Our Ransom

Friend, when you got a new phone, did you notice that they didn't just give you the phone? When you open the phone pack, you will find out that other things came with the phone. You would find a charger, an earpiece, a phone cover, and so on. You see, the Holy Ghost, speaking through the Apostle Paul in Romans 5:12, said:

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Notice, that sin didn't come into the world alone. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death - entered - by sin." Death here connotes spiritual and physical death. For the wages of sin is death! (Rom. 6:23). Death in itself could not enter into the world without sin. Death is an effect of sin. So, we see that when sin entered into the world, it also brought its effects along with it. Now let's look at some of the effects that came into the world as a result of sin.

Spiritual and Physical Death

Immediately after Adam committed high treason and brought sin into the world, spiritual death took place, and the light of eternal life in his spirit could no longer shine. Thus, the glory cloud covering him disappeared, and he and his wife were found naked. Shortly after spiritual death, physical death came into the world!

And Cain talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.                                                                Genesis 4:8

Just in the next generation of man, we see the worst crime known to humanity, murder! And it came as an effect of sin.

Sickness and Diseases

It didn't also take much time for sickness and diseases to creep into the world by sin!

FOOLS BECAUSE OF THEIR TRANSGRESSION, and because of their iniquities, are AFFLICTED.                                    Psalm 107:17

Affliction came as a result of transgression. The word affliction there connotes sickness and diseases. The Living Bible translation says, "Others, the fools, were ill because of their sinful ways." And we know that in the days of Noah:

God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only EVIL continually.                                                                                          Genesis 6:5: 5

Nothing spells transgression like great wickedness and continuous evil! Therefore, this generation must have been plagued with diverse sicknesses and diseases according to Psalm 107:17.

Lack and Poverty

One of the first things that hit humanity after sin entered into the world was poverty! Immediately after sin entered, Adam, who was clothed with the light of life, said, "I was naked and I hid myself" (Gen. 3:10). And shortly after being stripped of dignity and honour, God said to man, "cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it... in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground" (Gen. 3:17-19).

Lack and poverty are the effects of sin! Before sin came into the world, man was not naked. God told him, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest FREELY EAT" (Gen. 2:16). But when sin came, nakedness, lack, famine, and deep poverty came with it. Poverty is not the absence of money—there was no currency in Eden. Poverty is the presence of sin!

Satanic Oppression

One of the first things that happened to man after sin came into the world was the legal right to be oppressed by Satan. Here's what God told the serpent, that old dragon, the devil: "Because thou hast done this... thou art cursed... and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Gen. 3:14). And to Adam, he said, "for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19).

He cursed Satan to eat dust all the days of his life but called man dust! That means Satan and his cohorts were given dominion over man to eat him! Humanity became the food of Satan and his cohorts! Little wonder why Satan entered into Cain and killed Abel! They feed off the oppression of men. When men are deeply oppressed, Satan is at his peak! Why? Man became prey when sin entered into the world! Satanic oppression is an effect of sin. The Apostles validate this fact that Jesus went about healing all those who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).

Fear

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.                                 Gen. 3:10

Fear also came from sin! Before the fall, Adam named all the animals; before Eve came, animals were his buddies. But fear came by sin! Adam lost all confidence before those animals. Even before God, whom he talked with day by day, he heard His voice and was afraid! Since the Garden of Eden, fear has plagued humanity because it opens the door to satanic oppression, stagnation, and deprivation.

Women: Hardship, Sorrow in Conception, and Barrenness

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee                                                 Gen. 3:16.

Friend, sin is the root cause of the calamity that plagues humanity today! Immediately sin came, its effects came with it. Spiritual death quickly rolled in! Lack and poverty were the second to show up! Fear didn't waste time; it rushed in. Before long, the legal right for satanic oppression rushed in, and women's sorrow and barrenness rolled in! Even the earth suffered its fair share when sin came. The ground was cursed because of sin, famine and hardship became the order of the day. And in chapter 4 of Genesis, we recorded the first murder case! Physical death pumped in with a full force of hatred for humanity!

Indeed, if Adam had known what a bite of that fruit would cause, he wouldn't have tried it! Humanity's greatest tragedy occurred when sin came! Today, the world is still recovering from sin and its effects! You see, you can't take sin and not carry its effects along with you! Adam took sin and carried its effects along with him. But the good news is when Jesus carried our sins, He also carried its effects along with Him.

