A Ransom for All

 Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all people. He did not die for only part of humanity, but He died for everyone who has ever come into this world or will come into this world. This is totally in line with the teaching of the Bible, which says that God so loved the world, which is all of the people in the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, so that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. In other words, the ransom was paid by Jesus giving His blood and His life for us, but salvation is not automatic for all people. Salvation comes by the grace of God through our faith, our believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This is exactly what Paul told Timothy, his son in the ministry. (I Timothy 2:5,6) Paul made it clear. There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.  This is a foundational truth for all of us to know and teach.

God is one God in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Godhead has the same substance, each is eternal God. However, each has a different role to play. God the Father is on the throne in heaven ruling the universe and caring for every person He created. Jesus Christ is God who became a man, while continuing to be God, so He could relate to us, be our mediator, and die physically to pay the ransom payment for our sins to be forgiven. It was only by the payment of His precious blood that our debt for our sins could be paid, and we could be freed from being slaves to the devil and to sin. The Holy Spirit is God all over the universe to carry out the will of God in power. Since Jesus became a man and remained God, He could be our mediator, relating to both God and us, and He could shed His blood for us to pay our sin debt to the Father. He came into this world to share this message of Good News to all people. That was His testimony. This truth is what we, as believers, need to share with all people so they can have salvation by the power of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read I Timothy 4-6 and II Timothy 1.