“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (I Timothy 2:5,6).

The concept of being ransomed, or redeemed, or delivered comprises a major Bible theme and finds full development in the New Testament, where “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).

A favorite song, written early in this century, expounds this theme, and we can use its lines to focus our thoughts on the blessed truth, “He Ransomed Me.” First let us look at the chorus:

Hallelujah, What a Savior! Who can take a poor lost sinner, Lift him from the miry clay and set him free; I will ever tell the story, shouting Glory, glory, glory, Hallelujah! Jesus ransomed me.

The chorus is broken into three thoughts: the miserable state of the sinner, Christ’s ransoming work, and the ransomed sinner’s response.

To be sure, the poor sinner is lost, but “the Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11), lost in sin and under sin’s penalty of death. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock” (Psalm 40:2). Sin is not just a horrible pit, Jesus said, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” and needs to be ransomed. But “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:34,36). Jesus said to one such freed servant of sin, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee” (Mark 5:19). “To Him be glory both now and for ever” (II Peter 3:18). Hallelujah! Jesus ransomed me. JDM