1,2 What is ransom, and why do we need it?
The ransom is defined in the Christian Greek scriptures as the price that Jesus paid so that he could recover what the first perfect man named Adam had lost, his opportunity to have eternal life. He voluntarily gave himself up to sin, unfortunately his children would pay the consequences of their sin. As Romans 5:12 says: "Sin entered the world" when Adam and his wife deliberately disobeyed their creator.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Now they had to be rescued from the death penalty, and Jehovah gradually revealed how that rescue could be made of all those who would be descendants of Adam, since they would have to be freed from that curse, which is sin and death. Thus Jehovah purposed that he would send his son who was with him in heaven. As Mark 10:45 says, "He would give his life as a ransom in exchange for many people."
This ransom was needed, because the law and the standard of divine justice had to be fulfilled, and this was "life for life" because God considers human life valuable, so compensation is required according to Exodus 21:22, 23, a life, for another life. And when the son of God gave his life, he became the "everlasting father" as Isaiah 9: 6 says of all who have faith in his rescue.
The ransom, and in harmony with what is said in 1 Corinthians 15:22, is the price that Jesus had to pay for the willful and condemned sin of our first perfect father Adam. For Adam we all die, and for the sacrifice of Christ all will receive life.
We need this ransom for the sin of our first perfect father Adam, through whom death entered the world. Adam has no excuse and can do nothing to change what he did and is not entitled to this resurrection due to the gravity of his actions. We do have this opportunity and this is thanks to Jehovah's great gift with the sacrifice of his dear son.
3. According to John 14:31 and 15:13, why was Jesus willing to sacrifice his perfect human life?
Jesus clarified the reason why he was willing to give his life in sacrifice and it was recorded in John 14:31: so that the world would know that he loved the Father, and he also did so motivated by a great love for human beings, such as it is narrated to us in John 15:13. That love helped him to be loyal until his very death.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In this way it will be possible to fulfill all that the purpose of God holds for humanity and the earth. It is very appropriate that we know some details of the suffering of Jesus before his death, because this way we can understand, how necessary it was, and at the same time, we will review an example of a biblical writer who thanked the rescue, and also how we can value this sacrifice, that both Jehovah and Jesus did.
The texts of John 14:31 and 15:13 are very clear and leave no doubt. Jesus was willing and did everything he did just out of love. A pure, real and loyal love. A very great love for your dear Father and for all of us. In this way, although he suffered, he never hesitated to do his Father's will and to give us all this future salvation.
Why did God allow Jesus to suffer?
4. Describe how Jesus died.
It was a very painful death, as he was whipped with a whip, which, according to the perspicacity work, consisted of a handle that held several strips of leather, to which weight was added with pieces of bone, to make the blow more effective and painful. because it tore the flesh. Jesus could have asked Jehovah, several legions of angels to protect him, but he did not do that, as Matthew 26:53 says, he let everything said by the prophets be fulfilled in him.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
He also had to carry the tree, which was a thick post on his back that was torn by the lashes, full of blood, which he had to carry to the place of execution, but ended up carrying a man who was forced by the Roman soldiers to serve according to the record in Matthew 27:32 called Simon of Cyrene.
And when he arrived at the place of execution, his executioners nailed him hand and foot to the tree while its weight opened more his wounds. And there were also his mother and friends who cried when they saw all that infamous suffering that he was suffering; While the Jewish rulers mocked what was happening to him, Luke 23:35 tells us that those scoffers were asking for a sign and verse 36 also says that the soldiers were mocking. Thus, hours later, when his strength was at the limit, giving his last breath, he prayed to Jehovah, bowed his head and died, as Mark 15:37 says “Jesus gave a loud cry and died”. It was a slow, painful, and humiliating death, as the paragraph points out.
The death of Jesus was agonizing and very hard. They did not just execute him. Rather, they made him suffer great suffering and that his loved ones - like his mother - saw it and suffered as well. They made him carry the tree for a part, he received blows that tore his flesh. They nailed him as we know, and his own weight increased these wounds ... such suffering that his body reached a time when he could barely respond, it was difficult for him to breathe and he was at the limit of his strength.
There are no words to be able or to attempt to describe what Jesus lived, felt and suffered. You cannot understand such a thing in a healthy mind. It was a great demonstration of fidelity, love and loyalty to his Father Jehovah and of love for all his friends and for all of us. He could at any time ask his angels to come to his aid, but he knew and knew the importance of his Father's will.
