Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
God looks with pity on sinners condemned to death for sin and graciously commands their rescue from going down into the pit, saying to them in effect, Live. The pit is death itself, the eternal perishing that stands as sin's sentence upon the guilty. In that rescue He joins mercy with justice, declaring that the repentant soul may live and be accepted because a ransom has been found in the Saviour's love. That ransom is Christ, the only begotten Son, equal with the Father and the ever-living mighty God, who alone could pay it by giving His divine life as Mediator, substitute, surety and representative, having human sin imputed to Him and bearing its consequences though He knew no sin. His suffering and death on the cross, where He was delivered for offenses and raised for justification, is the price that bridges the gulf made by sin and makes forgiveness, reconciliation and another trial possible, and it is received when sin is repented of and forsaken, so that penitent believers who accept salvation by faith are cleansed by His blood, clothed in His righteousness and set free with hope of life, while those who are lost are lost not from any defect in the ransom but from unbelief and choosing the world and sin.
God's Gracious Rescue
God looks with pity upon sinful humanity and graciously calls for rescue from going down to the pit because a ransom has been found. His word to the sinner doomed to death because of sin is in effect to live, even to guilty sinners that they may live. He provides a mighty rescuer who delivers from the pit on the ground of that found ransom.
The pit from which deliverance is commanded is death itself, the pit of death into which sinners would go. It is the perishing that follows when sin brought the world under the sentence of death, an eternal perishing from which the ransom saves.
In this rescue mercy is joined with justice, for God declares that the sinful but repentant soul may live and be accepted because a ransom has been found. That acceptance is spoken in the Saviour's love, where the repentant sinner is declared able to live.
Christ the Ransom
The ransom found for those going down to the pit is Christ, the only begotten Son, equal with the Father. Only the ever-living, mighty God could pay such a ransom, and He paid it by giving His own divine life. That divine Son became humanity's Mediator, substitute, surety, and representative, taking the place of the race. He took human sins and failures upon Himself, having them imputed to Him, and pledged Himself to satisfy the claims of the law. Though He knew no sin, He bore the consequences of sin in order to atone for transgression.
His suffering and death on the cross is the price of redemption that saves from perishing eternally. By that sacrifice He bridged the gulf opened by sin, making forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible. He was delivered for human offenses and raised again for justification, having given Himself for humanity and borne human sins. Through that offering another trial is opened and hope of life is given to those under sentence of death. He came as humanity's representative to meet Satan's challenge and to show that human beings connected with God can obey His law. That substitution was foreshadowed when the ram was offered instead of Isaac, representing the Son of God giving His life in the sinner's place and the redemption made possible through His sacrifice.
Receiving Deliverance by Faith
Pardon comes only when sin is repented of and forsaken, and deliverance from destruction rests on the ransom found to rescue sinners from the pit. His death on the cross bridges the gulf opened by sin, making forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible for the guilty. Penitent believers who accept salvation by faith are cleansed by His blood and may live, declared able to live because the ransom has been found. Guilt's darkness is lifted when repentance is accepted, and God's mercy speaks through Jesus Christ in effect, Live, O ye guilty sinners.
Through faith people receive His righteous character and are gathered under His protection. By obedience and faith they come under the King of Righteousness, because He took humanity's sins and failures upon Himself and pledged to satisfy the law's claims, opening another trial through the plan of redemption. When sin brought the world under the sentence of death, He bore its consequences to stand in humanity's place, so that sinners could receive another trial and the hope of life. The ransom makes the rescued one a prisoner of hope, for whom deliverance from death and judgment is possible through the provision God has made. In Him is a way of escape and freedom from sin offered to all.
That ransom was provided at infinite cost and is received by faith alone. Failure to accept it comes not from any defect in the ransom or lack of divine mercy, but from unbelief and choosing the world and sin.
Without the cross there could be no connection with the Father, and on it hangs every hope. When the guilty sinner kneels at the cross and looks up to the One who died to save him, his sins are pardoned and he may rejoice with fullness of joy. He has then reached the highest place attainable, seeing the light of the knowledge of God's glory in Christ's face, and is declared accepted to live because a ransom has been found in the Saviour's love.
