In continuing with the unpacking of who God is to me, today my focus is on God as my Ransom. Though I fall short and succumb to sin again and again, Jesus is my Ransom, the One who bore the weight of all of my sin and shame and made the way for me to be whole, accepted, and loved by God as He views me through the lens of His one and only Son, who was without sin.
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. – (Matthew 20:28, NIV)
Do as I did: The Son of Man did not come for people to serve Him. He came to serve others and to give His life to save many people. – (Matthew 20:28, ERV)
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as the ransom for many. – (Matthew 20:28, VOICE)
As a point of curiosity, I looked up the formal definition of ransom. According to dictionary.com, a ransom is a payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner. That is an excellent description of what Jesus has done and will do for all who place their trust in Him. We all are prisoners to our own sin and shame until Jesus enters in. On the cross, He bore it all so that we could be set free from the weight of our own thoughts, words and actions that are deserving of destruction. He made the way where there was no way, and He welcomes us into His presence, provision, protection, and perfect love when we choose to place our life in His hands. His sacrifice, though He had never sinned, covered over every wrong that I have ever and will ever do. It is beyond comprehension, yet I am forever grateful that Jesus freely chose to be my Ransom so that I might know life in Him. May we ever thank and praise the Lord for His overwhelming love, for it was His love that held Him to that cross so that we could each be set free.
Jesus, my Ransom,
the One who redeemed;
set free from my sin,
that’s what freedom means.
Not stuck by the weight,
of all of my wrongs;
covered by His grace,
throughout my life long.
In Him, I am free,
to live and to love;
embraced by His arms,
all hope from above.
The price has been paid,
His life for my own;
the way has been made,
my heart is His home.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are my Ransom. Thank You, Jesus, that You gave Your life for mine. Thank You that in You, I am forgiven and free and equipped to love. Forgive me for every word, thought and deed that has not aligned with Yours. Teach me to listen to Your leading and trust in You in all things, so that I might become more like You. Show me how to love as You love, so that those around me may come into a deeper understanding of who You are and how You love us so much that You ransomed Your life for ours. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise and thank You again and again for being our Ransom so that we know freedom, life, and love in You. Amen.
© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present
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
Revelations In Writing 