Isaiah 59:1 – God’s Hand Is Not Short

God’s Hidden Glory Revealed!

2 Thessalonians 1:4-10 – Eternal Destruction – When?

2 Peter 3:9 – God Desires All to Attain to Repentance

“Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” — 2 Peter 3:9, New World Translation

The claim is made by some that this scripture declares that those who are destroyed at the end of this age will be eternally destroyed, and God is thus trying, through some human agencies, to convert as many of the world as possible in order that they might escape eternal destruction.

What is this scripture actually saying? Is Jehovah (Yahweh) determined to eternally destroy billions of blinded men, women and children because they fail to repent before his final wrath is expressed upon Satan’s empire? At first glance, if we have such an idea already in mind, it would appear that this is what Peter was saying.

We should first note that the Greek word rendered as "destroyed" or "perish" does not necessarily mean "eternally destroyed". The usage of the same Greek word in Matthew 8:25; Mark 4:38; Luke 8:24; 11:51; 13:33; 15:17,24; 19:10; Acts 5:37 could hardly mean eternal destruction. The world is perishing, being under the condemnation of Adam. (Romans 5:12-19) That destruction, however, due to Jesus' sacrifice for Adam and all his descendants, is not eternal, for there is to be a resurrection of both the justified and unjustified. -- Acts 24:15; 2 Timothy 2:5,6.

Peter could be referring to Jehovah's desire related to the world of mankind in this age, all of whom are condemned to destruction in Adam, to be saved from that destruction through repentance. If so, he has made the way for such salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus, so all now condemned and dying in Adam are to be made alive in the resurrection through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:2,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6) God has extended his patience toward the world for a thousand years into the age to come. All of the unregenerated in this age will be allowed every opportunity to repent in the world's day of judgment so that they may not be eternally destroyed in the second death, a death beyond the death in Adam. This indeed, is a mighty display of Jehovah's patience.

Nevertheless, let us look more closely at the context and the Greek text and we believe we can find another meaning of what Peter was saying.

2 Peter 3:9, Westcott & Hort Interlinear
(from Bible Students Libray CD-ROM)
ou bradunei kurios tees epaggelias hws tines
NOT IS BEING SLOW LORD OF THE PROMISE, AS SOME (ONES)
3756 1019 2962 3588 1860 5613 5100
braduteeta heegountai alla makrothumei
SLOWNESS THEY ARE CONSIDERING, BUT IS BEING LONG IN SPIRIT
1022 2233 0235 3114
eis humas mee boulomenos tinas apolesthai alla
INTO YOU, NOT WISHING ANY (ONES) TO BE DESTROYED BUT
1519 4771_7 3361 1014 5100 0622 0235
pantas eis metanoian chwreesai
ALL (ONES) INTO REPENTANCE TO ALLOW SPACE FOR.
3956 1519 3341 5562

In this we should note that Peter was not writing his letter to the world, but to those “who have obtained a faith … by the righteousness of our God and the Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1) In other words, it appears likely that Peter was not saying to people of the world that God has been patient with them, with hopes that these people of the world would repent so as not be destroyed. Rather, he was speaking to those who had come out of the world, and had been regenerated as sons of God, those who had been made alive as new creatures in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-5) In 2 Peter, chapters One and Two, Peter was encouraging these to make their calling and choosing sure, and he was seeking to rouse them by means of reminders, and was warning them of the false teachers, and those who leave the truth. He was not talking about the world, but those who had received the knowledge of the truth, and were turning away from it.

In chapter Three, Peter begins to speak of the patience of God, as has been expressed toward the world, and then he says to God’s people: “Jehovah has not been slow respecting his promise, as some consider slowness, but he is patient with you [who believe] because he does not desire any to be lost [Strong’s Greek #622, not the same word used in 2 Peter 3:7,16, but it is the same as used in Matthew 18:14; Luke 15:6,9; John 6:39; 18:9; 2 John 1:8] but desires all [of you who believe] to attain to repentance.” These believers were in great danger of not making their calling and election sure, thus losing out in the great reward being offered to them. He had already given them the means of attaining to the repentance, the making of their minds over (Romans 12:2, NWT) so as to overcome, so as to make their calling and election sure, as shown in 2 Peter 1:2-11, that they not lose out in receiving the reward of being joint-heirs with Christ in the kingdom. — Romans 8:17). Getting the full picture of what Peter was speaking of helps us to appreciate even more the love, justice, wisdom and power as shown in God’s great divine plan of the ages.
————-
https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/greek/622.html

