The Cross Ransom

Mark 10:45 is perhaps the key verse in Mark's gospel for it focuses on why Christ came and what he did to secure the salvation of his people. The key work in this verse is "ransom" - the price paid to purchase and set free a slave or a prisoner of war, or in our case, a person condemned by the righteous judgment of God and under the sentence of death. By his death on the cross Jesus paid the ransom price that we owed God because of our sin. 1 Peter 1:18-19 states that we were ransomed "with the precious blood of Christ." The cross is the center piece of Christianity - the means by which we are redeemed. The receipt of our redemption is the resurrection of Christ. He undertook for us and set us free from sin, death, hell, and the devil and brought us to God's land. We are his blood-bought children. To Christ Jesus be glory now and forever!