The Scriptures teach God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work, not only the Church, but also for the entire world of mankind, salvation. We will quote and where necessary briefly explain, a few passages that prove this proposition. The Christmas message is one of these passages: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10, 11). Here the birth of the Saviour is set forth as ultimately bringing joy to all people, which of course did not occur to all people in this life. Another passage: Jesus Christ “was the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). Here we are expressly taught that all are to be enlightened by our Lord; nor has this been done to everyone in this life. Again, “This child is set for the fall and
rising again of many in Israel”—Luke 2:31-34. Here those Israelites who stumbled over Christ are spoken of as to be lifted up from their stumbled condition—a work of the Holy Spirit; yet it has not been done to them in this life. Again, “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29.) Here Christ is directly spoken of as the One who will remove the Adamic sin, take away the death sentence from the race; but as yet He has not done this, though by His death He provided the merit therefore by grace Divine.
In this connection we may well quote John 3:16, 17, which has appropriately been called the Gospel in a nutshell: “God
so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through Him might be
saved [from the Adamic condemnation].” Here God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work, for salvation on behalf of the world are clearly set forth; but as yet the world has not gotten the benefit of them. In John 12:32, 33, Jesus’ death is set forth as the meritorious cause whereby all men will be favorably influenced toward Him by the Spirit; “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. This He said, signifying what death He should die”; but all have not in this life been drawn to Him. St. Paul tells us clearly in Rom. 5:18, 19 that Christ died in order to deliver the race from the condemnation unto which it was involved by Adam, and that this deliverance will be realized: “As by the offence of one [Adam] judgment [the sentence] came upon all men to condemnation; even so
by the righteousness of one [Christ] the free gift shall come [the future tense in the parallel expression of the next verse shows that the italicized word
came should give place to the words
shall come, seeing that the italicized word here as everywhere else in the Bible are lacking in the original Greek] upon
all men unto [for the purpose of]
justification of life; for as by one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners [through heredity], so by the obedience of One
shall the many be made righteous [of the Adamic sin]”; but manifestly this has not yet happened to all. Very clearly does 1 Tim. 2:4-6 prove God’s love, Christ’s death and the Spirit’s work for all men unto salvation: God “will [literally, willeth to] have all men to be saved [not eternally, but from the Adamic sin and condemnation; this shows God’s love to all], and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth [this shows the Spirit’s work for all]; for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all [this shows Christ’s death for all], to be testified [the Spirit’s work] in due times [the Greek word is plural, times or seasons, referring to the Gospel Age and the Millennial Age as the periods for giving the testimony].”
1 Tim. 4:10 calls God the Savior of all men, especially of believers: “We trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe.” The faith class win the special salvation and all the others the salvation from the Adamic sin and condemnation, according to this and other passages. Titus 2:11 is to the same effect: “The grace [love] of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men” (Amer. Rev. Ver.), in His gift of Jesus for man’s salvation. Jesus’ death for all is clearly taught in Heb. 2:9, which states that Jesus was made a perfect human being like perfect Adam “that by the grace of God He should
taste death for every man.” In 1 John 2:2 it is expressly taught that He is the satisfaction to Divine Justice for both the Church and the World: “He is the propitiation for our [the Church’s sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world.” The Spirit’s call to all mankind for salvation is expressly affirmed in Rev. 22:17: “The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
The above passages clearly teach the propositions: (1) God’s love for all men unto salvation; (2) Christ’s death for all men unto salvation; and (3) the Spirit’s work for all men unto salvation. They are some of the main New Testament Scriptures on this subject. But there are many Old Testament Scriptures on the same subject. We will cite some of these without quoting or commenting on them: Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; Psa. 2:8; 22:27-29; 86:9; 98:2, 3; Isa. 2:2; 11:9; 25:6; 29:18, 24; 35:5, 6, 10; 40:5; 45:22, 23; 52:10;
Jer. 31:34; Ob. 21;
etc., etc., etc. You'll do well to look up these Scriptures and satisfy themselves on the subject from personal investigation.