This is further shown in the scriptures that follow in 2 Peter 3:14-16a: “Hence, beloved ones, since you are awaiting these things, do your utmost to be found finally by him spotless and unblemished and in peace. Furthermore, consider the patience of the Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul according to the wisdom given him also wrote you, speaking about these things as he does also in all his letters.” He further states: “You, therefore, beloved ones, having this advance knowledge, be on your guard that you may not be led away with them by the error of the law-defying people and fall from your steadfastness.” (2 Peter 3:17) Thus we see that in the context, Peter is not speaking to the world, but his concern is for those who have believed, that they attain the full repentance, that they may, as Paul expressed, “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14) — making their calling and election sure.

As we mentioned before, the Greek word *Apollumi* (Strong’s #622) does not necessarily mean “destruction” in the sense of being “eternally destroyed”, but it can refer to many kinds of losses. In Matthew 10:36, Jesus told his disciples to go to the “lost (apollumi) sheep of the house of Israel.” He was not telling his disciples to go to sheep that have been eternally destroyed, but he is referring to their “lost” condition. In Mark 9:41, Jesus told his disciples: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose (apollumi) his reward.” The thought is not here that every person who gives to Jesus’ disciples had a reward that he was not going to lose, but that the future reward due them would not be lost. In 2 John 1:8, John tells the Christian: “Watch yourselves, that we don’t lose (apollumi) the things which we have accomplished, but that we receive a full reward.” The “full reward” that a Christian can recieve is joint-heirship with Jesus. To lose this reward does not mean that one is already in possession of it and then loses it, but rather that he would lose the prospect of ever obtaining that reward. Nor does failure to attain that high reward necessarily mean that the one who fails to attain will be eternally destroyed. If this was the thought in 2 Peter 3:9, then what Peter could have been referring to was losing the goal of the prize of the high calling. There are two classes who fail to attain the “full” reward, one of which simply retain the position of heirs of God as that due to all the sons of God (Romans 8:17), and the other would be those represented as one who willfully “has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace.” (Hebrews 10:29) For such a willful sin, there is no more sacrifice. — Hebrews 10:26.

Nevertheless, Jehovah has indeed been patient with the world; his patience toward the world, and his love for the world of mankind has been so great that he sent his Son to die as the savior of the world. (John 3:16,17) Jesus stated: “If anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I came, not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47, NWT) The world is already judged in Adam, thus John says of those that disobey the son: “The wrath of God [the wrath upon man through Adam] remains upon him” (John 3:36); and also: “He that does not exercise faith has been judged already (through Adam). (John 3:16, NWT; See Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22) Jesus, however, shows in what way he came to save the world, showing that their salvation will result in a new judgment “in the last day.” (John 12:48) This new judgment will be separate from the judgment that is already upon the world through Adam.

When Adam disobeyed, the punishment that was placed upon him was not the second death (for which no ransom is provided), but the condemnation was what we might term “the first death” — death and sheol [hades] (for which a ransom is provided). (Hosea 13:14) The human race has inherited this condemnation through Adam, but God’s love caused his Son to be “made flesh,” “a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death . . . that he by the grace of God should taste death for eavery man.” — Genesis 2:17; 3:17-19; Romans 5:6-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; Matthew 20:28; John 1:14; 3:14-18; Hebrews 2:9.

God exercised patience toward Adam in allowing Adam to continue to live, but eventually God did bring the sentence of death to Adam. God could have justly taken Adam’s life right away, but he forsaw a better way of settling the matter of disobedience once for all time. Thus he has allowed a short period of time, a few millennia, in which man may be “exercised” by sin, and its futile results. (Ecclesiastes 1:2,13,14; Romans 8:20) The purpose is to eventually have all creation willingly in harmony with himself, for such harmony will then be known to be to the advantage of all creation.

Thus, Jehovah’s patience toward the sinful race of mankind the will not last forever. God “has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness” — “the day of judgment and perdition [destruction] of ungodly men; but . . . do not be ignorant of this one thing, that one day with Jehovah is as a thousand years.” — Acts 17:31; 2 Peter 3:7,8; Psalm 90:4.

During the past six millenia of mankind’s history since Adam, Satan, “the god of this world,” has been permitted to blinded the minds of the people. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9) As a result the world has been living in darkness, so that darkness has covered the earth and “gross darkness the people.” However, in the world’s coming great judgment day Satan is bound, “that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years are ended.” — Isaiah 60:2, Revelation 20:2,3,7.

