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The UK Bible Students Website Christian Biblical Studies |
THE ANTILUTRON
Scripture citations are to the King James
(Authorised) Version
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself as a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
–
1 Tim. 2:5, 6 –
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The Greek word here translated ‘ransom’ is antilutron, which means a ‘substitute payment’.
An illustration of the underlying principle is
found in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chap. 2:
6. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou
art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? 7. Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst
him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under
his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that
is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under
him.
9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Verses 6-8 are quoted from Psa. 8:4-6, which identifies Adam. We have
italicised parallel expressions: ‘glory and honour’, used in vs. 7 and 9, which
equates the perfect state of Adam, the first man, with the perfect state of
Jesus.
The comparison is an important one, for it lies at the heart of understanding how Jesus could be the Saviour of anyone.
Jesus the man was, in
His human perfection, like the perfect Adam at his perfect
creation.
However, in Rom. 5:18, the Apostle Paul sets out the essential behavioural contrast between the two:
Therefore as by the offence of one [Adam] judgment came upon all
men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus] the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. [emphases
added]
Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for Adam, effectively dying in place of the condemned man’s place, taking Adam’s verdict on Himself (Gal. 3: 13):
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
In Matt. 20:28 our Lord Jesus identifies Himself as the substitute (antilutron) who would redeem (purchase) the human family:
Even as the Son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many.
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June 2017