Christ Sets The Captives Free!

A wealthy and philanthropic individual visits a prison and approaches the dungeon in which a wretched captive lies bound with chains and fetters, and strongly secured within walls, and doors, and bars. He proclaims loud to the captive that he has brought gold sufficient for a ransom on condition that the captive will liberate himself from his chains, burst open his prison doors, and come forth. "Alas," exclaims the wretched man, "your kindness does not reach my case. Unless your gold can effect my deliverance, it can be of no service to me. The offer of it on such terms can do me no good."

Now, although there is a great difference between physical and spiritual inability, yet one serves to illustrate the other. Man by nature is as spiritually unable to believe in Christ as the prisoner is physically unable to break his chains and open the prison doors; so that all this boasted sufficiency of the atonement is only an empty offer of salvation on certain terms and conditions; and such an atonement is much too weak to meet the desperate case of a lost sinner.

But, how different is the salvation of God! "By the blood of Thy covenant, I have sent forth Thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water" (Zechariah 9:11). Jesus, by His death, hath PAID THE RANSOM AND MADE THE CAPTIVES HIS OWN. Therefore, He has a legal right to their persons and with His own power He brings them forth. It is glorifying to His grace to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
"I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (Isaiah 42:6-7).


–Gospel report by preacher William Rushton (1754 - 1815 A.D.)


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