“In that day,” spoken of in Revelation as a 1,000 years, Jesus will judge mankind, but then “the earth will be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.” It will be that time that people will say: “Look, this is our God. We have waited for him, and he will save us . . . . We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” — Isaiah 11:9,10; 25:6-9; 40:5; 52:10: Jeremiah 31:34; Habakkuk 2:14.

But today, the church is being tried and chosen out of the world before the world of mankind. There is a purpose for this, since the saints of this age will will rule with Jesus over the earth in 1,000-year judgment day and assist in judging the world, offering to mankind “the water of life freely.” — Daniel 7:22,27; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Obadiah 21; Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:29,30; Romans 8:16-21; 2 Timothy 2:11,12; Revelation 3:21; 5:9,10; 20:4,6; 22:17.

The promise is made that through Abraham’s seed, all the nations, the heathen, will be blessed. The seed is not only Jesus, but also all who, in this age, belong to Christ. The blessing comes to the heathen while Satan is abyssed, so that he cannot deceive them. — Genesis 12:3; 22:16-18; Galatians 3:7-9,16,29; Hebrews 6:13-20; Acts 3:19-25; Revelation 20:1-4.

It is during the time when Satan is abyssed and that there are no deceptions, that the unbelieving of this age will be raised from hades (sheol), and englightened by and judged individually by the things written in the books that are to be opened at that time, not by the collective judgment received through Adam. -- Psalm 6:5; 146:4; Isaiah 2:2-4; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28,29 NASV; John 11:11-14; 12:47,48; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Peter 3:4.

Recognizing that the judgment takes place in the “last day” (John 12:47,48), and also that those who will be doing the judging with Jesus will be raised in the same “last day” (John 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24), we recognize that the saints must be raised first, before the world, in order for them to participate with Jesus in this judgment. (Revelation 20:6) Realizing this helps us to understand the time when Jesus comes to judge the heathen, as described in Matthew 25:31-46. The judgment of the unbelieving heathen (nations) as individuals (not as in Adam) cannot begin until after the saints are raised in the last day.

Thus we read that “When the Son of man will come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then will he sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations [the unbelieving heathen – Psalm 46:10; 67; 72:1,11,17; 96:3,10; Isaiah 2:2-4; Ezekiel 37:28; 38:16; 39:7] will be gathered [from hades and death — Revelation 20:12,13], and he will separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” The “holy angels” referred to are probably the saints, especially the joint-heirs who will come with Jesus to rule and judge the earth. In the parable, those whom he finds to be righteous, pictured as sheep (those who become sheep in the next age, not Christ’s sheep of this present age — John 10:14-15), will be given everlasting life and will “inherit the kingdom” on earth (the meek will inherit it — Matthew 5:5; Psalm 37:9,10,29), whereas those who will not have proved worthy, pictured as goats, will “go away into everlasting punishment [Greek, kolasin, cutting-off]” in the second death, never to live again. “All the wicked he will destroy.” — Matthew 25:31-46; Psalm 145:20; Revelation 20:9,15; 21:8.

The destruction of the wicked at the end of that thousand years is symbolized by their being cast into the “lake of fire,” “which is the second death,” into “everlasting fire [fire is an apt symbol, not of preservation, but of destruction], prepared for the devil [who is to be destroyed, annihilated — Hebrews 2:14; Ezekiel 28:19] and his angels” — Revelation 20:14,15; 21:8; Matthew 25:41.

Then it will be true that “The soul that is sinning, it will die.” Eventually “every soul who will not hear [obey] that prophet [Christ] will be destroyed from among the people.” The “wicked will be no more.” — Psalm 37:9,10; Ezekiel 18:4,20; Acts 3:19-23.

Thus God’s patience will lovingly provide ample provision for the world to repent even into the age to come, after Satan is abyssed. It will be then, especially, that the principle of 2 Peter 3:9 will apply to the world in general.

For further study, we recommend:
Will Billions Be Eternally Destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon?
Mankind’s Course to the Day of Judgment
Adam and the Ransom Sacrifice

Keys: Armageddon, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Bible Students, eternal destruction, repentance, the Lord is not slack, divine plan of the ages, Apollumi, Christian overcomers, second death, punishment

1 Corinthians 3:10,11 – The Right Foundation of Faith

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 3:10,11.

