Many of us have had this experience. We knew technically, theoretically that Christ made an atonement, but it never deeply registered in our hearts in a personal way. We did not see it savingly, and it did not bring us to Christ for personal salvation. It is astonishing how a wrong idea can blind us. Most people they have the idea that if there is a God, and if it is possible to know him, then the way to do that is to do good works, to please him, to earn his favour by the way you live. This misconception is deeply rooted in every human mind because of human pride.
Now if you want to press the illustration of a ransom, you may ask – ‘To whom was the ransom paid?’ And there is one answer sometimes given which sadly is so foolish, so foolish as to be almost unbelievable. There are actually people who say, ‘Christ paid a ransom to set us free, and he paid the ransom to Satan.’ That is so absurd, for a number of reasons. If you pay a ransom to secure the release of a slave or a prisoner, that person has to be willing to accept the ransom and to make the release. Well, this is almost the smallest reason, but can you imagine that Satan would accept a ransom to set you free from his clutches and from his power? Of course he does not have the power to set you free. He is a wicked individual himself. He is a fallen spirit. He has no power to give life and release and liberty to lost souls. The idea that the ransom is paid to the devil because you are his prisoner is so nonsensical.
Then, to whom is the ransom paid? And this requires great care and this, to understand this, is to understand the message of the gospel. The ransom, of course, is paid to God; it is paid to the Father. That answer may cause us to recoil initially. In actual fact, it is not just paid to the Father, it is paid to the whole Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Father receives the ransom on behalf of the whole Godhead. The ransom price is paid by Christ when he takes the punishment and the wrath of God due to us for our sin that would condemn us for ever. He pays that ransom, in a sense, to himself as a member of the Godhead. The Father receives the ransom knowing that the Son has paid every last pang and stroke of suffering that we deserve, if we are among those that believe in him, those for whom he died. That is not an ugly thing. The Father is holy and perfect. The Father has righteous indignation and wrath against us for despising him, for seizing life for ourselves, for breaking his commandments and sinning away our years. So we are due to be punished, but the ransom is paid by Christ the Father to secure our release from judgment and punishment eternally.