“For you were bought at a price.”
(1 Cor 6:20, NKJV)
The terms that are used when discussing the blood of Jesus are often very strange to the ears of most people. To be washed in blood does not sound appealing to the uncircumcised ear. The same can be said for having been bought by the blood. What exactly does this phrase of trade mean within a context of faith? Who is indebted to whom? Why does blood need to be the commodity in which payment is made? And why am I part of a transaction in which I had no say?
Earlier we examined the history of Lucifer in quite a bit of detail, pointing out that a third of the heavenly forces followed Satan in his rebellion, and that they too were cast out of the kingdom of God. They received – solely on account of God’s righteousness – a third of the cosmetic universe to reign over, which is known as the kingdom of darkness (Rev 16:10). Part of this kingdom was the planet earth. Although the earth and its fullness belongs to God (Ps 24:1) God does not govern the earth (1 John 5:19). Adam’s choice in being disobedient to God subjected the entire human race to the fallen state of sin. Eph 2:2 in the Contemporary English Version clearly spells it out – “the devil … rules the world, and has spiritual power over everyone who doesn’t obey God”.
Rom 3:23 affirms – ”the wages of sin are death”. From this you and I have been set free – from sin, the power of death, Satan’s ruling of your life. All of this made you a slave in the kingdom of darkness (2 Pet 2:19). Jesus’ blood legitimately bought your freedom. Indeed it is so – “you were bought at a price” (1 Cor 6:20).
But it is also more than that – Gal 3:13-14 posits that “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”). You are not only redeemed from the curse of the law and of death, but also receive the blessing of Abraham, and the promise of the Holy Spirit!
God forbids drinking from two different cups of covenant – “I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” (1 Cor 10:20b-21). The buying of freedom is thus a legal transaction, as we cannot become a voluntary slave of Jesus (Ex 21:5-6) without it. Indeed God has bought us (2 Pet 2:1) – He gave his life as ransom for many (Matt 20:28). This is a legal transaction.
- Sela: Thank Him for buying your freedom.
- Read: Lev 15; Neh 12; Isa 55
- Memorise: the whole of Isa 55
- For a deeper understanding: Read pp 242-249 of Denise Woods’ book Reaping the whirlwind, which is centered specifically around this topic.