(1) The individual faith of each disciple of Jesus is figuratively presented in the Bible as a building, and as such must have both foundation and superstructure. Every principle of truth or error adopted becomes a part of our faith-building. A building made of wood, and thatched with straw, may look well and for a time protect, but it will not endure like a better and more costly structure. So a faith building constructed with man’s traditions, may for a time look passably well, be less costly and more quickly finished than one built from the precious truths patiently excavated from God’s Word. The former is easily swept away with the storm of infidelity which does not even shake the latter. The one will stand the test of fire and protect its owner, the other will eventually feed the flame and endanger the owner.

(2) God leaves the building of our faith largely with us. He furnishes us the mine of truth in the Bible itself. (John 8:31,32) He places tools within our reach so that we may obtains those truths. (2 Peter 1:3) He even urges us to build well with enduring materials, adding virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue, self-control to knowledge, patience to knowledge, etc. Thus he would have us grow in his favor and knowledge and love, following examples of building which he has furnished. — 2 Peter 1:5-7; 3:18

(3) “For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11) This statement of the importance of Jesus as the foundation of all faith toward God, is in full accord with the statement that “There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, in which we must be saved!” (Acts 4:12) No other basis of faith will do. Yet some are led astray by laying a basis for faith on another foundation, even another Jesus. (2 Corinthians 11:4) Contrary to what many may propose, this faith is not about joining this or that organization, denomination, or sect, or of placing faith in this or that leader. Some are quickly influenced by works of an organization or a man, and thus may be led to believe that this or that man, or that the leaders of this or that organization, are God’s specially appointed channel for our time, and thereby build their foundation of faith on submission to such men who may claim to have authority to rule over their fellow believers. Some have been led, not just into the traditional sects (Papacy, Church of England (Episopalian), Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptis, etc.) but into more modern organizations such Mormonism, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology and other groups who have presented certain visible lines of alleged proof that their group is supposedly the one true religion, or the one true church, etc. The “proofs" usually consist of some “works” they are doing, or of works performed by such a favored leader or leaders. The manner in which these "proofs" are presented may appear to have scriptural support, and thus can be very deceptive, for such often appeals to the carnal mind. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) Beware of these tactics! — Matthew 7:21-23.

(4) Nevertheless, those who build on the rock foundation of Jesus are his disciples no matter how poor their faith may be when they begin to build. Such may be found amongst all the denominations that profess to be Christian. Such may be carried away with many of the traditions of men. Even though they build entirely with the wood, hay, and stubble of men’s traditions, yet, we believe, that many of these are indeed builders upon the Rock, and, as such, they are disciples of Jesus, although they are found to be foolish. Though in the DAY OF JEHOVAH their works will suffer loss, yet such themselves who are true disciples of Jesus will be saved — delivered — so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:14,15) These may suffer loss, but will do so only for disciplining purposes that “the spirit [disposition] may be saved [delivered] in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5) Thus God has arranged for a fierce trial of faith to come upon all who profess to be building on the Rock, Christ Jesus. (1 Peter 1:6,7) Everything which is of man and not from God’s Word will be burned up, whether in this age or in the age to come. — Hebrews 12:26-29.

(5) While we cannot judge each individual Christian, there are some general observations we can present that may help each individual Christian judge themselves. Many Christians have not carried out their dedication to give up worship according to the flesh. (Colossians 3:5-10) Many, if not most, of the regenerated seem to remain as babes in Christ all their lives, and cannot seem to get beyond thinking in carnal terms. (1 Corinthians 3:1) Whether through ignorance, or having knowledge, many of God’s servants desire to continue in the worship of the traditions of men, the idols of flesh, and thus have their worship adulterated before God. (Luke 12:47,48; 1 Corinthians 10:14; Ezekiel 23:37) Many may base their faith in something created rather than their Creator, as may be evidenced in worship according to the flesh, such as idolizing and attributing divine power to things made by the hands of man, unauthorized by scripture. (Galatians 5:19-23; 2 Corinthians 6:16,17) Others hold onto certain doctrines of men which lead them away from preaching the kingdom and its hope for all mankind. (Ephesians 4:14,15) Many spend hours and hours (that could have been used in preaching the Good News) trying to prove certain pronunciation of words or names, or trying to prove pet theories beyond Biblical fundamentals, etc., and often demand in some way that others have to accept their conclusions to be saved, to receive the highest reward, etc. — 1 Timothy 1:3,4; 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:14.

