Ransom Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

Why did Jesus Christ die for us? Through the death of Jesus, a ransom sacrifice was provided for mankind. What exactly does this mean for each and every one of us?

The Ransom Sacrifice of Jesus Christ Is the Greatest Gift God Has Ever Given to Mankind

Every day, Jehovah God gives us good gifts. But this gift is the most valuable of all because it can make us unimaginably happy. The ransom of Jesus Christ is indeed the most important gift we have ever received. Jesus’ ransom also represents the greatest proof of God’s love for humanity.

But what is the ransom of Jesus Christ, and why is it such a valuable gift?

What Is the Ransom of Jesus Christ?

Why is the ransom of Jesus Christ so significant that one can speak of it as the most precious, beautiful, and greatest gift of all time?

The ransom of Jesus Christ was provided by Jesus giving his life (his soul):

Matthew 20:28: “just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.””

Through this ransom (or ransom sacrifice) of Jesus Christ, the means was provided to release humanity, including you, from their trespasses (sins) and the accompanying physical decay leading to death:

Ephesians 1:7: “By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his unmerited kindness.”

1 John 4:9-10: “By this the love of God was revealed in our case, that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might gain life through him. 10 The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins.”

Philippians 2:7: “No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and became human.”

The Cause of Death and the Need for the Ransom

What change occurred for humanity when Adam sinned?

When Adam sinned by willfully disobeying God’s command, the condition of all humanity changed dramatically:

Genesis 3:17-19: “And to Adam he said: “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree concerning which I gave you this command, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground on your account. In pain you will eat its produce all the days of your life. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you must eat the vegetation of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.””

Romans 5:12: “That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned—”

Romans 7:14: “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin.”

What was necessary to restore the former conditions?

A ransom or redemption price. And specifically an equivalent one, because the life of an imperfect human could never balance the life of a perfect human:

Psalm 49:7-8: “None of them can ever redeem a brother Or give to God a ransom for him 8 (The redemption price for their life is so precious That it is always beyond their reach),”

Deuteronomy 19:21: “You should not feel sorry: Life will be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

On earth, there were no perfect humans left. Therefore, at his own particular time, Jehovah God sent a spirit creature from heaven:

1 Timothy 2:6: “who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all—this is what is to be witnessed to in its own particular times.”

By a miracle, he transferred the life of this perfect spirit creature into the womb of a Jewish virgin named Mary. Through the active force (holy spirit) of Jehovah God, after nine months, a perfect human could be born:

Luke 1:35: “In answer the angel said to her: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. And for that reason the one who is born will be called holy, God’s Son.””

Why Could One Perfect Human Serve as a Ransom for Millions?

Since sin entered the world through a single perfect man (Adam), exactly one equivalent, perfect human life was required as a corresponding value:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22: “For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.”

Romans 5:19: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one person many will be made righteous.”

1 Corinthians 15:45: “So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living person.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

How Was the Ransom Sacrifice of Jesus Christ Provided?

The Bible vividly describes the path that Jesus Christ walked to offer this sacrifice:

John 19:1: “At that time Pilate took Jesus and whipped him.”

John 19:16-18: “Then he handed him over to them to be executed on the stake. So they took charge of Jesus. 17 Bearing the torture stake for himself, he went out to the so-called Skull Place, which is called Gol′go·tha in Hebrew; 18 and there they nailed him to the stake alongside two other men, one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”

John 19:30: “When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said: “It has been accomplished!” and bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.”

Hebrews 10:10: “By this “will” we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.”

However, Jesus Christ did not have to sleep in death for long. Already on the third day, Jehovah God resurrected him from the dead. Once again a spirit creature, he was able to return to heaven itself to appear before the person of God in behalf of humanity—meaning for you as well:

Hebrews 9:24: “For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he might now appear before God in our behalf.”

Through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the way was open for release from sin, yes, for the forgiveness of our sins:

Romans 3:23-24: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his unmerited kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 1:13-14: “He rescued us from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins.”

Jehova God, the Creator of mankind, has offered us an unusually grand gift through the provision of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ:

Romans 6:23: “For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Most Important, Beautiful, and Greatest Gift

If we benefit from this gift in the way it was intended, it will indeed become for us the most important, beautiful, and greatest gift we could ever receive. For example, the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ enables us to personally experience the following (after Armageddon, God’s intervention in world affairs):

How Can We Benefit From This Greatest Gift?

In order for the ransom sacrifice to unleash its full effect in our lives, the Bible outlines concrete steps:

• Exercising faith: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
• Appreciating love: “No one has greater love than this, that someone should surrender his life in behalf of his friends.” (John 15:13)
• Living in union with Christ: “I am nailed to the stake along with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who is living in union with me. Indeed, the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and handed himself over for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
• Continually taking in knowledge: “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3)
• Keeping God’s commandments: “For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome,” (1 John 5:3)
• Showing obedience: “The one who exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” (John 3:36)
• Proving faith through works: “Indeed, just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)
• Following Jesus’ pattern: “For I set the pattern for you, that just as I did to you, you should also do.” (John 13:15)

Answers to Questions