God looks with pity on sinners condemned to death for sin and graciously commands their rescue from going down into the pit, saying to them in effect, Live. The pit is death itself, the eternal perishing that stands as sin's sentence upon the guilty. In that rescue He joins mercy with justice, declaring that the repentant soul may live and be accepted because a ransom has been found in the Saviour's love. That ransom is Christ, the only begotten Son, equal with the Father and the ever-living mighty God, who alone could pay it by giving His divine life as Mediator, substitute, surety and representative, having human sin imputed to Him and bearing its consequences though He knew no sin. His suffering and death on the cross, where He was delivered for offenses and raised for justification, is the price that bridges the gulf made by sin and makes forgiveness, reconciliation and another trial possible, and it is received when sin is repented of and forsaken, so that penitent believers who accept salvation by faith are cleansed by His blood, clothed in His righteousness and set free with hope of life, while those who are lost are lost not from any defect in the ransom but from unbelief and choosing the world and sin.
God's Gracious Rescue
God looks with pity upon sinful humanity and graciously calls for rescue from going down to the pit because a ransom has been found. His word to the sinner doomed to death because of sin is in effect to live, even to guilty sinners that they may live. He provides a mighty rescuer who delivers from the pit on the ground of that found ransom.
The pit from which deliverance is commanded is death itself, the pit of death into which sinners would go. It is the perishing that follows when sin brought the world under the sentence of death, an eternal perishing from which the ransom saves.
In this rescue mercy is joined with justice, for God declares that the sinful but repentant soul may live and be accepted because a ransom has been found. That acceptance is spoken in the Saviour's love, where the repentant sinner is declared able to live.
Christ the Ransom
The ransom found for those going down to the pit is Christ, the only begotten Son, equal with the Father. Only the ever-living, mighty God could pay such a ransom, and He paid it by giving His own divine life. That divine Son became humanity's Mediator, substitute, surety, and representative, taking the place of the race. He took human sins and failures upon Himself, having them imputed to Him, and pledged Himself to satisfy the claims of the law. Though He knew no sin, He bore the consequences of sin in order to atone for transgression.
His suffering and death on the cross is the price of redemption that saves from perishing eternally. By that sacrifice He bridged the gulf opened by sin, making forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible. He was delivered for human offenses and raised again for justification, having given Himself for humanity and borne human sins. Through that offering another trial is opened and hope of life is given to those under sentence of death. He came as humanity's representative to meet Satan's challenge and to show that human beings connected with God can obey His law. That substitution was foreshadowed when the ram was offered instead of Isaac, representing the Son of God giving His life in the sinner's place and the redemption made possible through His sacrifice.
Receiving Deliverance by Faith
Pardon comes only when sin is repented of and forsaken, and deliverance from destruction rests on the ransom found to rescue sinners from the pit. His death on the cross bridges the gulf opened by sin, making forgiveness and reconciliation with God possible for the guilty. Penitent believers who accept salvation by faith are cleansed by His blood and may live, declared able to live because the ransom has been found. Guilt's darkness is lifted when repentance is accepted, and God's mercy speaks through Jesus Christ in effect, Live, O ye guilty sinners.
Through faith people receive His righteous character and are gathered under His protection. By obedience and faith they come under the King of Righteousness, because He took humanity's sins and failures upon Himself and pledged to satisfy the law's claims, opening another trial through the plan of redemption. When sin brought the world under the sentence of death, He bore its consequences to stand in humanity's place, so that sinners could receive another trial and the hope of life. The ransom makes the rescued one a prisoner of hope, for whom deliverance from death and judgment is possible through the provision God has made. In Him is a way of escape and freedom from sin offered to all.
That ransom was provided at infinite cost and is received by faith alone. Failure to accept it comes not from any defect in the ransom or lack of divine mercy, but from unbelief and choosing the world and sin.
Without the cross there could be no connection with the Father, and on it hangs every hope. When the guilty sinner kneels at the cross and looks up to the One who died to save him, his sins are pardoned and he may rejoice with fullness of joy. He has then reached the highest place attainable, seeing the light of the knowledge of God's glory in Christ's face, and is declared accepted to live because a ransom has been found in the Saviour's love.