The "So in So" in the House of the Pulled Off Sandal

"This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time." (1 Timothy 2:4-6)

In ancient Israel there was the "kinsman redeemer", the firstborn male of the family who had the responsibility of saving the family from extinction. If he was asked to do so and refused he was required to pull off his sandal and give it to the relative who needed to be saved, and would forever after be known as the "so in so" of "the house of the house of the pulled-off sandal". At least that is how I interpret the story of Ruth and Boaz in the 3rd chapter of Ruth.

The bible calls Jesus Christ "the firstborn of all creation". 

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." (Colossians 1:1,15)

As the "firstborn" it was his responsibility to redeem mankind from extinction. God the Father asked him to do so requiring his death as the "ransom". He obeyed. And instead of becoming another forgotten person, just a "so in so of the house of the pulled off sandal", he is our kinsmen redeemer, and at our resurrection, his name will be above all names, and all will bow and confess Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords...

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to cling to, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man he humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-11)

Now that is something to be thankful for!

The Ransom of All People

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

Ransom is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone from captivity”.

So what was “demanded” of Christ Jesus? Not money or any material thing. The demand for the release from captivity "for all people" was his LIFE.

But who did he give his life to? Who or what was holding "all people" captive for ransom? To what enemy was the ransom paid? 

The way I understand Scripture the ransom was paid to the last and greatest enemy of mankind - the finality of DEATH - for God had declared to Adam and Eve from the beginning that the penalty for sin is DEATH. The false doctrine of eternal conscious torment has screwed this truth up, but  the Bible says that DEATH is “the last enemy”, and holds all its captives firmly in its clutches. The Bible says that ALL who die go to "hades" in the Greek language and "sheol" in the Hebrew language.  Both words mean the GRAVE, not some heretical Greek Mythological inferno.  

And God sent his Son, the "rock" to abolish death and the grave...

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it...As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...the last enemy that will be abolished is death (in hades-the grave).” (Matthew 16:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:22-26)
Jesus paid his LIFE as the ransom price to DEATH to free its “captives” from its “darkness”. In so doing he made sure that mankind’s final enemy will be “abolished”. God assures us that death’s “prisoners” will have the “freedom” from death and that they will be "made alive". 

Jesus began his public ministry by reading from the prophet Isaiah the following words…

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1)

I think Paul is thinking of this truth when he writes…

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…there is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father OF ALL who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, when he ascended on high he led captivity (death) captive and he gave gifts (eternal life)to mankind .” (Ephesians 4:1-8)

And what did God charge or what did Jesus require of mankind to be the “ransom for all people”? Nothing…this eternal life is the FREE gift of God’s GRACE!

“the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE… it is by GRACE you have been saved...Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all people…This GRACE was GIVEN us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our SAVIOR, Christ Jesus, who has DESTROYED DEATH and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.” (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:9-11)

It just doesn’t get any better than that folks.  We have the assurance of LIFE after DEATH for ourselves and all those we love...in spite of all the false teaching of the various religious institutions around the globe.