To Whom was the Ransom Paid

This past Sunday I preached on redemption.  Redemption is a word all about freedom.  It's closely tied to the word ransom.  So as I studied scripture and read about redemption, I also studied and read about ransom.

A question kept nagging at me: if Christ gave himself as a "ransom" for many (which he says so himself in Matthew 20:28) then who was the recipient of the payment?  The Bible doesn't come right out and say who is paid the ransom.  Here are four options for who received payment:

1. Satan - to say this would mean that God owed Satan.  God never has and never will owe Satan (or anyone else) anything.  I do like the idea of Satan being tricked and walking away empty handed if indeed there was some sort of transaction between God and Satan, however, I do not subscribe to the Ransom Theory of the Atonement.

2. God - This makes the most sense if we are going to take a ransom being paid literally.  Still, it doesn't make sense to me that God would owe God.  The wrath of God upon sin and evil can still be satisfied without God being paid a ransom...in fact, it was God in Christ who did just that.  The problem is that a ransom assumes that someone was captured, again, it doesn't make sense that God would capture himself, then pay himself to set humanity free.

3. Humanity - While humanity definitely benefits from Jesus' loving sacrifice on the cross God doesn't owe us anything.

4. None of the Above - The ransom was not literally paid to anyone. It is a metaphor used to describe the significance and dramatic effect of Jesus' death.  I do not think this substracts or deters in any way from the need, power and absolute miracle of Jesus' death.

The fourth option is what I subscribe too, even though I don't think option 2 is out of the question if understood correctly. 

The quintessential story for the writers of the New Testament was the Exodus. In the Exodus the Egyptians are the enemy and they walk away empty handed. They aren't paid anything for the freedom of the Israelites.  This I believe is the single most informative understanding of what redemption and ransom is all about.  The story of the Exodus is the story of being set free from slavery.

Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin, evil and death.  The New Testament writers were more concerned with the truth of what Christ has done for us than answering a question like "who was the ransom paid too."  Therefore, I think they used the word "ransom" to mean saved, redeemed and set free more than to signify someone being paid something.

I would love to hear what others think.

Restoring Shalom

Seeing this, reminded me of this. 

God is in the business of restoring shalom (the Hebrew word for peace/wholeness)...of restoring wholeness, goodness, fullness and peace back to humanity and back to creation. 

The story of the Bible is a story of: goodnews - badnews - goodnews again.

Another way to word it is that it's the story of: Shalom - Lost Shalom - Restored(ing) Shalom.

Paul wrote that in Christ God is reconciling all of creation back to him (Colossians 1:20).  Paul also wrote that we are given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). 

What that tells me is that we are to partner with God in being all about reconciliation...of being all about restoring shalom.

Brandy's blog (1st link above) sparked the question for me: what is my personal shalom restoration project? 

Yes I'm a pastor and I believe our church is doing some things to help restore shalom, but I'm asking the question on a personal level, not on a professional level.

It's a question we should all be asking.

When Inspiration Doesn't Just Happen

Sometimes I look up a passage of scripture to preach on and God just brings the inspiration right away.  He lays ideas for stories and illustrations in my lap.  He reveals ways to bring the message home.  The inspiration just happens without a lot of effort on my part.
Other times, I look up a passage from scripture I've chosen to preach on and there's nothing.  I read it.  I write it.  I read it again.  And it just stares at me and I wonder what the heck I'm going to do with it for the sermon. 

It's in these moments that the inspiration doesn't just "happen."  And it's in these moments I tend to get distracted.  I'll check Facebook or e-mail or make phone calls or practice guitar or read something else or Blog (yes, I'm doing that very thing now because I'm not sure what to do with a text of scripture). 
I know what I "should" do.  I "should" dig into the text even more.  I "should" take some time to pray.  I "should" break out some commentaries and see if inspiration will come through something I read.  I "should" put in some effort, instead of just expecting inspiration to happen without hard work.

What I often discover, is that if I put in the hard work of really diggging into the text and seeking God and working with ideas, inspiration does eventually come.  It's an awesome feeling when it does come and it is so much more rewarding when it happens through hard work instead of just apart from it.

Christian Perfection

Christian perfection is a doctrine unique to the United Methodist Church (it's not the only denomination that subscribes to a form of the doctrine but it is the biggest one).

A friend and former Gordon-Conwell classmate of mine, James-Michael Smith, has written his first mini-book about it.  His book Cleansed and Abiding is available for the Kindle or to read on any computer with an app.  It's only $3.99 to buy or free to borrow if you are an Amazon Prime Member!

To read about it on his blog, go here:

To download it from Amazon, go here:

If you don't have a Kindle and you still want to check it out, you can download a Kindle App reader here.

I hope my readers will support his work.  He is a self proclaimed Bible nerd and lives up to his name with solid Biblical intepretation and insight.

It is Finished

Our message series for Easter at Catawba UMC will be called It is Finished.  It's about six different biblical understandings of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. 

Here's the layout and scriptures I will focus on:

March 4 - Not Guilty – Romans 3:19-31

March 11 - Reconciled – Colossians 1:15-23
March 18 - Redeemed – Ephesians 1:3-14
March 25 - Final Offering – Hebrews 10:1-18
April 1 - Enemies Loved – Romans 5:6-11
April 8 - Victorious – 1 Cor. 15:50-58

This will probably be the most theological heavy series I've ever done.  However, I think it will be well worth it.

Why don't you read and study these scriptures with me throughout this lenten series.  I think you will be blessed if you do.

Attitude and Generosity

We showed this video at the beginning of the message this past Sunday:

The video led into talking about our attitude when it comes to money and generosity and giving.

We live in a culture that bombards us with advertisements.  The message we receive is "you get what you pay for."  Our value system has become "I will buy the product if it delivers what I want."  That mentality is good (to a certain extent) for spending our money wisely and finding great deals.  It's good for a consumer oriented economy. 

The problem is when we bring that same mentality into the church worship service.  If we aren't careful our attitude might become: I will only "buy" the "product" if the worship service meets my expectations:

- I will only give if the service delivers the kind of music I want.
- I will only give if I feel "comfortable" in the service.
- I will only give if someone remembered my aunt was in the hospital last week.
- I will only give if the pastor visited me that week.
- I will only give if the preacher doesn't make me feel guilty.
- I will only give if the preacher makes me laugh.
- I will only give if ...

This "you get what you pay for" mentality robs the worship service of what it's intended to be about...which is worshipping the God of the universe for who He is and what He has done for us.  The worship experience on Sunday morning is not about delivering a product...it's about connecting with God.

Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't have expectations going into a worship service.  What I am saying is that you should have the right expectations. 

There's is room for disagreement and having an opinion and having certain preferences for how you worship.  However, there is a time and place and manner of expressing those things that can be done without hampering the worship service itself.

The question isn't "am I getting what I pay for" if I give to this church?  The question is "Do I expect to connect with God through the power of the Holy Spirit so that I can become more like Jesus through what happens during this worship service."

What's your attitude when you come into a worship service?  What's your attitude when it comes to your money?  Your attitude will often determine your experience.

Guest Speaker

This Sunday Catawba UMC welcomed Ron Dozier from Good Shepherd UMC. 

Ron talked about God's cure for anxiety and used Philippians 4:4-7 as his text.


He talked about living in the "as if" instead of the "what if."  Living in the "what if" produces worry, fatigue and anxiety.  But when we have the right perspective, realize we need partnership and understand God's peace, we live "as if" God is with and will help get through anything we face through the circumstances of our life.

To download or listen, you can scroll to the bottom of this blog.