How should we distinguish between the ransom-price and the sin offering?
Answer.—The ransom-price relates to the valuable thing itself, namely, the blood or death of Jesus—a ransom-price sufficient for the payment of the penalty of one member of the human family or of all, depending on how it may be applied. The sin offering shows the manner in which the ransom-price is applicable or effective to the cancellation of the sins of the whole world.
Under the Divine arrangement, the ransom-price was first made effective toward the Church. It justified freely every believer in an acceptable attitude of mind—an attitude of faith in Jesus as Savior and of consecration to be a loyal follower of Him. Secondly, at the end of this Age, the merit of the ransom-price having been imputed on behalf of and to the Church and used by her and laid down in death again, will be available in the hands of the great High Priest as the sin-offering, the atonement price, for the sins of the whole world—apart from the Great Multitude, who are already justified through its merit.
Let us give a hypothetical illustration: A man possessing property valued at $10,000 learned that a number of his friends had been kidnapped and were being held as hostages by bandits. Learning also that $10,000 was demanded for their release, he sold his property for $10,000 to pay for their deliverance. That cash would be the ransom-price for the liberation of his imprisoned friends. No smaller sum would do; no greater sum was necessary, for one or for all. The selling of the property and the getting of the ransom-money into his possession would not constitute a satisfaction for the release of his friends. That must come later. At his convenience he could take this ransom-price and apply it for the release of one of the captives or two or more, or even of all the application of the money, whether for the release of all of his friends at once or for the release of some of them ahead of others, corresponds to the presentation of the sin-offering on behalf of sinners.
The money received from the sale of the property was the ransom-price for the ones to be delivered, even though it was not yet applied. So Jesus gave Himself, surrendered His human life as a ransom-price in the interest of and sufficient for the sins of the whole world of mankind. At Jordan He began to lay down the ransom-price in sacrificial death, and 3-1/2 years later He finished this work at Calvary. But the value, or merit, of the ransom-price was not turned over to Divine justice and made applicable to mankind when Jesus died, nor three days later when He rose from the dead. A little later, after He had ascended on high, He appeared in the presence of God for the household of faith, as the Church’s Redeemer, Advocate and great High Priest (Heb. 7:26, 27; 9:24-26; Eph. 1:7; 1 John 2:1). He had in His possession the merit of His own sacrifice, the ransom-price; and there and then He imputed this merit on behalf of His Church of the Firstborn.
This is typified in Lev. 16 by the high priest’s taking into the “most holy” of the Tabernacle the blood of the bullock, which blood represented Jesus human sacrifice, the ransom-price, the merit of which He possessed and took into the antitypical Most Holy (into heaven itself—Heb. 9:24) and there figuratively sprinkled it upon and before the Mercy Seat (Divine justice). He thus made atonement “for himself [His Body members], and for his house [the rest of the Church of the Firstborn, the Great Multitude]” (Lev. 16:11). Later on He applies the merit of His ransom-sacrifice on behalf of the world of mankind in general, “the people” (Lev. 16:15; Heb. 7:27; 1 John 2:2). For a further explanation of this important matter, please see Tabernacle Shadows, pp. 49-78. ’68-79
Answer.—The ransom-price relates to the valuable thing itself, namely, the blood or death of Jesus—a ransom-price sufficient for the payment of the penalty of one member of the human family or of all, depending on how it may be applied. The sin offering shows the manner in which the ransom-price is applicable or effective to the cancellation of the sins of the whole world.
Under the Divine arrangement, the ransom-price was first made effective toward the Church. It justified freely every believer in an acceptable attitude of mind—an attitude of faith in Jesus as Savior and of consecration to be a loyal follower of Him. Secondly, at the end of this Age, the merit of the ransom-price having been imputed on behalf of and to the Church and used by her and laid down in death again, will be available in the hands of the great High Priest as the sin-offering, the atonement price, for the sins of the whole world—apart from the Great Multitude, who are already justified through its merit.
Let us give a hypothetical illustration: A man possessing property valued at $10,000 learned that a number of his friends had been kidnapped and were being held as hostages by bandits. Learning also that $10,000 was demanded for their release, he sold his property for $10,000 to pay for their deliverance. That cash would be the ransom-price for the liberation of his imprisoned friends. No smaller sum would do; no greater sum was necessary, for one or for all. The selling of the property and the getting of the ransom-money into his possession would not constitute a satisfaction for the release of his friends. That must come later. At his convenience he could take this ransom-price and apply it for the release of one of the captives or two or more, or even of all the application of the money, whether for the release of all of his friends at once or for the release of some of them ahead of others, corresponds to the presentation of the sin-offering on behalf of sinners.
The money received from the sale of the property was the ransom-price for the ones to be delivered, even though it was not yet applied. So Jesus gave Himself, surrendered His human life as a ransom-price in the interest of and sufficient for the sins of the whole world of mankind. At Jordan He began to lay down the ransom-price in sacrificial death, and 3-1/2 years later He finished this work at Calvary. But the value, or merit, of the ransom-price was not turned over to Divine justice and made applicable to mankind when Jesus died, nor three days later when He rose from the dead. A little later, after He had ascended on high, He appeared in the presence of God for the household of faith, as the Church’s Redeemer, Advocate and great High Priest (Heb. 7:26, 27; 9:24-26; Eph. 1:7; 1 John 2:1). He had in His possession the merit of His own sacrifice, the ransom-price; and there and then He imputed this merit on behalf of His Church of the Firstborn.
This is typified in Lev. 16 by the high priest’s taking into the “most holy” of the Tabernacle the blood of the bullock, which blood represented Jesus human sacrifice, the ransom-price, the merit of which He possessed and took into the antitypical Most Holy (into heaven itself—Heb. 9:24) and there figuratively sprinkled it upon and before the Mercy Seat (Divine justice). He thus made atonement “for himself [His Body members], and for his house [the rest of the Church of the Firstborn, the Great Multitude]” (Lev. 16:11). Later on He applies the merit of His ransom-sacrifice on behalf of the world of mankind in general, “the people” (Lev. 16:15; Heb. 7:27; 1 John 2:2). For a further explanation of this important matter, please see Tabernacle Shadows, pp. 49-78. ’68-79
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