Paying the Price

It was reported in the news cycle a short while ago that the British Embassy in Iran came under fire, and similarities were drawn as memories were taken back to the capture of American embassy workers years ago.  Those captured embassy workers were held captive for over a year.  I thought about this recently as I was asked if I felt that biblical texts concerning a ransom being paid should be taken literally.  It we are supposed to take that sort of idea literally, then to whom was the ransom paid?  In other words, to whom was God Himself beholden?

My short answer is an emphatic yes, a ransom was literally paid.  I can say that with confidence and still completely deny that God was beholden to anyone.  How can I say that without contradicting myself?  I'm so glad you asked.

ransom - 1. the redemption of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person, or captured goods, etc. for a price.  2. the sum or price paid or demanded.  3. a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, esp. the payment of a redemptive fine.  4. to redeem from captivity, bondage, detention, etc. by paying a demanded price.  5. to release or restore on receipt of a ransom.  6. to deliver or redeem from punishment for sin.


The reason that there is no contradiction with holding to a literal ransom is that the idea that we are held hostage by another party and that the only thing God can do is pay them off for our release is not accurate and is not the only usage of the term ransom, and therefore simply does not apply.  What is clear from scripture is that sin leads to death.  God tells Adam and Eve in the Garden that in the day they eat of the fruit they will surely die.  We are told explicitly that the wages of sin is death.  We are told that all men, all women are sinners, whose hearts are desperately wicked, incapable of any good thing, that we are all of us slaves to sin.  We are told that God's wrath is against all those who sin.

What is explicitly clear in scripture is that we have a gravely serious problem, namely that we are deserving to have the wrath of God levied against us (and rightfully so by our volitional disobedience and life contrary to the purpose for which we were created) as those who are slaves to sin.  We are enemies of God and can do nothing about it ourselves.  God's Justice and Holiness demands that this wrong be made right.  To suggest that God simply overlooks our acts is to deny His perfect Justice and Holiness.  But isn't God supposed to be Loving and Gracious and Merciful?

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)


One would rightly read the above passage and ask, "For what reason?"  When Christ came as high priest o the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle taht is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14).  Jesus died, His body broken, His blood shed to deliver, rescue, redeem us from the punishment of sin we deserve.  Death is the wages of sin, and death was the price to redeem.  Christ paid that price, and therefore was literally a ransom for us so that we might have the spirit of sonship, an eternal inheritance.  The bible describes what we already know, that there is no greater love than if one lay down his life for another; especially if the life is laid down for those who are enemies.  God is Love.

To say that Christ was not a ransom because God couldn't remain God while being required to pay someone else off to buy us back is foolishness because it is a complete misunderstanding and misreading of the clear and explicit teaching of scripture.  To deny that Christ died, or that His blood was shed for efficacious reasons is to diminish His Grace and Love as well as His Righteousness, Justice and Holiness.  Is the situation exactly like a hostage situation, no, but Christ literally gave His life as a ransom just the same.  In short, where the Bible is clear and explicit we need not seek after some other meaning.  It is enough to acknowledge the fullness of the Truth, not suppress it, and be forever grateful and determined to live a life wholly committed to glorifying God who is perfectly Holy, Just, Righteous, Gracious, Merciful and Loving based on His Sovereignty and how much He loved us while we were yet in our sins.  

Testimony of Grace

As I mentioned yesterday, I have just finished writing a book.  My files have been submitted to the publisher and I now await the front cover design, some recommendations for editing and a review of my final galley before going ahead with production and distribution.  It is a very exciting time.  The full book title is In, Not Of - Christian Relevance in 21st Century America.  I'll discuss the content in the next few days, but I thought it would appropriate to put into writing a testimony of God's grace in bringing the work to fruition.

At our Men's Retreat this past weekend a brother shared a definition of grace that I have been thinking about since.  He said grace could be defined as the desire and ability to do what is pleasing to God.  It's pretty good.  We don't by nature tend toward things that announce our inability to please God and do what is right.  Our bent is more toward autonomy and independence from God (acknowledging our ability to take care of things ourselves).  So, God's grace as the desire and ability to do what pleases God would be a God-given return to our originally designed state of being.  In my life, the process of completing this book has been God operating in His strength to infuse the desire and ability to please Him in a written work.  The process began in 2005 when many things changed in my family.  My wife and I had our 2nd child (2nd son, Nathan) in December.  At the same time, I changed my place of work from Greensboro to Burlington, from a consulting engineering firm (which was a great company where I had a great position) to the family business (which is a great company where I have a great position).  We also moved our membership from one great church family to another.  During this time, I began regular personal devotions in the book of Colossians.  In chapter one verses 16 and 17, Jesus is described as being before all things, that by Him all things were created, and in Him all things are held together.  I thought about those verses for a long time and felt compelled to investigate the notion that if those verses were really true then the "fingerprint" of Christ (His influence and imprint) should be on any topic under the sun.  For the next five years I read everything I could get my hands on and thought about newspaper articles and blog topics; really searching to see if those who believed the Bible was Truth had something meaningful to say.

In late October, early November, 2010 I felt compelled to compile all these ideas in a book.  More than a compulsion (although I couldn't escape the desire to take on the task) it was a coalescing of the book in my mind.  I can't say the idea wasn't there at all one minute and in full form the next, but when I did feel there was nothing I could do but capitulate and sit down to write I knew the organization and content from beginning to end.  It took just under a year to complete the writing and review.  It truly has been God's grace, Him placing in me the desire and ability to see this thing through.  I have always been one for math and science since I come from an engineering background, so reading and writing and any topic dealing with the humanities or social sciences has been nothing more than an impediment to me.  Interesting the God would choose to arrest my life for more than 5 years in that which I deemed unimportant.

I'll get into the content next time, but the book is arranged like a building construction project.  It begins with the foundation (an apologetic for belief in the God of the Bible), then the structure (what it means to be a Christian in the United States of America in the 21st Century) and finally the secondary framing or fascia (practical matters for Christians like media/entertainment, environment, government and love).  It has been a tremendous blessing personally and will hopefully be a challenge and encouragement to others of the desire and ability to please God that a Holy and personal Father places in His children for His good purposes.