Friend, the Lord told me, "You can't take the cause without carrying the effects. When I took sin, I carried its effects along with me." 1 Peter 2:24 says:

Who his OWN SELF bare OUR SINS in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Peter, the Apostle of Jesus who walked and talked with the Lord very closely during his earthly ministry, said something important about the Lord. We should take note because Jesus told them, "what you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the top houses" (Matt. 10:27). So this is Peter preaching what the Lord said to him to all the generations of the world! Now pay attention to these words. He said, "Who his OWN SELF bare OUR SINS in his own body on the tree..." Notice, "our sins," not just the sins of the disciples, because he's writing this letter to "the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia..." and to us. He said one of the most important phrases in the Bible: "Who his OWN SELF BARE OUR SINS…"

He carried our sins. Your sins, my sins, your Daddy's sins, Adam's sin, our sins! He bore them! Also, take note that he said, "Who his OWN SELF..." I paraphrase this verse as "who his own self—his spirit man—bare our sins while he was in his body hung on a tree..." Jesus bore our sins, not in his body nor yet his mind but in his Spirit. You see, it was the Spirit of Jesus that bore our sins. Man is a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body, and we know that Jesus was made a man! Before Jesus descended to the earth and entered into the body in the womb of Mary, he said something. Hebrews 10:5 records it this way: Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:"

He said, "A body hast thou prepared me," who then is the "me"? The Spirit of Christ; called the Word of God! Pastor Chris said, "No spirit has a legal right to be on this Earth physically without a body," so a body was prepared for the Spirit of Jesus. Hence, when Peter says, "Who his OWN SELF bare OUR SINS in his own body on the tree..." the phrase "his own self" refers to his Spirit! Jesus carried our sins in his Spirit while he was in his body on the tree. But remember, you can't carry the cause without the effect! The Lord said, "When I took sin, I carried the effects along with me." Jesus carried the root cause, and as a result, he also carried the effects of sin.

Let's take a good look at Isaiah 53:4-5:

4 Surely he hath borne our GRIEFS, and carried our SORROWS: yet we did esteem him STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF GOD, AND AFFLICTED.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

The words translated "GRIEFS" and "SORROWS" in Hebrew mean sickness and disease, but the translators wrote griefs and sorrows. Surely, he carried our sicknesses and diseases, yet we esteemed him STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF GOD, and AFFLICTED! This is not talking about the beating he got from the Roman soldiers, no! He was stricken, smitten by GOD, and afflicted. It was God that did the striking, God that did the smiting, and God that did the afflicting. What the soldiers did was an outward evidence or a picture of what was happening in the spirit of Jesus—where he bore sin.

When sin came into the world, it was not the devil that cursed man, no, it was who? God! The devil has no legal right to curse man. So, after sin came, God cursed humanity. And the same way the Bible said, "he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it" (Num. 23:20). When He also curses, no man can reverse it. So when Jesus carried our sins in his Spirit, he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God. Why? Because you can't bear sin without carrying its effect. Let's examine some of the effects that followed Jesus when he bore our sins.

Spiritual and Physical Death

One of the most popular phrases in the Bible is "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). The moment Jesus carried our sins in his Spirit, he died spiritually. The light of eternal life in him stopped shining. He was disconnected from God the Father. Jesus, who previously noted that the Father has not left him alone because he always did the things that pleased Him, was left alone when he bore our sins. No wonder he lamented, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Few moments after spiritual death took place, Jesus died physically.

But notice, it was not "his sins" he carried, it was "our sins" he carried. That means it was "our deaths" that he experienced! Because you cannot carry sin without its effects. Here is the record of Paul concerning this matter:

He (Jesus) by the grace (plan) of God should TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY MAN... that through (his) death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And deliver them (us) who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.                                                              Hebrews 2:9, 14-15

Notice, he tasted death for every man! When he carried our sins, he carried our death along with him. He died our death that we may live. He delivered us from the bondage of death when he took our sins on him! Friend, when Jesus carried your sins with him, he also carried your death with him so that you can have life more abundantly.

Sickness and Diseases

4 Surely he hath borne our GRIEFS, and carried our SORROWS: yet we did esteem him STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF GOD, AND AFFLICTED.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.                                                                    

Isaiah 53:4-5

I like the word "surely" in the fourth verse! Surely means surely! Surely, he has borne our sickness and carried our diseases. How did the effects of our sins get on him? He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. When he carried our sins on him, he carried our sicknesses along with him.

Peter, the friend of Jesus, puts it this way: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree... by whose STRIPES ye were healed." When he carried your sins, he also carried your sickness, so as a result, you were healed! The stripes talk about him being stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God in his Spirit. It talks about him being wounded with our wounds and bruised with our bruises. "Himself TOOK our infirmities and BARE our sickness" (Matt. 8:17).

Lack and Poverty

28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!                                                               

Matthew 27:28-29 

When Jesus took our sins, "they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe... they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head... and mocked him." Just like Adam was stripped naked and wore fig leaves when sin came, Jesus was also stripped when he took our sins. He became an object of mockery among the people. Remember, it was God who stripped him and afflicted him with our poverty! He became a man of sweat.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 8:9:
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes—because he took our sins—he became poor—he carried the effect of poverty—that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Poverty is not the absence of money. There was no money in Eden, yet Adam was poor. Poverty is the presence of sin. Jesus took your sin and carried poverty along with him so that we might be left RICH! In the same way he bore your sickness and diseases, he also bore your lack and poverty. He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted with our poverty.

