The Bible says, in 1. Tim 2:6; Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all people. It is worth noticing verse 5, where it says Jesus was a human (in Greek anthrōpos ). But how are we to understand 1. Tim 2:6 and Jesus as our ransom?
The Greek word for ransom is antilytron which means to purchase and bring liberation from oppression. The Hebrew equivalent to antilytron is pādâ found in Psalm 49:15. The question then gives itself; to whom or what did Jesus pay our ransom?
To understand what it means to be ransomed by Jesus, we first have to understand the concept of ransom. It means to purchase and bring liberation from oppression, but the idea is more of a transfer of ownership than becoming a free man or a free woman. So when Christ purchased you (1. Tim 2:6), he became your owner. If he owns you, does he decide how you live your life? If the answer is no, you need to read Hebrews 9:5, which says only those who obey Christ can be saved.
The question remains, to whom or what did Jesus pay or ransom?
Hebrews 9:14 says Christ’s blood cleansed our consciences from acts that lead to death, so the answer to our question is this; Jesus paid our ransom to acts that lead to death.
We need our conscience to make the right decisions in life, but according to Hebr 9:14, it was held captive by acts that lead to death. What are acts leading to death? Deut 30:15 says it will lead to death if we disobey the Torah and to life if we obey it. So acts leading to death are disobedience to the Torah. When you and I chose to disobey Torah, our consciences became captive to sin. We became slaves to our sins, but then the blood of Christ came and cleansed our consciences from our sins, so now we are owned by Jesus and able to make the right decisions again.
This is why Hebr 5:9 says Christ is the source of salvation for all who obey him.
If Christ redeems you, he owns you. If he is your owner, you have to obey him. If you obey him, he will be your source of salvation. How do you obey Christ? By living according to Christ’s will expressed in his teachings. Jesus taught us to obey the Torah, the law of Moses. So how do you obey Christ? By living according to the law of Moses. Then Christ will be your source of salvation because he has redeemed you with his blood.