“Delivered Up for Our Trespasses”

“Delivered”…What a word! In “Jonah Points to Jesus”, my communion meditation on October 5, I invited the people to consider Romans 4:25. There we read: “…Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4;24b-25).

“Delivered”…I love this word. Revel in it with me. Actually, revel in them with me because several Greek words are rendered “deliver(ed)” in the New Testament.

In Romans 4:25, “delivered up” is from the Greek verb “paradidomi”, meaning “to deliver over”. God the Father delivered His precious Son to die for our trespasses! “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure!” How great His commitment to the display of His glory in grace and holiness and mercy and justice! The same Greek verb root is also found in Galatians 2:20 (and this moved me very much as I read it): “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself [delivered Himself up] for me.” “O, how He loves you and me!”

And here is one other instance of the verb “deliver”, this one being from the Greek word “rhuomai”, meaning “to rescue from”. This is so great! Colossians 1:13-4-- “He [the Father] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin. “Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

So be glad in this with me. God the Father delivered up His only begotten, beloved Son, and the Son delivered Himself up to die, so that we might be delivered from the domain of darkness and be granted life in His kingdom, having redemption and forgiveness of sin! Delivered—what a sweet word!