The Harp of God Part 15

[198]It is very important, then, that we understand the meaning of ransom; hence we here define it. _Ransom_ means something to loosen with; that is, a redemptive price. It is the means or price or value which can be used in loosening or releasing something that is in bondage or in restraint or imprisoned. Necessarily the ransom price must be exactly equivalent to, or corresponding with, that which justice requires of the thing or being that is in bondage or imprisonment. Hence we say that ransom means an exact corresponding price. A perfect man sinned and was sentenced to death; hence an exact corresponding price would be the death of another perfect man and the value of that life presented in place of the one who first sinned and was held in bondage.

[199]_Sin-offering_ means the presentation and use of the ransom-price.

On the atonement day performed by the Jews in type, the blood of the bullock represented the poured-out life; and therefore it stood for the ransom-price or value of the life. The carrying of the blood into the Most Holy and sprinkling it there pictured the sin-offering, that is, a presentation in the Most Holy (which represented heaven itself) of the value or merit of the perfect life. We will see, therefore, as we examine this question that the ransom-price was provided on earth by the death of Jesus; that preparation for the sin-offering was begun on earth, but must be finished in heaven, where the value of the ransom-price is presented.

[200]Other Scriptures show that it was intended by Jehovah that the great Redeemer should pour out his life in death and that this should const.i.tute the ransom-price, which should be made an offering for sin.

G.o.d foretold this--which is equivalent to a promise--through his prophet when he wrote concerning the great coming Redeemer the following:

[201]"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of G.o.d, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastis.e.m.e.nt of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."--Isaiah 53.

[202]Because of this death sentence standing against Adam, he was and is held in restraint or imprisonment of death. He and his offspring who have died are in the great prison-house of death, and the grave is thus spoken of by the Prophet--Isaiah 42:6,7; 49:9

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

[203]The dead could never again live, nor could those who are living ever hope to have eternal happiness unless the disability resting upon mankind because of sin be first removed; and the Scripture is quite clear, as above noticed, that this can be removed only by means of the great ransom sacrifice. Since ransom means an exact corresponding price, the ransomer must be exactly like the perfect Adam in Eden.

[204]A perfect man had sinned and lost everything; therefore none but a perfect man could provide a price sufficient to buy and release Adam and his race from this sentence of death and its effects. Divine justice demanded the life of a perfect human being and this was received when Adam went into death. It followed that divine justice would accept nothing more or less, as a price for releasing Adam and his offspring, than a perfect human life. In order to meet these divine requirements, the ransomer must be a perfect human being.

[205]When G.o.d gave the law to Israel at Mount Sinai he indicated by the promise of that law that the only means by which the human race could be redeemed or ransomed would be by the giving of a perfect human life in the place of Adam's perfect human life, which he had forfeited by his disobedience. We remember that St. Paul said that this law was a shadow of better things to come. That law required an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a foot for a foot, a life for a life; that is to say, a price exactly corresponding to that which had been lost. As an ill.u.s.tration: Under the law if one man knocked out another's tooth, he must lose one of his own teeth. If he struck out a man's eye, he must give up his own eye. If he took the life of his fellow creature, he must give up his own life. Thus the law pictured that the great ransomer would correspond exactly with the perfect man Adam when Adam was in Eden.--Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:17-21; Deuteronomy 19:21.

MAN'S EXTREMITY

[206]But who in all the world was able to bear this burden or meet the requirements of the divine law? Adam could not redeem himself. All of his offspring were imperfect and G.o.d could not accept an imperfect human being as a ransom. Was there n.o.body, then, on earth who could redeem the human race from death according to G.o.d's promise? The Prophet of the Lord answers: "None of them [no creature on earth] can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to G.o.d a ransom for him". (Psalm 49:7) For this reason, then, it seemed hopeless for man ever to expect to be released from the condition of death.

[207]Furthermore, this judgment and sentence against Adam was entered in the divine court of heaven and it follows that the ransom-price, namely, the value of a perfect human life, must not only be provided by the death of a perfect human being, but the value of that life must be presented to divine justice in heaven itself; and no human being has access to heaven.

[208]Hence there were two reasons why it was utterly impossible for any of Adam's stock or offspring to redeem mankind: (1) Because all were imperfect and could not provide the price; and (2) if the price were provided, it could not be presented in heaven by any such.

[209]Thus is presented to the human race a condition of absolute helplessness. Thus we see that mankind was wholly without power to release itself from the condition of death, and that there never could be any hope of any one of the human family enjoying life everlasting in a state of happiness unless G.o.d, in the exercise of his loving-kindness, should make some provision. He had promised to make such provision. His great plan provided for such. It is first necessary, however, for us to see man's absolute extremity in order that we might appreciate G.o.d's opportunity for blessing mankind, and the great debt which the human race owes to Jehovah and his beloved Son for the provision made.