ON WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING?

(6) What we have just seen regarding faith structures is important, but our present question is yet more so, because if we are not at all building on the rock foundation, Jesus Christ, our faith is in vain and our hopes are delusive. — Ephesians 5:5-7; Luke 6:49.

(7) Additionally, to believe that Mohammed once lived and died on earth does not constitute us Mohammedans, nor give us a basis for faith and hope for a future life. Neither does the simple belief that Jesus once lived and died on earth constitute us his disciples, nor give us a basis for future life. What is needed as a foundation is the belief that Jesus died as our Redeemer. He “died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” “gave himself a ransom for all”; Jehovah “has laid on him the iniquity of us all”, and that “with his stripes we are healed.” Only this conviction will constitute us his disciples and give a firm foundation for faith that our sins are canceled, and that in his due time all may be released from sin’s penalty death. (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Timothy 2:6; Isaiah 53:5,6; 1 Peter 2:24) Upon the foundation, then, we build our works in accordance with obedience to Jesus, even if such obedience, as found in the Bible, should lead us to appear to be disobedient to the religious efforts of man. — John 14:15, 1 John 2:3-5.

(8) In examining how many build on various foundations other than Christ, we find that some build on “right doing” as a basis of hope that God will justify them so that they may live forever. These are not building on the Rock, Jesus. Instead, they are building upon their own works. Of this class were the Jews, who sought to justify themselves. (Luke 16:15) While faith without works is dead, the works themselves should not be the basis for our faith. (James 2:20) Paul assures us that such are not building on a good foundation, for “by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight.” — Romans 3:20.

(9) Others build their hope of salvation on God's love for mankind. They feel sure that because God has great pity and with tender mercy, therefore he will ultimately, eternally save every one from death. Such seem to forget that God had the same love for mankind for the past six thousand years, yet he has permitted mankind to go down lower and lower into the cruel depths of misery and death. These, in effect, would have God make himself unjust to justify sinners without the satisfaction of his justice, which is the opposite of what Paul wrote in Romans 3:25,26. Likewise, it would mean that John was wrong in speaking of Jesus as the propitiation, appeasement or satisfaction for sin. (John 2:2) It would further make God untrustworthy. We suggest to these that if God has so long kept love subservient to justice, and never overruled his original sentence of death, their hope rests on a sandy foundation. God’s Word declares concerning him: “with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.” (James 1:17; Exodus 34:7) Such who claim as a basis for faith that God's loves them, fall short of being true Disciples of Jesus because they are building a hope and faith on the love of God and not on the only foundation, Jesus Christ, and his sacrificial death for our sins. The love of God provided the foundation, but the love of God is not the foundation needed to build true faith.

(10) Others build their faith on the justice of God as a foundation, and boldly declare that God is bound by principles of justice to save all men out of Adamic death, and thus there is no need for the death a sacrificial death of redeem anyone. Their argument is that God placed man in his present condition of sin, misery and death, and that in justice to his creatures he must restore them. To those who reason in this manner and build their hopes of future life on God’s justice, we would suggest that if this reasoning is correct, then many scriptures which tell us that by grace (unearned favor) we are saved, are all untrue, because if Jehovah is obligated to save men on such alleged principles of justice, then salvation is not of grace (unearned favor), but of justice. We suggest, further, that if God is bound in justice to save all men out of death, it is proper to infer that God has been unjust toward man for six thousand years. The inference, then, would be that God will sooner or later be obligated to change his methods and to do right — to turn from doing injustice to his creatures to doing justly to his creatures. Of course, those who believe the last-mentioned teaching would not state matters as we have presented them. Most have never thought that such theories, when reasoned out, actually brings dishonor of the name of God. If they had, doubtless they would not be building their hopes on God’s justice — outside of his plan to redeem through Christ Jesus — for if he has been unjust for six thousand years, he might continue to be unjust indefinitely. Thus faith is left on an untrustworthy foundation.

