Ransom Not Pardon

A federal pardon in the United States is the action of the President of the United States that completely sets aside the punishment for a federal crime. With the outgoing President set to pardon many with impunity, Christians should not confuse the act of pardoning with that of the ransom. The failure to discern the distinction between ransom and pardon has led to considerable confusion of thought on the subject. Christian people of general intelligence will quote texts relative to our being ransomed from the tomb, redeemed from death, bought with a price, even the precious blood of Christ, etc., and in the same breath they speak of the Father's gracious pardon of all offenses. Seemingly few think, though many must know, that pardon and ransom express exactly opposite thoughts.

The sacrifice of Jesus is fundamental to the Christian faith, yet most Christians cannot reasonably explain why God required the death of his only son before he could begin to forgive a single person (Heb. 9:22). What does Jesus sacrifice accomplish and how does it redeem us? Why did God require his sacrifice in the first place? Will only Christian's benefit from Jesus' sacrifice?

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A RANSOM FOR ALL