Jesus is called “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). He came to give His life as a ransom for us all (Matt. 20:28, Mark 10:45, 1 Tim. 2:5-6). The word “ransom” translates the Greek word “lutron.” It was used in classical Greek we the money used to purchase slaves.
Now, observe closely: Jesus is the Ransom God paid for us. Ransoms are not paid TO loving fathers but BY them to the kidnapper. If it was God who paid the ransom, then that means Jesus’ blood and sacrifice was not made TO God! He can’t pay to HIMSELF! What then held man in bondage? It was sin!
Sin is the “slave owner” which demanded death, not God (see Rom. 6:23). This means that all the sacrifices which men made to God down through human history were all a product of a misunderstanding of His character. They were products of man’s own sin consciousness. We were not under God’s bondage, neither did He need to be pacified. God has ALWAYS been for man! We NEVER needed His forgiveness, we ALWAYS had it.
Man was in bondage to sin (John 8:31-36). Jesus came to make us free (Acts 20:28). This is what “Redemption” means — there is a buying back or purchase. To purchase a slave from sin, the offering is made to the SLAVE OWNER (sin), not to the offerer. Hence, offering sacrifices to God was misguided.
In fact, even in the Old Testament, God CONSTANTLY puts a disclaimer on animal sacrifices — He KEPT telling His people that He did not need them! Heb. 10:1-4 says that animal sacrifices could NEVER take away sins, vv. 5-7 then state clearly that God had NO PLEASURE in burnt offerings. Numerous Old Testament texts testify to this fact (see Hos. 6:6, Amos 5:21-23, Mic. 6:6-8, Jer. 6:20, 7:21-26, Isa. 1:11, 1 Sam. 15:22, Ps. 51:16, Eccles. 9:2). Jesus too put a disclaimer on animal sacrifices (Mark 12:28-34, Matt. 9:13).
Jesus is thus the sacrifice God GAVE, not the sacrifice He RECEIVED. His offering was to deliver us from the hold of the slave masters (sin, death and the devil) who held us in bondage (see Col. 1:12-14).
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2020.
Jesus the sacrifice God gave