HOW THIS ECONOMY OPERATES
This economical feature of the Divine Plan is a most wonderful thought. By one man's disobedience God permitted the results of that transgression to affect all of Adam’s children. All mankind were involved under the original sin of the one man.
"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men." (Rom. 5:12.)
Then in due time God so arranged that the sin of the one man, Adam, would be met by the Man Christ Jesus; that thus Adam would in due time be freed from the death penalty; and that all his children, who inherited death as well as weakness and imperfection through him, would also be amenable to this one redemption--that the one Ransom-price was sufficient for Adam and ALL his posterity.
To me this is the most wonderful thought in the whole Plan of God. I have gloried in this thought of God's great Wisdom manifested in His arrangement through Christ Jesus, through the Ransom. The more we meditate upon it, the more wonderful it becomes; for it is the very central feature of God's great Plan for human salvation, it’s very brightest spot. Do you not agree with me that it is a wonderful thing? (Yes indeed!)
RANSOM FAR-REACHING AS THE CURSE
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a Ransom for all, to be testified in due time."--1 Tim. 2:5, 6.
Our text declares that our Lord gave Himself a Ransom-price for ALL. He did so for all in the sense that eventually its benefits will extend to every member of the Adamic race. The mere giving up of His life did not extend a blessing to all mankind; but the giving up of His life was the basis upon which God will permit Him in due time to establish His Millennial Kingdom and to bring in the blessings of Restitution for the whole race during the thousand years of His Reign. If it had not been for the Ransom, there could have been no Restitution. The whole race of Adam had been condemned to death in their first father. Therefore it would not have been proper for the Man Jesus to attempt to bring out from under condemnation those whom the Justice of God had sentenced to death.
Adam and his posterity were sentenced to death, NOT to eternal torment, as some erroneously suppose the Scriptures to teach. (Gen. 2:17; 3:17-19; Ezek. 18:4, 20; Rom. 6:23.) Before there could be a resurrection, it was necessary that this death penalty against the race be met. As by man came death, by a man must come this cancelling of the death penalty, in order to make possible a resurrection, a rising up of the dead. There is no other way by which any may have a future life. Therefore all this great Divine Plan for the blessing of the world hinges upon this first step of the program--the Ransom.
The Apostle Paul says that the Ransom was for ALL. When the Apostle says that our Lord gave Himself a Ransom--a Corresponding-price--for ALL, his thought evidently is that this was the purpose lying behind the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
By this we do not understand that our Lord has yet made an application of His sacrifice to all; for God's DUE TIME for blessing ALL MEN has not yet come. Moreover, it would not have been appropriate for our Lord to make the application of the merit of His sacrifice in advance--at the First Advent--and then to come back later on--at His Second Advent--to deal with mankind.
Therefore the whole matter is held over until the due time comes for dealing with the Adamic race. Meantime Adam, who fell asleep thousands of years ago, and others of his posterity can await in sleep for that glorious Day when He who redeemed them shall place the merit of His sacrifice on behalf of Adam and all his race, shall make application of it, paying it over to Divine Justice, and then take over mankind as His purchased possession. Our Lord gave Himself--gave up His life, surrendered His life--with this end in view.
This was the program set before Him--that He was to surrender Himself to death, and that this would be the basis upon which He might become the great Mediator between God and men, the great Restorer of mankind, and the long-promised Seed of Abraham, to bless all the families of the earth.
Continued with next post.
This economical feature of the Divine Plan is a most wonderful thought. By one man's disobedience God permitted the results of that transgression to affect all of Adam’s children. All mankind were involved under the original sin of the one man.
"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men." (Rom. 5:12.)
Then in due time God so arranged that the sin of the one man, Adam, would be met by the Man Christ Jesus; that thus Adam would in due time be freed from the death penalty; and that all his children, who inherited death as well as weakness and imperfection through him, would also be amenable to this one redemption--that the one Ransom-price was sufficient for Adam and ALL his posterity.
To me this is the most wonderful thought in the whole Plan of God. I have gloried in this thought of God's great Wisdom manifested in His arrangement through Christ Jesus, through the Ransom. The more we meditate upon it, the more wonderful it becomes; for it is the very central feature of God's great Plan for human salvation, it’s very brightest spot. Do you not agree with me that it is a wonderful thing? (Yes indeed!)
RANSOM FAR-REACHING AS THE CURSE
"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a Ransom for all, to be testified in due time."--1 Tim. 2:5, 6.
Our text declares that our Lord gave Himself a Ransom-price for ALL. He did so for all in the sense that eventually its benefits will extend to every member of the Adamic race. The mere giving up of His life did not extend a blessing to all mankind; but the giving up of His life was the basis upon which God will permit Him in due time to establish His Millennial Kingdom and to bring in the blessings of Restitution for the whole race during the thousand years of His Reign. If it had not been for the Ransom, there could have been no Restitution. The whole race of Adam had been condemned to death in their first father. Therefore it would not have been proper for the Man Jesus to attempt to bring out from under condemnation those whom the Justice of God had sentenced to death.
Adam and his posterity were sentenced to death, NOT to eternal torment, as some erroneously suppose the Scriptures to teach. (Gen. 2:17; 3:17-19; Ezek. 18:4, 20; Rom. 6:23.) Before there could be a resurrection, it was necessary that this death penalty against the race be met. As by man came death, by a man must come this cancelling of the death penalty, in order to make possible a resurrection, a rising up of the dead. There is no other way by which any may have a future life. Therefore all this great Divine Plan for the blessing of the world hinges upon this first step of the program--the Ransom.
The Apostle Paul says that the Ransom was for ALL. When the Apostle says that our Lord gave Himself a Ransom--a Corresponding-price--for ALL, his thought evidently is that this was the purpose lying behind the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
By this we do not understand that our Lord has yet made an application of His sacrifice to all; for God's DUE TIME for blessing ALL MEN has not yet come. Moreover, it would not have been appropriate for our Lord to make the application of the merit of His sacrifice in advance--at the First Advent--and then to come back later on--at His Second Advent--to deal with mankind.
Therefore the whole matter is held over until the due time comes for dealing with the Adamic race. Meantime Adam, who fell asleep thousands of years ago, and others of his posterity can await in sleep for that glorious Day when He who redeemed them shall place the merit of His sacrifice on behalf of Adam and all his race, shall make application of it, paying it over to Divine Justice, and then take over mankind as His purchased possession. Our Lord gave Himself--gave up His life, surrendered His life--with this end in view.
This was the program set before Him--that He was to surrender Himself to death, and that this would be the basis upon which He might become the great Mediator between God and men, the great Restorer of mankind, and the long-promised Seed of Abraham, to bless all the families of the earth.
Continued with next post.
