Sermon or Lesson:  1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  An Infinite Payment For The Infinite Punishment That Is Owed
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READ:  1 Peter 18-19, with vv.13-17 for context

BACKGROUND:
- - In response to the salvation that we true believers have been given from God, we are to change, establish, and orient our thinking and our life in all the ways that God wants for us.  (v.13)
- - In obedience to God, we true believers are to deliberately and diametrically change what we desire, pursue, and conform to.  (v.14)
- - In response to a calling from God, we true believers are to be comprehensively holy in the same way that God who called us is comprehensively holy.  (v.15)
- - Because of the character of God, we true believers are to be strongly motivated to pursue extreme personal holiness like how extremely holy God is.  (v.16)
- - Each of us true believers possess a new informed standard for how to live in holiness, which God will hold us accountable to implement, as a temporary foreign resident in this world.  (v.17)
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v.18 - READ

[Lesson Question:  Analyze and determine in depth why "perishable things" are not acceptable as the payment to be "redeemed", as cited in this verse 18.]

SECTION POINT:  The characteristics of finite materials render them as being not acceptable as payment of the ransom for the punishment of our sins.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed"
- - As we true believers live our lives as strangers or temporary foreign residents here on the Earth, we are to know and stay aware that we are called to live in holiness, because God is holy.  (vv.17,15,16)
- - As we live our lives here, additionally we are to know and stay aware that the Father will one day judge how we have lived our life.  (v.17)
- - Now in verse 18 is added another reality that we are to know and stay aware of, which is how God "redeemed" us true believers.
- - "Redeemed" means "to ransom", "the release of property or a person in return for payment of a demanded price for such release".  (Strong's #3084; AHD - 'ransom')
- - We were not redeemed "with perishable things such as silver or gold".
- - Within the process of "redeeming" or "paying the ransom" price for the infinite punishment that we deserve for our sins, no finite materials were used as payment.  (Strong's #3084)
- - Finite materials "such as silver or gold" can lose their value during the passing of time, no longer desired or sought to be acquired.
- - Finite materials "such as silver or gold" can also "perish", susceptible to being physically "corrupted" or destroyed, thereby likewise loosing their value during the passing of time.  (Strong's #5349)
- - Furthermore, finite materials "such as silver or gold" are finite, limited in the amount of time that God will allow and sustain them to exist.
- - By implication, these characteristics of finite materials render them as being not acceptable as payment of a ransom that requires the qualities of being: infinite in sustained integrity of duration throughout time, infinite in sustained integrity of quality throughout time, and infinite in sustained integrity of value throughout time - an infinite payment for the infinite punishment that is owed.
- - Logically and theoretically then, an infinite payment for an infinite punishment would require a ransom payment that is absolute in perfection, that is exactly matched to the kind of the demanded ransom, and that is eternal in and of itself.
- - Obviously, we humans do not possess even one of these three required qualifications for being acceptable as payment of the ransom for our sins - none of us humans is absolute in perfection, none of us humans is matched to the kind of the demanded ransom that we each caused, and none of us humans is eternal in and of ourself.
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[Lesson Question:  Analyze and determine why "the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers" is not acceptable as the payment to be "redeemed".]

SECTION POINT:  All human-contrived means cannot and do not fulfill the requirements to achieve payment of the ransom for the punishment of our sins.

"that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,"
- - Every person "lives in [spiritual] ignorance" before becoming a true believer.  (v.14)
- - During our lives, we naturally develop this spiritually ignorant way of living, being influenced by many and various dynamics, which include our own "evil desires" and the culture that we live in.  (v.14)
- - "Traditions", culture, environmental factors, values, and guidelines instilled in us by or through our "forefathers" or various family and authority persons exert major influence upon us and even shape how we live our life.  (Strong's #3970)
- - Spiritually speaking, all of these influences are "empty", "worthless, profitless", and "futile" in "redeeming" us from the eternal punishment that awaits us for the sins that we commit during our life.  (Strong's #3152; NAS)
- - By implication then, even those traditions and influences that produce good results or that produce religious results are worthless in accomplishing our redemption, when they are devoid of the sole and exact way in which God approves of us humans being redeemed.
- - To be clear, many traditions and influences that produce good or religious results may have value in contributing to living in holiness (v.15), but they do not accomplish redemption for our sins before God.
- - In the same way that finite materials cannot buy us redemption for our sins, so too all traditions, influences, and various other human-contrived means do not achieve or buy redemption for our sins - other than exactly what God Himself has provided and only accepts.
- - All of the human-contrived means are not adequate to fulfill the requirements that are needed to provide an infinite payment for the infinite punishment that is owed.
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v.19 - READ