(11) None of these theories are scriptural, hence none of them is the true proper foundation for faith. Any building fostered thereon is doomed to failure. We ask the question: “Can those who build on these sandy foundations be properly termed disciples of Jesus?” It is not for us to determine, individually, if they are actually disciples of Jesus or not; one may be a disciple of Jesus who has agreed, and who has been accepted to reach the goal of discipleship, but who may be, for a time, led astray by many and varied doctrines and practices (Ephesians 4:14); in the end, however, only those who eventually prove that their hope and faith is built solely and only on the rock foundation which God has laid — Jesus Christ — will be shown to be true disciples of Jesus. Thus, Jesus speaks of the time when many of his disciples, having been led astray, are disciplined. (Luke 12:47,48) And Paul speaks of a time when they are tried as by fire, so that the spirit may be delivered in the light of the coming day. (1 Corinthians 3:14,15; 1 Corinthians 5:5) And yet, Jesus also speaks of many who will in that day claim that they did many works in the name of Jesus, but Jesus will then tell them that he never knew them (as his disciples). (Luke 7:22,23) Those of this latter class will be shown to never have been true disciples of Christ; such often appear to be consecrated, but are most often consecrated to an organization, a sect, an ideal, or a man other than Jesus.

(12) Paul also declares the foundation of all true faith, saying: “I delivered to you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3) In the two preceding verses Paul tells us that this was the Good News which he preached, which they had received, and by which they might reckon themselves saved. This is not all of the Good News — no, there is much more, but it all comes as a consequence of this fundamental or foundation truth. Without this faith in Jesus as our Redeemer, who died and gave his life a ransom for our lives which were condemned through Adam’s sin, we must see that we are still guilty and condemned before God’s law and could have no scriptural grounds for expecting future life. – Romans 5:18.

(13) It is in vain that any tell us that they are building on Christ because they acknowledge him as a leader and noble pattern. All men — yes, and demons also must acknowledge the grandeur and perfectness of Jesus’ life. All must admit that he is a noble example, but to acknowledge Jesus as the foundation of faith in a future life, is to recognize the fact that all men are sinners, and as such JUSTLY condemned to death, and that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. (John 1:29) Thus, by paying the wages of man’s sin – death – he procured for all a release from death, a right to life. He reckons them as justified or made righteous, and thus having a right to life, which in his due time he will give them. – Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; John 5:28,29; 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; Romans 5:18, 8:24; 1 Timothy 2:5,6.

(14) Jehovah’s plan, looked at from the standpoint of his inspired word, recognizes the impartially and justness of the trial of Adam, Adam’s deliberate violation of God’s just and easy requirement, and the justice of enforcing the penalty which God threatened, that is, DEATH. “In the day of thine eating of it — dying thou dost die.” (Genesis 2:17, Young’s Literal Translation) God’s foreknowledge of the consequences of Adam’s sin cannot be urged against the justice of his trial, as the trial was the same and had the same results, as though God had not foreknown its result.

(15) God is not responsible for all the mental and physical imperfections of our race. These are traceable as results of sin to Adam our first parent. Here is a thought not generally recognized, that God creates only sinless intellectual beings such as Adam was before he sinned. He who is born of God is without sin. All of the fallen, mentally and physically imperfect men and women, are not God’s creation, but the offspring of disobedience, and are thus sons of disobedience, children of wrath. (Ephesians 2:2,3) These imperfections, therefore, are not chargeable to God, but to Adam’s sin. All die, therefore, as a result of Adam’s unrighteousness and not of God’s injustice. If, then, God was just in condemning Adam, and was in no way responsible to Adam’s offspring, it must have been as the Bible says: “By grace [unmerited or undeserved favor] have you been saved.” (Ephesians 2:5,8) Yes, while we were in just condemnation as enemies and sinners, God so loved and pitied us that he gave his son, that he “by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9) To this agree the words of other scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 5:12,17,19 and 11:32,33. If, then, the Scriptures are true, the theory that Jehovah has dealt unjustly toward the race in condemning all to death, and the argument that he is bound in justice to restore them to life, falls.

(16) Let us look at matters from the standpoint of the divine revelation instead of purely human reasoning. Love is a prominent factor in all of God’s plans and an element of the divine nature. Yet his foreknowledge and omnipotence make it unnecessary for his love to come into conflict with his justice. God had justly condemned man as unworthy of life. God could not do otherwise without denying himself, who he is, for his very character forbids him to allow anything that does not reflect Himself to be considered fit for life. His very nature would demand that the wages of sin would be death. (Romans 5:23) Nor could his Love step in and reverse the decision and set the prisoner free without first satisfying the claims of justice. Should God do so we would properly consider him changeable, and his word untrustworthy. (Malachi 3:6; Isaiah 55:11) Not only so, but, in considering the idea that God’s justness must save everyone. If so, we should realize that either the first or the last decision would be unjust. If the first decision was just, then the reversing of it was unjust. Likewise, if the last decision was just, then the first must have been unjust. God is just and true. In him is no variableness. (James 1:17) He does not simply clear the guilty without exacting satisfaction of their guilt. (Exodus 34:7) The real method God used was to count the guilt of the whole race in one man, so that guilt could be removed by its being placed upon one man. (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:fc21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6) The claims of justice were satisfied in the sacrifice of the one man, Jesus. If we say we have no sin [and hence no need of a savior to deliver us from the consequence of it: death], “we make [God] a liar,” for he declares regarding all offspring of Adam condemned in Adam's sin, “There is no one righteous. No, not one.” – 1 John 1:8,10; Romans 3:10; 5:12-19.