5. For Jesus, what was worse than the way he died?
The worst thing for Jesus was not the way of dying to which he was subjected, but the accusation of falsely saying that he had disrespected God and his name, here in Matthew 26: 64-66 it says that Caiaphas tore his clothes in a gesture that expressed indignation at what Jesus had just told them.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jesus felt tormented by that accusation and hoped that his father would free him from that humiliation, Matthew 26:39 "Take this cup away from me." In the Bible the word cup often represents what Jehovah has assigned someone to do, his will. This prompted Jesus to ask him to take that cup away from him. In this way we see that Jesus is concerned about dying accused of blasphemy and sedition, because he does not want to dishonor God.
The injustice of his death, the punishment he received and the way he died is very painful. We cannot imagine how much, but it hurt Jesus even more and the accusations for which they did all that were worse for him. He was accused of blasphemy, of not respecting God or his name. A surreal situation being his own son and proving it throughout his life.
The blasphemy charge was even worse than the way he died for Jesus. In fact, we read in Matthew 26:38 that he says that he is so "distraught that I feel like I am dying." These accusations hurt Jesus more than the physical pain He had to endure.
6. Why did Jesus have to be hung on a tree?
It had to be hung on a tree, because the Jews had to be freed from a curse, Galatians 3:10, 13 tells us that the Jews had promised to obey the law but did not; and that is why they were cursed, but as verse 13 says, Christ by dying on the tree took their place and was considered accursed, and apart from that was the condemnation inherited from Adam, “by which sin had entered the world".
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Then the law given by God established that if a man committed a sin that deserved death, he should be executed and his corpse hung on a tree, as Deuteronomy 21:22, 23 says, and therefore when Jesus was hung on a tree, he made the very nation that rejected him benefit from his sacrifice.
Galatians 3:13 gives us the explanation and it is that in this way he freed the Jews from the curse that had existed until that moment. This curse said, as the verse says, that everyone who is hanged on a tree is cursed. So Jesus, by being hanged on this tree, was cursed instead of all of them, freeing these Jews by putting himself in their place.
This curse of the tree and being hanged is because the Jews had promised to obey God and had not done so. It also extended with sin and condemnation inherited from Adam. This rejection that some Jews had made could now benefit by turning to God for the sacrifice of Jesus dying on this torture stake.
7. What is the second reason God allowed His Son to suffer?
A second reason is that Jehovah allowed it because he had to be prepared for his role as high priest. He had to personally experience how difficult it is to obey Jehovah when under severe trials.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jesus could feel that pressure so strong that he asked his Father for help in prayer and he did it as we are told in Hebrews 5: 7-10 "With loud cries and tears." And all that strong emotional anguish that happened shows us that he is qualified to help everyone who is being put to the test. We have strong reasons to be grateful to have Jesus as high priest and to have compassion on how weak we are. sometimes.
The second reason is that Jehovah was preparing him for his role as High Priest. Jesus is aware of all the pain and suffering we go through being imperfect and obeying God in our lives. This brings us injustice, pain, suffering and difficulty due to the tests that are presented to us. A pressure similar to ours felt Jesus and for this reason he understands us and continues to love us for our effort.
8. What is the third reason God allowed Jesus to be tested to the limit?
In this third reason we are faced with a question: can human beings remain loyal to Jehovah even under the most severe tests? Our enemy Satan says no, because he says that we serve out of selfishness, he makes us the same accusation that he made to Job 1: 9-11 where he says “that Job feared God, because he had a protective hedge around him, around of all his house and around everything that he had ”. In this way we realize that Job was tested as an imperfect man to the limit and we know that he was successful with Jehovah's help.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jesus was also tested to the limit, and his father Jehovah knew that he could be loyal, and with that loyalty to God he demonstrated that the one who accuses us, who is Satan, is a liar.
The third reason is that it serves as an example for us. As servants of God we will go through very difficult trials, possibly not as difficult as those that Jesus went through and still remained faithful to his Father. This third reason is to "imitate his example", so that we too can overcome everything that has to come.
In addition, by imitating the example of Jesus in the face of trials and remaining faithful to God we are giving a very strong blow to Satan, we will be telling him that he is a liar and we will be glorifying and honoring the name of God. Jehovah will feel very good about us, because he knows that his children will remain faithful to him no matter how much they suffer.
A biblical writer who deeply appreciated the rescue
9 What example did the apostle John set for us?
The example of the apostle John shows us that he was a person who deeply appreciated the rescue, because despite suffering opposition he endured different trials, and was able to preach loyally for more than 60 years.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
When this apostle was almost 100 years old, he was considered a threat by the Roman Empire, and he was exiled to the island of Patmos without having committed any crime only that of "Talking about God and giving testimony about Jesus." Thus John leaves us an extraordinary example of faith and endurance.
In the example of the apostle John we have great experience to learn from. He suffered another great injustice that was imprisonment and exile to the island of Patmos without doing anything, only speaking the name of God during his life, without hurting anyone. Nothing will stop us from bearing witness to God, we know that we will be persecuted for it, but our love for God is greater, like that of John.