[Lesson Question:  Analyze and determine why "the precious blood of Christ" is acceptable as the payment to be "redeemed".]

SECTION POINT:  The "precious blood of Christ" is the only qualified and acceptable payment of the ransom for the punishment of our sins.

- - True believers are granted redemption by means of "the precious blood of Christ".
- - The "blood of Christ" is "precious", being "valuable" for successfully achieving redemption or the sufficient payment of the ransom punishment for all of the sins that were committed by those persons for whom this ransom is applied.  (Strong's #5093)
- - In contrast, the various human-contrived means and traditions that are devised to pay the ransom for sins are "empty", "worthless", and utterly inadequate in accomplishing this redemption.  (Strong's #3152)

- - The "precious blood of Christ" possesses the qualities that are required to successfully and fully pay the ransom for sins.
- - The "precious blood of Christ" has the quality of being absolute in perfection - Christ being without any kind of physical or moral or spiritual "blemish or defect" or sin because Jesus Christ is perfect God manifested in a perfect human body.
- - The "precious blood of Christ" also is exactly matched to the kind of the demanded ransom - Christ being perfect without sin while simultaneously being completely and inseparably united as fully-deity-with-fully-human.
- - The "precious blood of Christ" furthermore is eternal - Christ being in and of Himself infinite in eternity past, and infinite in eternity present, and infinite in eternity future.
- - Jesus Christ is perfect in His humanity, which qualifies Him to represent humans in the payment of punishment ransom for sins.
- - Jesus Christ is perfect in His deity, which qualifies Him to represent God in both enacting the punishment ransom and comprehensively satisfying the demands of the punishment ransom for sins.
- - Jesus Christ is perfect in His eternality, which qualifies Him to represent throughout all of time all humans whom the ransom payment is being applied to, and to comprehensively make full ransom payment for them that covers all of time.
- - Thereby, as the only acceptable punishment payment for the ransom of sins, Jesus Christ alone possesses the required qualities of being: infinite in sustained integrity of duration throughout time, infinite in sustained integrity of quality throughout time, and infinite in sustained integrity of value throughout time - an infinite payment for the infinite punishment that is owed.
- - Through His crucifixion, the perfect God-man Jesus Christ: suffered severe torture; gave His perfect blood, and His perfect body, and His perfect life; died on the cross to pay the punishment for sins; and resurrected from the dead on the third day.
- - The perfect God-man Jesus Christ was sacrificed like a perfect and innocent lamb was sacrificed in Old Testament times.  (see Leviticus 22:17-25; Numbers 19:1-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
- - The lifeblood of Jesus Christ has a "precious" or priceless value in the accomplishing of redemption, which nothing else in existence can accomplish.

- - We true believers, the recipients of this priceless redemption, are to know and stay aware of this priceless blessing that God has selectively lavished on us, thereby being highly motivated "to live [holy] lives as strangers here in reverent fear".  (vv.17,1-2,15)
- - We true believers, the recipients of this priceless redemption, are to also know and stay aware that all of the people around us who rely on nothing or rely on any of the various human-contrived means or traditions to achieve redemption are utterly unsuccessful in achieving that redemption, and thereby they stand condemned to themselves paying the punishment for their own sins eternally.  (cf. John 3:18)

- - On an additional note, through His sacrificial punishment payment of ransom on the cross for sins, Jesus Christ has supremacy in being the utmost example of 'Called to Endure Unjust Suffering' - the theme of the Book of 1 Peter.
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BIG IDEA:  We true believers are to know, stay aware of, and be motivated by the priceless redemption that we have received through the perfect God-man Jesus Christ.