[210]If a man found himself and his family in a dungeon and a million dollars were required to release him, and he had not one penny, but a friend of his appeared and provided the money and released him and his family, that man would owe a great debt of grat.i.tude to his deliverer.

He would feel much grat.i.tude in his heart. He would surely love his deliverer and would be anxious to do anything he could for him. Adam and all of his family are either in the prison-house of death or under the effects of death; and if we find that the great Jehovah G.o.d has made provision for the release and deliverance of all such from the tomb, the prison-house of death, with a view to granting them everlasting life, liberty, and happiness, then such fact should bring joy to the heart of every one who learns of it.

THE GREAT RANSOMER

[211]The apostle Paul, having in mind these things, wrote: "We were children in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of time was come, G.o.d sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law". (Galatians 4:3,4) How did G.o.d send his Son? Since a perfect man had sinned and the life of a perfect man must be given as a sin-offering, it is now important to see if the Son of G.o.d whom he sent was qualified to meet the requirements of the law and be the ransomer or redeemer.

[212]It is easy to be seen that Jesus when on earth could not have been merely an incarnated spirit being, because that would const.i.tute a fraud, and G.o.d would not sanction anything wrong. He must be a man, perfect in every respect, equal and corresponding to the perfect Adam while in Eden. It is also easy to be seen that Jesus could not be part G.o.d and part man, because that would be more than the law required; hence divine justice could not accept such as a ransom. The divine law definitely shows that the ransomer must be exactly corresponding to Adam, a perfect human being. How, then, did G.o.d send his Son? And when he sent him, was he part man and part G.o.d?

[213]The Scriptures answer, as we have heretofore seen, that prior to his coming to earth he was the Logos, a spirit being; that his life was transferred to the human plane and he was born a human being. He was rich and for our sakes became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9); that is to say, he was rich in heavenly glory and power possessed by him as the great active agent of Jehovah in the creation of all things, and he became poor by becoming a man. It was absolutely necessary for him to be a perfect man; hence he must be born holy, harmless, separate from sinners and without sin; and he met this requirement. (Hebrews 7:26) Furthermore, he met the requirements because he was made flesh and dwelt amongst men. (John 1:14) He partook of flesh and blood, became a human being for the very purpose of destroying him that has the power of death, that is the devil; and to deliver mankind. (Hebrews 2:14,15) He took upon himself the form of a servant or bondsman and was made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7) He was the only perfect man that has ever lived on earth, except Adam. He was not part human and part spirit being, because "he was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death". Angels are spirit beings, and thus creatures that are lower than angels are human beings.

He was human. Had he been part G.o.d and part man he would have been higher than the angels instead of lower, for the reason that angels are the lowest order of spirit beings.

[214]Being a perfect man, he had the power to produce a perfect race of people and with these populate the earth; therefore in every respect exactly corresponding to the perfect man Adam in the condition he was in while in Eden. He was perfect in every respect, full of grace and truth.

(John 1:14) When he stood before Pilate, silent as a sheep is dumb before its shearers, when the mob incited by the Jewish clergy of that time were demanding his life blood, Pilate, in order that he might shame the Jews for such action, cried out unto them: "Behold _the_ man". The emphasis here is on the word _the_. We might paraphrase Pilate's words thus: 'The man whom you are asking me to put to death is not only the greatest man among you, but he is the man above all other men on earth'.

The people there had seen a perfect man. None of us have seen a perfect man. He was the only One who has ever lived on earth qualified to become the redeemer of mankind. He was sent to earth by Jehovah for that v qualify as a priest.

[215]We note that Jesus grew from boyhood's estate to manhood's estate and when he was thirty years of age he presented himself to John at Jordan to be baptized. At the age of thirty, then, he was perfect in body, perfect in mind, perfect under the law, in every respect an absolutely perfect human being; hence qualified to be the ransomer or redeemer of Adam, the perfect man, and of all Adam's offspring.

[216]Why did G.o.d send his beloved Son, this great Man, to earth? When a great man of the world comes into prominence he expects others to minister unto him, and they do minister unto him. But Jesus, the greatest man who has ever lived on earth, and the only perfect One aside from Adam, came to earth and became the servant of others, that he might render the greatest good to mankind. True greatness consists in doing good unto others. True greatness is magnified in Jesus. He was the truest friend of the human race. He said: "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many". (Matthew 20:28) And again he said: "Whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister [servant]; and whosoever will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all".--Mark 10:43,44.

