**Who demands a ransom?** The law of sin and death requires a sacrifice for sin - in other words, **God does**. God made the rules, if He wants to redeem His broken creation, He must provide a solution - according to the rules.

The adversary (aka devil) would rightly mock the righteous, holy, true God if He were to 'bend' the rules to have His own way over evil. While it is *feasible* for God to 'snap His fingers' and pardon everyone - it would be against His own rules - it would be a fake salvation. God would know it, the devil would know it - the devil would have one on God - at last!

That Jesus was 'foreknown' by God before the world began is a sign that God knew what He was doing to re-orient creation from what would be a terrible mess - at first. A mess was a forgone conclusion by putting the devil in the garden to begin with. BUT, there was a plan to right it all and overcome evil permanently.

The first Adam/human failed, the second Adam/human - it was hoped, would not!

Enough preamble.

> For the **wages of sin is death**, but the free gift of God is eternal
> life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23
> 
> Therefore, my brethren, you also **were made to die to the Law** through
> the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who
> was raised from the dead Rom 7:4
> 
> the Law is spiritual Rom 7:14

Who condemns sinners? The devil does - he knows the law is spiritual and we unable to keep it - because we fight against spiritual powers etc - we can never win - were never intended to. That's why Christ was 'foreknown' to be who he would be and do what he would do according to every prophecy about him and God's plan of salvation.

> Therefore there is now **no condemnation for those who are in Christ
> Jesus**. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set
> you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For what the Law could not
> do, weak as it was through the flesh, **God did: sending His own Son
> in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin**, He
> condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the requirement of the Law might
> be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but
> according to the Spirit Rom 8:1-4

For God to accomplish salvation, there must be a sacrifice to cover the penalty of the law - death. Of course, we can all offer our own sacrifice for ourselves - but we would remain dead!

So far Satan wins. There is never any chance that a man could be reborn into the spiritual kingdom (flesh and blood cannot enter)

But **one who could live without sin** - tempted in battle with the devil himself, could die as a sacrifice and live again. And by God's grace, we are included in him and live again.

The devil has to be ok with that - he can no longer condemn those made righteous. Blood has been spilt, life has been given - and death has no power anymore. Satan has no power anymore. It was a fair fight and he lost to the son of God - the second/last Adam/human.

God's grace did not air-brush the law, He paid the required penalty of the law - death through His human son.

God could put His spirit in people so they had special abilities and desires to do good, but they could never live again and enter the kingdom.

Most of Romans walks through the process of being included in Christ and how it works.
**We are also foreknown** as the plan was already in place and working perfectly!

> For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to
> the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many
> brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these
> whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He
> also glorified. Rom 8:29

**God and Jesus have won over evil by love** - not by unfair play or pulling rank like a bully.
The devil is silenced. All that's left is to throw a few tantrums until the end draws near.