Ransom Theory ( Christus Victor ) Refuted

There is a man made doctrine called the Ransom Atonement Theory or Christus Victor. ( Christ Victorious )  It deals directly with Christ's work in redemption, the reason Jesus went to the cross and the forgiveness of man's sins. While there are various versions of ransom ideas I will focus on the one that says satan had the world in bondage and Jesus was sent as a human sacrifice to the devil. His blood shed and death was for God to pay off satan and free mankind. ( see Christus Victor )

*** If you study God's Word you will NOT find this taught anywhere!!!

This theory was taught by various heretical uninspired men in the 2-4th centuries ( roman catholics coined them 'early church fathers' ) and it was made main stream by a man named Gustaf Aulen in the 1930's. 
Interestingly Aulen was a Lutheran ( they are heretical ) yet many anabaptsit types today who would reject Lutheranism as wicked and sinful, embrace His teaching on the ransom theory. How can this be other than they love to follow men, NOT God's Word. 

Here what that theory teaches:

Adam /Eve made humanity subject to the devil during the Fall, and that God  (in order to redeem humanity) sent Christ as a "ransom" or "bait" so that the Devil, not knowing Christ couldn't die permanently, would kill him, and thus lose all right to humanity following the resurrection .


When we go to God's Word, there are NO scripture verses to support this man made ransom to the devil theory. None!!!!


As I said, many anabaptist types cling to it wrongly and one such man I have tested ( Mike Atnip ) says this in a article: 

"God in His love and mercy saw humanity in bonds, and sent Jesus to ransom humanity and procure liberty for him. There was a battle, and Jesus won. (Or alternatively, Jesus paid a ransom to Satan for the release.) Humanity was freed from Satan, and at-one-ed with God once again. The official title for this type of thinking is Christus Victor, or Jesus the Victor."

Chapter and verse please... but none can be found in the Holy Word!

It is a pure invention of man and Jesus was VERY angry about man made traditions and false ways brought into the Fathers house.  See Mark 7:6-9  In fact, He said if you keep man made traditions your worship of God is in vain! We also read in Revelation 22:14-15 that practicing lies will damn ones soul to hell. Scripture is very clear we MUST avoid and leave all false ways that are outside of scripture, yet most every religious body we test today is teaching various false man made ways!

You may be saying what is the big deal? 

Well it is a HUGE deal as this is a perverted gospel that does NOT line up with the bible message of redemption. Apostle Paul says another gospel is accursed in Galatians 1.

The men that are teaching this ransom theory do NOT teach or preach the biblical gospel on how to gain eternal life. (which is faith in Christs work and blood, repentance, being born again, holiness with obedience and enduring in the faith)

Paul preached Christ crucified ( His blood shed set us free not paying off satan ) 

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1 Corinthians 1:23


While these men all teach a corrupt gospel that Satan had control over God and Christs blood / death paid off the devil; many of them also teach you must now live in your own work efforts in a kingdom community and it is works based righteousness that cannot save. 

It all comes down to the blood of Christ and His death has been reduced down to a payment by God to satan when scripture says no such thing but teaches a VERY different thing!

Read Hebrews 9

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

   These same men often say Christ was NOT sent to the cross by or at the Fathers hands and that is another lie and false gospel. 

Here is an article that biblically explains that topic :
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2017/10/was-christ-punished-on-cross.html

There are only 3 verses in the NT Word that say Jesus was a ransom:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1 Timothy 2:6

Not one verse hints of it as a payment to satan! 

In fact, none of this ransom to satan works when you realize:

1) God instituted the blood sacrifice system Himself
2)  He required lambs to be offered and their blood shed for Him as forgivness of sins Himself
3) God sent Christ ( God in flesh ) to BE the Lamb of God
4)  God is over all things and in control of satan totally ( see the book of Job )

After you study this with good biblical study tactics you can  come to only one logical conclusion. The ransom Jesus did pay was for (and to) the Father to satisfy His need for justice and the forgiveness of sins of mankind. ( blood shed for the forgiveness of sins / Hebrews 9:22 and His resurrection as part of the gospel good news 1 Corinthians 15  )

Note:  His resurrection really defeated satan and death for mankind as it is sin that brings both physical and spiritual death until Christ! 

Many of these false teaching men even say " Christ came to take away our sins NOT to forgive them" but they lack truth. 

If you doubt that Christ's blood shed was indeed for the remission of sins; see these verses:

Colossians 1:14

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I hope this article refuting the Ransom theory ( payment to satan ) helped to show you it is rooted in man, NOT God's Word. 

Here are some testings of the false unbiblical teachers that hold to this and via these testings I did; you will see they have MANY sins beyond this false way:

http://bewareoffalse-unbiblicalteachers.blogspot.com/2017/10/mike-atnip-tested-to-gods-word.html

http://bewareoffalse-unbiblicalteachers.blogspot.com/2018/01/eternal-evangelism-jimmy-miller-exposed.html

Note: Miller goes so far to say Jesus did NOT become sin for us but 2 Cor 5:21 says he indeed did!