[217]The perfect man Jesus became the servant of all. The importance of Jesus and his work is magnified when we consider that he in heaven and in earth was the dearest treasure to Jehovah's heart. He was G.o.d's dearly beloved Son. He was the most precious thing possessed by the great Creator, Jehovah. It was the supreme sacrifice on behalf of Jehovah to use him to redeem the human race. It was G.o.d's great love for fallen humanity that prompted him to do this; hence we read: "G.o.d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For G.o.d sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."--John 3:16,17.

[218]It was this truly good and truly great Man who for three and a half years went about in the earth and taught and ministered unto the people and did good unto every one and evil unto none. All the time he was thus ministering and doing good, the scribes, Pharisees, doctors of the law and other dupes engaged in misrepresenting and persecuting the Lord, sought to kill him. Why did they do this? Because they were instruments of Satan, the devil.--John 8:44.

[219]Jesus, the devil knew, was and is the great Seed of promise which G.o.d had promised to Abraham should be the redeemer and blesser of mankind. Jesus Christ is the Seed of the woman foreshadowed in G.o.d's statement made to mother Eve and Satan. (Genesis 3:15) Satan sought, therefore, in every way to destroy him. Jesus was teaching the Jews the message of G.o.d to lead them in the right way, and to open unto them the way of life. These scribes and Pharisees were opposing him and therefore were the enemies of the people. Jesus said of them: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat" (Matthew 23:2); meaning that they had a.s.sumed the position of leaders of the people. Because of their blinding the people he said to them: 'You are hypocrites, blind guides, fools; you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; you devour widows' houses and for a pretence make long prayers; you compa.s.s sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of _gehenna_ than yourselves. You are guilty of fraud and deceit, and you are like unto whited sepulchres, which are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness; you are serpents, a generation of vipers. You do not understand my speech because you cannot hear and understand my word.

You are of your father the devil.'--Matthew 23:13-33; John 8:43,44.

[220]Jesus knew that he was to be crucified and he told his disciples of his coming death. The last night he was on earth with them he spent teaching them great lessons and truths which were not only a blessing to them, but have been a great blessing to every one from then until now who has loved the Lord and sought to know and do his will. While he was thus doing, the enemy was preparing to take his life. The Sanhedrin was a high tribunal or court composed of seventy-three men, made up of priests, elders, and doctors of the law, Pharisaical hypocrites, the seed of the serpent, blinded to G.o.d's purposes. That body was the highest court of Israel and it was the duty of this court to protect the innocent as well as to punish the guilty. They beheld Jesus doing good and the people flocking to him.

[221]"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council [a court], and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation.... Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death."--John 11:47-51,53.

[222]In other words, this supreme tribunal secretly met, indicted Jesus, prejudged his case, and agreed to put him to death, only waiting for an opportunity. They acted as grand jury, prosecutor, and trial court. They entered into a wicked conspiracy, which was formulated by Satan, their father, for the destruction of the Son of G.o.d. They conspired with Judas and hired him, for the paltry sum of thirty pieces of silver, to betray the Lord into their hands. Satan himself entered into Judas as the latter executed the betrayal. Then they organized a mob, sent it out after the Master, arrested him, and brought him before this supreme court for trial at night, which was contrary to their own laws. "They that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were a.s.sembled," in furtherance of the wicked conspiracy.--Matthew 26:57.

[223]The meek and defenseless Lamb of G.o.d was led into a den of ravenous wolves, who were thirsting for his blood. They did not dignify his case by even filing a formal charge against him. They sought, contrary to the law, to make him testify against himself. They knew nothing themselves against him; and notwithstanding they sat as the high and dignified court of the nation of Israel, they resorted to subornation of perjury. "Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council [the entire court], sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; but found none; yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses." (Matthew 26:59,60) This exalted tribunal, in violation of every law and every precedent known to Jewish jurisprudence, demanded of Jesus that he testify against himself. "The high priest arose and said unto him, ... I adjure thee by the living G.o.d, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of G.o.d." (Matthew 26:62,63) And when he told the truth, saying, "Ye say that I am," they said, "What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth". (Luke 22:66-71) They immediately voted that he should die--also contrary to their law, which required that each member of the court should consider the case and then vote individually. Holding the session of court at night to convict him, they knew they were proceeding contrary to law; so they convened the court the following morning to ratify the sentence, which was likewise contrary to law.

[224]They condemned Jesus to death, but knew they had no legal power to put him to death. Then they led him before the Roman governor, Pilate, and placed against him the charge of sedition, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King". (Luke 23:1,2) They knew the Roman governor had power to put Jesus to death, and for this reason they sought his judgment.

[225]Pilate was not convinced of Jesus' guilt and was not willing that he should die, but sought to release him. "Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, _He stirreth up the people_." (Luke 23:4,5) When Pilate sought to release him, his accusers "cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar"--against the civil power, and such is therefore guilty of sedition. (John 19:12) "And he [Pilate] said unto them the _third time_, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.

