No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him
Trinitarian Claim
Trinitarians claim this verse indicates that Jesus is God because no man ca redeem his brother or give God a ransom for his brother.
The Problem with the Claim
1. Contradicting Themselves
Jesus poured out his soul/life unto death to ransom human beings. Trinitarians deny God the Son was dead since God cannot be dead and it was, rather, Jesus the man who was dead. So was it a man who ransomed us by his death or was it "God the Son" who was dead? Even Trinitarians themselves must confess it wasn't a dead God but a dead man hanging on the cross for the sins of men. Their claim is therefore self-refuting.
"The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life* a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28
* psyche - soul
2. Contradicting Scripture
And again, we are told the son of man ransomed his life for others. The term "son of man" is an Aramaic term for a human being.
"The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life* a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ...... For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:15,19. See Hebrews 5:8.
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
These passages clearly refute the Trinitarian claim that no man will ransom his brother since they plainly state men were ransomed by a man.
Analysis of the Facts
The Context
The truth of the matter is supplied by the immediate context:
...those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
Truly no man can ransom his brother,
or give to God the price of him,
for the ransom of their life is costly
and no amount will be enough...
Psalm 49:6-8
The passage is plainly saying that no amount of earthly riches can redeem the life of another human being. You can't buy redemption with personal wealth.
Conclusion
The contextual facts are plain. In context, Psalm 49:7 means that no one will ever have enough earthly riches to redeem another man since no amount of personal wealth will ever be enough.
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:19.
Created: August 10, 2018
Last Revision/Update: August 10, 2018
