To whom was the "ransom" paid when Jesus died on the cross?
Question:
Who was the ransom paid to in regards to Jesus’ death on the cross? Many people claim that the ransom was paid to Satan since mankind was enslaved to evil after the Fall. I have a difficult time making sense out of why it was necessary for Jesus to have to pay the ransom to Satan. It is almost like saying that Satan called the shots and there was no other way that God could have gotten mankind back. Do you hold to this perspective on the atonement or believe something differently about the ransom?
Answer:
I have heard of this interpretation that the ransom was paid to Satan. I do not believe this is correct. It does appear to be logical, as a ransom is normally paid to the person who has captured the one kidnapped, so there is a kind of logic to this belief, but I do not agree that this is a correct understanding of the idea of Jesus paying a ronsom. The one to whom we owe a debt because of our sin is God, not Satan. Jesus paid the debt, or perhaps put even better, he paid the penalty for our sins. Romans 6:23 says the "wages" of sin is death. We earned the death penalty, spiritually, for our sin, and Jesus paid that "debt" when he died on the cross for our sins. I completely agree with you on this one.
John Oakes