Friend, when Jesus carried your sin, he carried your poverty "that ye through his poverty might be rich." It's not something that's going to happen tomorrow; you are already rich! When Adam sinned, God cursed humanity with poverty, but when Jesus carried our sins, the Bible says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written 'Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree,' that the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles..." (Gal. 3:13-14).

Christ took our curses along with him, and all that was left was the blessings. Don't forget, "He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it." Friend, when Jesus took our sins, he took our lack and poverty, thus leaving us rich, blessed, and without curses.

Satanic Oppression

When Jesus took our sins, he also carried the legal right to be oppressed by the devil. Jesus, before he took our sins, had never seen satanic oppression, but when he took our sins, he lamented for oppression's sake. This is the record in Psalms 22:16:
For dogs have compassed me, the ASSEMBLY of THE WICKED have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and feet. The assembly of the wicked is Satan and his agents. They oppressed Jesus on the cross and in hell. But while they were busy oppressing him because he took our sins, Satan and his cohorts lost the legal right to oppress man! Paul puts it this way:

Giving thanks unto the Father... who hath delivered us from the power (authority) of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.                                                                           Col. 1:13.

When Jesus took our sins, we were relocated from the land of satanic oppression. The devil has no legal right to oppress any believer! This is why we can cast him out. In the Old Testament, there was no record of casting out devils until Jesus showed up. Man was deep in oppression, but thank God for our ransom, Jesus Christ. He took our right to legal oppression.

Friend, when Jesus carried our sins, he also carried the effects of our sins along with him. He took the root cause of the calamity of humanity and hence destroyed the fruits of sin in the life of every believer. You and I are free! This is the truth that makes free: "You can't carry the cause without carrying its effect. When I took your sins, I also carried the effects along with me." Poor man, you don't have to be poor anymore! Sick man, you don't have to be sick anymore! Dying man, you don't have to die anymore. "Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom!"

The story of Job parallels the story of Adam and humanity. Job was a perfect man, much like Adam. He had riches and many possessions, but when sin entered Job's life, his calamity began. Job lamented, "The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me," highlighting that fear is a strong effect of sin. Before fear comes, sin must be present. Consequently, other effects of sin quickly followed. Job received news of death and poverty, and before he could catch his breath, sickness and disease took hold of him. Satanic oppression reached its peak. The wealthiest turned to the filthiest when sin came—this is the story of humanity.

20 So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. 21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. 22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.                                                                                                           Job 33:20-22

This is the height of satanic oppression. Stricken, smitten, and afflicted with sickness and poverty. But when Jesus came into the scene, he bore our sins and took the effects of sin from us. He became our substitute—stricken, smitten, and afflicted of God, a man of many sorrows acquainted with griefs. When this happened, God sent a message from heaven to us:

22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. 23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:
24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, deliver him (you and me) from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.                              

Job 33:22-24

When our sins were laid on Jesus, God thundered from heaven, "Deliver him (you and me) from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." Jesus is our ransom; he took our place in death, lack, poverty, and satanic oppression. Job was restored to dignity and honor, just as we are through Christ.

1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.                                                                                           

Zechariah 3:1-4

When Jesus took our sins, the filthy garments of sickness and disease, lack and poverty, satanic oppression, and death were taken away from us. We were delivered from going down into the pit because God found a ransom. He was wounded for our transgressions; therefore, you are healed. He became poor for our sins, so you are rich. He tasted death for all men, so you are free from the bondage of death. He suffered for sins so you will not suffer for it again!

The Importance of Knowledge

A man placed in honor who does not know it is like a beast that perishes. We have been placed in honor by God, and if you don't know it, you will perish. "For my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge!" Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I have just told you the truth of the whole matter: "When Jesus carried your sins, he carried the effects of your sins along with him." So, you, whose flesh was consumed, soul drawing near to the grave, and life unto the destroyer, have been delivered from going down to the pit because God has found a ransom.

Our ignorance is our only calamity. But you might be wondering, "But Robert, I wasn't born when Jesus took sins, so was my own included? Is that not why I'm still seeing its effects? Because of my sins?" Friend, Jesus took our sins in his Spirit, and the time he took it is something we should take note of.

26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.                                               

Hebrews 9:26

Jesus, in the realm of the Spirit, where time and space do not count, appeared at the end of the world to take away our sins. So even the sins of your children unborn have been taken away! Therefore, we are only perishing because of lack of knowledge. The truth of the whole matter shall make you free! Believe it, confess it, do not doubt it in your heart, and stay with the word of God until you move from weak faith to strong faith about "our ransom."

We all ought to be like that one leper who stopped chasing after healing when he found out that he was healed. All he did was turn back and give God praise! Friend, we owe him thanks. Thank him!

Jesus is Lord!

Min. Roi