scripture references are from the MEV unless otherwise specified.        

Works Cited:

i Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament Copyright 2004. 

ii https://www.gotquestions.org/give-His-life-as-a-ransom-for-many.html 

iii https://www.gotquestions.org/give-His-life-as-a-ransom-for-many.html 

iv Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald. 

v Believer's Bible Commentary Copyright © 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2016 by William MacDonald. 

vi Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament Copyright 2004.