(17) All of us who are the offspring of Adam enter life in this condition of sin and condemnation. (Romans 5:12,18) We can neither help ourselves nor each other, because all of us are descendants of Adam. (Psalm 49:7) All of us have received the same condemnation from Adam. But God’s love has provided a means by which he could clear the guilty race and restore them to life and at the same time do it without violating his justice. (Romans 3:26) He so loved the sinner, whom he had justly condemned, that he gave his Son that he should taste death (our penalty) for every man. (Romans 5:8; Hebrews 2:9) He was a propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins (the believers’ sins), and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (John 12:47,48; 1 John 2:2) Thus God’s love and wisdom, operating in harmony with his justice, have succeeded in clearing the guilty without any injustice. Only by means of the sacrifice of Jesus could God be just and yet the justifier of sinners. (Romans 3:26; 1 Timothy 2:4-6) An earthly judge could not justly set a convicted and sentenced prisoner free. He could not declare the guilty one guiltless in the eyes of the law. But suppose someone came forward and paid the imposed penalty for the prisoner. The Judge would be just in justifying, or declaring right in the eyes of the law, the one whom he had formerly been just in condemning.

(18) Very few have actually seen into the “depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God.” (Romans 11:33; 1 Corinthians 2:10) Everyone of us have been condemned in Adam. (Roman 5:15-18) If we had been judged individually, more than likely we would have failed even as Adam did. Then each one of us would have needed an individual salvation. In other words, if 50 billion people had been tried individually, and 50 billion people had failed and were thus condemned, then 50 billion more totally obedient and sinless individuals would have been needed to offer up their lives as sacrifices for the 50 billion who had sinned.

(19) How much more economical is God’s wisdom. All of us were condemned in one man’s disobedience. (Romans 5:19) God concluded all in disobedience that he might have mercy on all. (Romans 11:32) By allowing all to be condemned in one, only one perfect human life would be needed as a sacrifice to buy back all the condemned. How grand, how marvelous is God’s wisdom! “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, New American Standard Bible translation) “As through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 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. . . . . but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:17-21, New American Standard Version translation) “For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” (Romans 8:3) “God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.” (Romans 11:32) “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! . . . For who has known the mind of [Jehovah]? Or who has been his counselor?” “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.” – Romans 11:33-36.

(20) In conclusion: On what are you building your faith? Is it on the sands of men’s opinions and theories beyond what is actually written in the Bible? (1 Corinthians 4:6) Or is it on the one rock foundation which Jehovah himself has laid — Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” — the one “who died for our sins”? — John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 15:3. --- Ronald R. Day, Sr.

ADDENDUM:

One has asked: Is the above denying the ransom for all? Is it narrowing salvation to only those who in this age believe in Jesus?

No, nothing in the above means that we are denying that Jesus' sacrifice is the propitiation (satisfaction), not just for those who believe in this age, but also for the whole world, the latter being applied in the "last day", "the age to come.". -- John 12:47,48; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; 1 John 2:2.

See our studies:
The Restoration of All Things
The Ransom For All

John 1:29 – The Lamb of God

Ecclesiates 7:13 - How Could Crooked Mankind Be Made Straight?

The True Gospel

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ”

Romans 1:16

God Promises to Bless All Nations.
Bible card by Providence
Lithograph Co., 1906.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

(1) SINCE the scriptures speak of those who preach a “different gospel” — an alleged good news — than that taught by the apostles (1 Corinthians 11:4), no apology seems necessary for our subject — “Which is the true Gospel of which the Apostle was not ashamed?” If time and thought may be profitably expended in the study of the earthly sciences — sociology, finance, etc., etc., built largely upon human inferences and conjectures — surely none could dispute the propriety of studying the science of divine revelation. If it is profitable to investigate the physical diseases of mankind and their causes, and the laws of medicine and of sanitation for the offset of these, it surely cannot be disputed that the Gospel which God has presented as the antidote for soul-sickness and soul-death, and as the science pertaining to life eternal, is worthy of still greater and more profound consideration.

