A ransom is a price paid to buy back or to bring about release from some obligation or undesirable circumstance. The basic idea of ransom is a price which covers (as in payment for damages or to satisfy justice), while redemption emphasizes the releasing accomplished as a result of the ransom paid. According to the Christian Greek Scriptures, the most significant ransom price is the shed blood (or life) of Jesus – who was not an offspring of Adam, but Jehovah’s only firstborn, directly created, “son”. John refers to Jesus as monogenes theos. Not only did Jesus give up his own chance at a human life, he gave up his right to perfect offspring as well. A life for a life, an untold number or lives available to ransom the son of men (ben’adam) – making possible under the existing laws put in place by God the deliverance from death for the offspring of Adam who have been paying for sin through death because of who their father was.
In the various Hebrew and Greek terms translated “ransom” and “redeem”, the inherent similarities lie in the idea of a price, or thing of value, given, to effect the ransom, or redemption. The thought of “exchange” as well as that of correspondency, equivalence, or substitution, in common in all the original language words rendered.
That is, one thing is given for another, satisfying the demands of justice, and resulting in a balance of matters, as occurs in ALL things comprising the creation. It is how the creation operates, by design, a design which came into existence through the spoken word of God, which we are told never fails to come to full fruition.
The Hebrew noun ko’pher comes from the verb kaphar, meaning, basically, to “cover” as in Noah’s “covering” of the ark with tar (Genesis 6:14). Kaphar, however, is used almost entirely to describe the satisfying of justice through the covering or atonement of departures from the path established for mankind by his creator (i.e., sin).
The noun ko’pher refers to the thing given to accomplish this, the ransom price (Psalms 65:3, 78:38; and 79:8-9 for example). A covering corresponds to the thing ot covers, either in its form (as in a material lid, such as the covering [kappo’reth] of the ark or the covenant (Ex 25:17-25), or in its value (as in payment to cover the damages caused by an injury).
At the time of Adam's sin and his being sentenced to death, his offspring or race were all unborn in his loins and so all died with him. (Compare Hebrews 7:4-10; Romans 7:9) Jesus as a perfect man, "the last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45), had a race or offspring unborn in his loins, and when he died innocently as a perfect human this potential human race died with him. He had willingly abstained from producing a family of his own by natural procreation. Instead, Jesus uses the authority granted by Jehovah on the basis of his ransom to give life to all those who accept this provision. - 1Cor. 15:45; compare Romans 5:15-17.
Thus, Jesus was a "corresponding ransom," not for the redemption of the one sinner, Adam, but for the redemption of all mankind descended from Adam. He repurchased them so that they could become his family, his offspring, doing this by presenting the full value of his ransom sacrifice to the God of absolute justice in heaven. (Heb. 9:24). His ransom embraces more than those of his "Bride." (his anointed). In addition to those "bought from among mankind as a first fruits" to form the heavenly congregation of 144,000, others are to benefit from his ransom sacrifice and gain everlasting life through the removal of their sins (removal of the effects of being an offspring of Adam) - such other recipients of the ransom (Acts 24:15) benefits are earthly subjects of Christ's kingdom, and as children of an "Eternal Father" (Christ versus Adam) they attain everlasting life. (Rev. 5:10; 20:6; 21:2-4, 9 10; 22:17; compare Psalm 103: 2-5)
The entire arrangement manifests Jehovah's wisdom and his righteousness in perfectly balancing the scales of justice while showing underserved kindness and forgiving sins. Rom. 3:21-26.
In short -
Jesus saves from death.