Not only is John an example of persistence in bearing witness, but even with the difficulties of his exile on the island of Patmos, he continued to serve God, speaking about him how he could and giving encouragement to the Christian congregation. A great role model if our circumstances change due to possible persecution, we must always put God first.
10. How did John show his gratitude for the ransom in the biblical books he wrote?
In these books that John wrote, he demonstrated his deep love for Jesus and the ransom by making more than 100 references to the ransom and its benefits.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And an example of this is what he wrote in 1 John 2: 1, 2 "That if anyone commits a sin, we have a helper who is next to the Father: Jesus Christ, one who is just", thus implying that Jesus satisfied the standard of perfect justice, now God would show mercy by exercising faith in Jesus his helper.
In Revelation 19:10 John also highlights the importance of bearing testimony about Jesus. All of this shows us that John was deeply grateful for Jesus' rescue, and we should be just as grateful.
Nothing more and nothing less mentions the ransom or its benefits more than 100 times in the books he wrote. He bore testimony of him, of what Jesus did for all of us and that we are obedient, loyal and show love for this great gift. And that even if mistakes are made, hope not be lost and reconciliation be sought thanks to Jesus' sacrifice for all of us.
How can we show our gratitude for the rescue?
11. What can help us not to fall into temptation?
Be grateful for the rescue of Jesus, not think that we can sin and then ask for forgiveness, because that would not be valid in the eyes of God, rather if we are faced with temptations, we can say No! and think about how many things Jehovah and Jesus have done for one. And the other thing we can do is ask Jehovah to give us the strength to resist and not fall into temptation, as Jesus said in Matthew 6:13.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Saying don't lead us into temptation does not mean that God causes a situation, it really only allows it to happen. Jesus is not saying that God tempts people to sin, because he is not, rather he is encouraging his disciples to ask God for help to avoid or resist temptation.
We must always go to prayer so that Jehovah will help us as Matthew 6:13 tells us, so that he does not allow us to fall into temptation. In addition, we must keep in mind the great effort and sacrifice that Jesus made for us and the wonderful gift of Jehovah. We value everything they did for us by standing firm to their will.
12. How can we follow the advice we read in 1 John 3: 16-18?
1 John 3: 16-18 begins by saying: "That Jesus gave his life for us and that we have an obligation to lay down our lives for our brothers," which means that we prefer to sacrifice our lives rather than betray our spiritual brothers and put yours in danger. The same if we see that a brother is in need, he may not only need material help, but emotional help, he may need consolation, as we see it must not only be our love words or lip service, but with real deeds.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
This is how Jesus did when he gave his life for us, that reflected his deep love, and the way we treat our brothers reflects how much love we feel for them, our help must be unconditional especially if they are sick, or go through trials, which can be even natural disasters. Always be edifying to the brethren as needed (Ephesians 4:29).
There are many ways, one of them is loving our brothers. Jesus gave his life for all of us, for our brothers, for his friends. We must be willing to do the same, and this is reflected in the love we have for them.
13. Why should we forgive?
We must forgive, because from the beginning Jehovah said what is recorded in Leviticus 19:18: "Do not avenge yourself on the children of your people or hold a grudge against them and love your neighbor as yourself, I am Jehovah", love of neighbor it is not just a feeling, but also action. For the same reason, one should not hold a grudge if they have offended us, the action tells us that we must make peace.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Colossians 3:13 says that "we should generously endure and forgive each other, even though we have cause for complaint toward others." Forgive just as Jehovah has generously forgiven us, so we must.
By forgiving a brother, we are showing Jehovah that we truly value and appreciate Jesus' rescue. The ransom was a gift from God to humanity, so let's give it the value it deserves.
Forgiveness is a way of thanking the ransom. We all have to be forgiven, no one is perfect, and we make mistakes. Jehovah forgave us first, all the more so we should imitate this fact and forgive our brothers, thus showing true gratitude for the ransom.
How can we value the rescue more and more?
14. What will help us value the ransom more?
This 83-year-old sister mentioned in this paragraph, who lives in India, says “that in her prayers she mentions the ransom every day and gives thanks to Jehovah for it,” so we too can thank Jehovah for the ransom in our personal prayers.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Sometimes we make mistakes in the day and we can approach Jehovah to ask for his forgiveness. Now, if it is no longer a mistake but a serious sin, we can pray to Jehovah, but we must seek the help of the elders, so that they listen to us and advise us, using the Bible in a loving way.
Thanks to the rescue we can do what James 5: 14-16 says to seek the help of the elders of the congregation that thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, can help us to spiritual recovery, because when they pray to God for their brothers and give their Support when needed, showing concern for Jehovah's sheep, and appreciating such ransom.
