Bridges begins this chapter with the harrowing and tragic story of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. The story is relevant to this chapter because kidnappings are often followed by demands for ransom. The two words go together for us. But it used to be that a ransom was paid to deliver anyone from any kind of captivity or slavery. The word ransom is related to the word redeem:

To redeem is to buy back or secure the release of someone from slavery or from captivity by the payment of a ransom. Redemption, then, is the action to secure release; the ransom is the price paid to effect the action. It is also true, however, that ransom may be used as a verb, meaning the same thing as to redeem.

How did Christ redeem us? Paul explains in Galatians 3:13:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

Maybe you didn’t realize that the law brought a curse…

Mankind was under a curse because we had not perfectly obyed the Law of God—either in Adam or as individuals. The curse falls on everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.

The old Ivory soap slogan, “99 44/100 pure” apparently denotes quite an accomplishment in the manufacture of soap, but such a percentage is not good enough to satisfy the Law of God. Rather it pronounces a curse on the least failure to do everything written in it.

When we think that the Law of God is too rigorous or its curse too severe, it is because we don’t understand God or the nature of sin. God is transcendent in His majesty and sovereign in His authority. Every sin, be it ever so small in our eyes, is an assault on that authority. In effect we are saying, “I don’t care what You say. I will do as I please this time.” Furthermore, each sin is an insult to His character. It’s as if we are saying to God, “I don’t want to be like You.”

The primary purpose of the Law, however, is not to curse us but to lead us to Christ (see Galatians 3:24). Christ became a curse for us. Literally, He became a curse in our place as our substitute.

If that isn’t amazing enough, he goes on:

Knowing that Christ paid our ransom price, you might now wonder to whom the ransom was paid. The obvious answer to the question is that the ransom was paid to God acting in His capacity as Judge.

God both demanded the ransom price and paid it in the death of His Son. Jesus was both the redeemer and the ransom as He laid down His life in our place.

There are many blessings to this redemption as we are redeemed from our former way of life. Here are some questions to discuss:

• Why isn’t a little bit of disobedience something God can just accept without cursing us?
• What would you say to someone who says, “I don’t agree with all this talk about rules and obedience to the Law of God. The God I believe in isn’t obsessed with rules like that.”
• In Romans 5:10, Paul writes that God hates sin and regards sinners as enemies. Why does simply wanting to live your own life your way make you an enemy of God? Why can’t you be neutral toward God?

Categories: Summer Reading '07, five15 blog