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IMPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS:

- - Have you been "redeemed"?  If so, stop and think for a few moments about what you have been redeemed from.
- - Picture in your mind that place of everlasting heat, flames, outer darkness, isolation, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and excruciating torment that you have been redeemed from.  (PAUSE - give them a few moments to process this)
- - Picture in your mind what you would experience in that place if you had not been redeemed, and were suspended there forever, with absolutely no possibility or hope of escape or relief.  (PAUSE)
- - Now, recall and formulate how you got "redeemed" - the course of events in your life and what happened that were necessary for you to choose to place your faith in Jesus Christ for paying the punishment ransom for your sins.  (PAUSE)
- - Review and speculate what would have happened if God would have left you to yourself, allowing you to continue proceeding through life fully immersed in "the empty way of life" that you grew up in.  (PAUSE)
- - Recall how God used one or more specific persons to get your attention spiritually, eventually drawing you toward Jesus the Son.  (PAUSE)
- - Recall that divinely-orchestrated moment when you genuinely placed your faith in Jesus Christ, the moment when you were officially granted redemption from God.
- - Review in your mind the extent and severity of the suffering that Jesus Christ endured for you - the torture and crucifixion to redeem you.  (PAUSE)
- - Speculate what the experience was for Jesus during the crucifixion, having all of the sins that you commit during your life dumped upon Him, the Creator of the universe, comprehensively innocent, infinitely pure, the ultimate of holiness - with every single one of your sins glaringly conspicuous in His unlimited omniscient awareness while He is impaled and suspended by three nails on the cross.  (PAUSE)
- - Has God exceedingly blessed you by providing and granting you redemption?  Shake your head 'yes' or 'no'.  (PAUSE)
- - From this time forward, will you live your life primarily from the recognition, perspective, and constant awareness that the life and blood of perfect Jesus Christ were given as a suffering sacrifice to redeem you?
- - From this time forward, will you live your life from the realization and constant awareness that your way of life would be empty and that you would be stuck in that empty way of life if Christ had not sacrificed Himself to redeem you?

- - For those of you who have not been "redeemed", do you realize that you are in an extremely serious predicament spiritually, whether you think so or not?
- - God says here in verse 18 that the entirety of your way of life is "empty", completely worthless and of absolutely no value in contributing to you being "redeemed" from paying the punishment that you deserve for your own sins eternally.
- - Can you see that emptiness - that futility and worthlessness that you have been living in?
- - Perhaps you need to diligently and carefully consider and evaluate what your current way of life will achieve for you in the end - that which you will be locked into the moment you die and eternally thereafter.
- - We invite you to continue coming to this meeting, in which we will be studying the next verses in 1 Peter chapter 1, which contain more information about the redemption that God is offering you and how you can acquire it for yourself.
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[Additional Lesson Questions to ponder (optional, if time allows):
-- Notice here in verses 18-19 an addition to the correlation in verse 17, now becoming 'consider the past' and 'consider the future' and 'let those considerations of the past and the future determine how you behave in the present'.
- - - - Why does God want us believers to correlate these three aspects of time - for what purpose?
- - - - If we true believers recognize what God has accomplished in the past and we anticipate what God is going to institute in the future, then what does that mean for our present?

- - On a side note, is it possible for an authentic believer not to know about he/she being redeemed?
Answer: NO, because in order to become an authentic believer, a person has to knowledgeably place his or her faith in Jesus Christ for the specific reason to redeem him or her, Jesus suffering and dying on the cross to pay the penalty for his/her own sins.]
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Works Cited:
The American Heritage Dictionary (AHD). 3rd ed., ver. 3.6a (CD-ROM). Cambridge, MA: SoftKey International Inc., 1994.

Bible. The Comparative Study Bible: A Parallel Bible Presenting New International Version, New American Standard Bible,
     Amplified Bible, King James Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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Copyright © 2016, 2018 Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
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