Give thanks to Jehovah for the ransom as does our sister Joanna who mentions it in her prayers. Our personal prayer is the means we have to speak directly to God and express what we feel, it is a great opportunity to show him how much we value the rescue and all that it does for us.
15. Why should we take time to read and ponder the ransom?
A 73-year-old sister named Rajamani says "that when she reads all that Jesus suffered, her eyes fill with tears." Like this sister, we too must set aside time to meditate on the rescue, because surely we are also going to get excited just thinking about how much Jesus suffered.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
If we constantly meditate on this wonderful sacrifice that Jesus made, we will love him and Jehovah much more, therefore it is suggested that we make the ransom a recurring part of our personal study.
It is very difficult to imagine and try to feel all that that moment involved. That is why it is important to set aside time to read and meditate on the ransom, in this way as it happens to this sister, we will love Jehovah and Jesus even more for all that they do and did for us.
16. How does it benefit us to teach others about the ransom?
If we teach others about rescue, we are showing how much value we place on that fact. And for that we have very good tools to make known why Jesus had to die for us.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
For that we have Lesson 4 of the Good News from God brochure, which is entitled Who is Jesus Christ? where we are told how it came into being, why it came to earth, why we need a rescue, why Jesus died, and what Jesus is doing today, a tool that has given us very good results to teach others about the rescue and what it means.
We also have the book What Does the Bible Teach Us? Chapter 5 of this book in its title says: “The ransom is God's greatest gift” where we are taught what the ransom is, how Jehovah provided it, what its benefits are, and how we can be grateful for it. There we are taught that our gratitude for this rescue is also to be able to attend the commemoration of his death and thus invite others to attend this event each year, we must consider it an honor to be able to teach others about Jesus.
Teaching others about the rescue is not only helpful and beneficial to them, because they can benefit from the same hope that we have. But for us too, we feel very good talking about them and this makes us value it even more if possible. We are also very encouraged to see how the number of visitors to the Memorial increases year after year.
17. Why is the ransom God's greatest gift to mankind?
It is the greatest gift because the ransom makes it possible for us to have a good friendship with Jehovah, despite our imperfection, and it is the greatest gift too, because thanks to the ransom the works of the devil will be disrupted as 1 John 3: 8 says.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And thanks to this gift of ransom, what Jehovah intended in his original purpose will be accomplished, that the whole earth would be a paradise and that everyone will love and serve him. That is why we must seek every day ways to be more than ever grateful for the ransom, which is the greatest gift God has given us.
Because through the rescue the original purpose of God with the Earth will be carried out, it will be turned into a paradise. The evil works of the Devil will be put to an end. The ransom allows us to have a nice close friendship with Jehovah even though we are imperfect.
What is the ransom?
Ransom is the price paid to free someone from a death threat. According to the Bible, death entered the world through Adam. In other words, Adam transmitted sin to all his descendants and thus condemned them to death, so we all need a ransom. Romans 6:23 exemplifies it very well: "The gift that God gives is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The ransom is the means and great gift that Jehovah has given us through his Son Jesus to reconcile us from the sin of our first parents for which they condemned us to die in order to obtain the life that Christ gives us through his great sacrifice, a eternal life, without death or disease.
Why did Jesus have to suffer and die?
Unlike us, Jesus was perfect and never committed sin, so he did not die to pay for his sins, but to pay for the sins of others, he suffered a violent and humiliating death of much pain as we saw through this study, But Jesus did it out of love for us and because he obeyed his father by giving his life to free us from sin and death.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Jesus died so that all who put faith in the Ransom and in the will of his Father obtain life. He suffered the way he did to end the curse of the torture stake for the Jews by not obeying his promise to be obedient. In addition, this situation will prepare Jesus to be High Priest and understand the pressures we suffer and very importantly, it serves as an example to imitate to be loyal as he was in the face of the difficulties we face.
How can we value the rescue more and more?
We can value the ransom more and more, by keeping it present every day in our personal prayers, setting aside time to read more about the ransom and meditate on what this gift that God gave us meant, in order to come to value it much more, and above all teach others what this means with the tools that Jehovah has given us, a brochure and a book that speak of what this gift means, and the greatest token of our gratitude for the ransom is attending the commemoration of the death of Jesus each year and invite others to attend that event, so we always give thanks to God for the rescue.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Every Christian values the ransom very much and is always aware of it. Through it, the great hope that we all hope will be possible and we can do more to value it. Thank Jehovah in our prayers for this, meditate on the ransom assiduously, or teach others about this great gift. Without a doubt, always keeping this in mind and imitating Jesus, being obedient to Jehovah is a great way to value the ransom.
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