Romans 3:24-25 makes it very clear...

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God

Let us know how we can help you and please.....

do not be deceived by this false man made way and these men that have decided to spread it as a cancer to many others! If you know men who teach and hold to this and they will NOT repent of it when confronted in love, run form them in a Titus 3:9-10 situation as heretics. 

It all leads to a false gospel.... that cannot save anyone!!!

It is LOVING and GODLY to call out sin and false ways and ask them to repent. ( Jesus did it and so did Paul, Peter, Jude) We pray they all do as we love them but we could NEVER unite with false teachers per scriptures truth / our love of God. ( Romans 16:17 ) 

See our biblical resources below..... especially the gospel to eternal life!

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Was Christ Punished on The Cross

Recently we were contacted by a couple on the west coast that are like us, striving deep in the things of God via His Holy Word. We got the chance to talk about our faith and biblical matters and it was such a blessing to us. We are thankful that our website gets out there and we can reach and encourage others through it. To God be the glory!! 

As we talked, the man mentioned a topic 'Was Christ Punished on the Cross' and I wanted to go into more depth with an article. He had read our gospel message at dontperish.com and asked me about that part so I felt it was worthy to write more on it. 

Was Jesus Christ Punished on the Cross?

Before we go into what God's Word says on this let me show you what we say on our gospel message at dontperish.com

Because of man’s sinfulness, Christ was punished and put to death on the cross,  buried, then rose again to defeat death and gain eternal life for those who will seek after Him.

Later we state this:

God sent Jesus to die in man's place; to take the punishment you deserve so that you can be saved from your sins.

After reading this the man who contacted us said he disagreed that Christ was ever punished. This may just be a matter of words and meanings that need to be explained better. Let's get at the truth from the Word so we can all be clear on it and if we are wrong we need to correct it!

What we are simply trying to relay here is that Christ took the place for man and He suffered (physically was punished) as He took upon himself ( all sin and suffering ) what was due to you and I. Not that Jesus deserved to be punished, no, He was perfect! But God in His mercy, love and grace sent Jesus (Himself)  to the cross for mankind to be reconciled. He was the perfect offering/atonement for us, see Romans 5.

Again while we would never say God needed to punish Jesus on the cross for any wrong doing we do stand on what scripture says. He was made sin for us and He indeed suffered a punishing death.

Isaiah 53:5
 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Did you catch that; by His stripes we are healed. 
Christ suffered so we could be made whole. Read about the execution He went through at the hands of the Romans. It was indeed a punishing event! 

If you wonder how the Father felt about this; it even says it pleased God to bruise Him. 

Isaiah 53:10 says:
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:

Clearly Jesus, the man, was physically chastised (or punished) at the cross for you and I. He went in place of us to be the perfect sacrifice once for all. Many contest that verse and you can argue over semantics of punishment but it was the Father who sent Him to go in our place. 

Again to be very clear, not that Christ was due any punishment, but He bore our sin there and God needed that perfect sacrifice as nothing else would do. His perfect blood needed to be shed for the remission of our sins, see Hebrews 9 and 10.

But was Christ punished at the cross by God?

Here is what Isaiah 53:5 says:
 the chastisement of our peace was upon him; 

The key word here is chastisement.
( some translations do indeed say ... punished )

In the Hebrew the word is "muwcar" and it means rebuke, correction, instruction or discipline. 

The weight of the worlds sin was cast upon Him and be had to bear it all for us. It was a chastisement unto Him.

Here are other places in the Old Testament that use the same word is used:

Deuteronomy 11:2

 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm

Jeremiah 30:14
All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.

It means what is says: to discipline or chastise (or could it mean punish also?) 

If you doubt that Jesus suffered or was physically punished at the cross, consider He asked the Father to not put Him through if it that was possible. 

Matthew 26:39
And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

He knew the awful and terrible burden He was about to endure! 

Note: it was not God sending a innocent person to die but God was sending HIMSELF! Men on the wrong side of this argument miss that point completely and it matters much.

Holy scripture makes it very clear. Christ was indeed chastised ( or punished perhaps? ) for us ( in our place ) at the cross even though He was without sin. He became sin for us, see 2 Corinthians 5:21

We know that Christ came and He suffered much. In His human form, all that He went through, that was indeed a form of physical punishment to endure for the world.  Or as the Word says 'He was chastised'.

The New Testament speaks about these terms also:

Hebrews 12:8
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 

1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

After reviewing what the Holy Word says about this issue we believe just what it says in the bible. While God did not punish Him for wrong doing; the Father allowed Him to suffer and be bruised. Christ took our punishment and our chastisement was upon Himself. 

When we refer to His punishment it was the physical events He went through ( His stripes and death ) that made the way for man to gain eternal life via His blood. 

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Hebrews 9:22

I am placing all of Isaiah 53 and Romans 5 here for you to read. Once you read them in full,  you will see what Christ went through for us at the cross.

Isa 53

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lordrevealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Romans 5

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

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