And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. _And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed_.

And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required." (Luke 23:22-24) Thus the civil power yielded to the importunities of ecclesiasticism, and Jesus was led away and crucified on Calvary's hill.

And Pilate, more righteous than the clerics, posted over his cross the sign: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews".

[226]Thus died the Son of G.o.d, the great ant.i.typical "Lamb ... which taketh away the sin of the world". (John 1:29) In the eyes of those that stood by he died as a sinner, crucified between two thieves, under the charge of disloyalty to the const.i.tuted powers, yet wholly innocent, harmless, and without sin.

[227]Here he fulfilled that which the Prophet of G.o.d had foretold of him long in advance, in that he "poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many".

--Isaiah 53:12.

WHY MUST HE DIE?

[228]But why should the great, the good, the pure, the sinless Man die in such an ignominious manner as this? Was there no other means whereby man could live? The Scriptures answer that there is no other way whereby man could get life. Divine justice demanded the life of the perfect man Adam and took that life. Divine justice could receive nothing as a subst.i.tute for Adam except the life of a perfect human being. Adam was put to death because he was a sinner. The one who would redeem Adam must die _as_ a sinner, yet without sin. And all this Jesus did.

[229]It is important here for us to see why Jesus came to earth, grew to manhood's estate and died. The Prophet speaking the words of Jesus beforehand said: "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my G.o.d: yea, thy law is within my heart". (Psalm 40:7,8; Hebrews 10:7-10) Thus we see that he had come to do G.o.d's will. The apostle Paul expressed the will of G.o.d concerning mankind when he said: "G.o.d ... will have all men to be saved [from death], and brought to an accurate knowledge of the truth". (1 Timothy 2:3,4) This is in harmony with G.o.d's promise that he would redeem mankind from death (Hosea 13:14); and since Jesus came to carry out the Father's will to ransom the human race, he must do this. This is the only means whereby man could live. Therefore Jesus said: "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly".--John 10:10.

[230]Jesus likened his humanity to bread. He said: "I am the bread of life.... This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.... For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.... As the living Father sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me." (John 6:48,50,55,57) By this we understand that Jesus gave up his human life in order that the value thereof might be presented to divine justice in heaven as the great ransom-price. To eat means to appropriate to oneself. Then it follows that any one who accepts or appropriates to himself the value of Jesus' sacrifice by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and doing the Father's will, that one will have life everlasting through Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul makes it clear that the death of Jesus was for the benefit of the entire human race when he says: 'Jesus, ... by the grace of G.o.d, tasted death for every man'. "There is one G.o.d, and one mediator between G.o.d and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."--Hebrews 2;9; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.

[231]"Sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4) "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) Adam transgressed the divine law and for this reason suffered the penalty of death, and this penalty came upon all mankind by inheritance. Jesus the perfect man permitted his life to be taken that it might be used for the purpose of releasing Adam and his offspring from the great enemy death, and that they might have a full opportunity for life. Hence his life was made an offering for sin, or a sin-offering.

[232]For many centuries Jehovah foreshadowed this great event in his plan, and this adds to the importance of it; in fact, without the sacrifice of Jesus it would have been impossible for any of the human race ever to live at all.

[233]Looking back, then, at the picture that Jehovah made by the use of the Jewish people and their ceremonies, we see that the bullock slain on the atonement day pictured Jesus the perfect man at the age of thirty years. The court surrounding the tabernacle was a picture of perfect humanity. Therefore the bullock slain in the court foreshadowed or pictured the fact that the perfect man Jesus died in that condition on earth as a perfect man. By his death he provided the ransom-price. He did this to carry out the Father's plan.

[234]In the picture, the slaying of the bullock was the beginning of the sin-offering. After the bullock was slain its blood was put into a vessel and the high priest carried it in this vessel, ultimately reaching the Most Holy, where it was sprinkled, as above mentioned. The high priest in the Holy pictured Jesus during the three and one-half years of his sacrificial ministry; and the high priest's appearance in the Most Holy pictures Jesus the high priest, resurrected to the divine nature, appearing in heaven itself in the presence of G.o.d, there to present the merit of his sacrifice as the sin-offering on behalf of mankind.--Hebrews 9:24.

[235]The Scriptures clearly show that Jesus was the ant.i.typical bullock and was made an offering for sin on behalf of mankind; first on behalf of the church, subsequently on behalf of the whole world. "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3); "who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of G.o.d and our Father" (Galatians 1:4); "for he hath made him to be sin [an offering for sin] for us, who [Jesus] knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of G.o.d in him".--2 Corinthians 5:21.