(2) The greatest minds, the noblest specimens of our race, have admitted our topic to be the one above all others in importance; and have weighed it carefully — whether as a result they accepted or rejected it. We are not now discussing the weight of mental acumen enlisted for and against the Gospel. We are merely noting the fact that all men of ability have recognized that the subject is worthy of their careful consideration, and as having claims upon their attention paramount to any and all others. Indeed, it may be set down as a fact that whoever has given the subject of religion no consideration is one of three things, — a novice in mental exercise, or a near relative to “the fool who has said in his heart there is no Yahweh,” or a coward, preyed upon by fears, instigated by Satan to hinder honest investigation of the divine message of love and mercy. — Psalm 14:1.

(3) The fact that you are reading this indicates that you have given some thought to our theme; — though experience assures us that comparatively few have ever reached fully satisfactory conclusions on this subject. Hence your faith and love and zeal toward God and your zeal for the Gospel may be less strong than you could desire. We hope that this scriptural presentation many more, by God’s grace, will see more clearly than ever before which is the true Gospel — the one of which the Apostle was not ashamed, and of which, therefore, none of us need feel ashamed, — the Gospel, therefore, which should more and more move and energize us, as the power of God for salvation. — Romans 1:16.

(4) No one of intelligence will dispute the meaning of the word “Gospel;” it signifies “good/glad tidings,” good news, — a good message. According to Luke 2:10, the angel declared it to be "good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people." (American Standard Version) Nevertheless, often what many consider “a real gospel sermon” is understood to signify bad tidings — tidings of eternal misery to the great mass of our race — to all except the little flock of God’s faithful people who respond to a “gospel” of accepting Jesus or spending eternity in miserable suffering. As a consequence the preacher of a “gospel sermon” is expected to figuratively shake the congregation over an abyss of everlasting torture, making as strong an effort as possible to intimidate them thereby to a thorough reformation of life, in hope of thus escaping an awful eternity.

(5) True, this that we might term “the Gospel (?) of damnation” is not so generally preached as it once was, because more enlightened minds of cultured people repudiate it as a fetich of the past. Yet this perversion of the Gospel may still to be heard in some country places, at camp meetings, occasionally in the city pulpit, and universally in Salvation Army meetings. Nothing is further from our intention than a criticism of the consciences and honesty of intention of those who thus preach. And yet other preach a general gospel of damnation that is alleged be for most of the people that they will be eternally destroyed in Armageddon (or some other way) is they do not conform thier claims of leadership, etc. It is no part of our mission to criticize persons and motives, but with malice toward none and with love toward all we consider it not only our privilege but our duty to criticize doctrines, that thereby the truth may be more firmly established, and error brought into disrepute.

(6) Before we proceed to the consideration of the Gospel of which the Apostle was not ashamed — the Gospel set forth in the Scriptures — it will be expedient for us to take a glance at the different Gospels set forth by the various denominations of Christendom. It is not our thought that each denomination represents a different Gospel, for the differences in many instances are chiefly respecting ceremonies, forms, methods of government, name, etc., and not in respect to the message or Gospel held forth. Nevertheless, there are three distinct major lines of faith, or doctrine — three distinct Gospels set forth in Christendom, all professed to be “orthodox,” because these all contain as their fundamental the doctrine of the eternal torment of many, or most, of mankind, except the comparatively few “saved.” Each of these three Gospels have millions of supporters, divided into numerous denominations. These in point of numbers are:

-1- The Roman Catholic faith, or Gospel, in which concur the Greek Catholics and Arminian Catholics, and some of the high-church Episcopalians.

-2- The Calvinistic Gospel, which is held by the various Presbyterian denominations, the Congregationalists, Baptists, and many Lutherans and Episcopalians.

-3- The Arminian Gospel, held and chiefly represented by the Methodists of various names and connections, and by the Free-Will Baptists: however, many of other denominations at heart accept the Arminian Gospel, while their church connections identify them with the Calvinistic Gospel. Hence we may say, so far as Protestantism is concerned, that the Arminian and the Calvinist Gospels are about equally supported.

(7) It may not be possible for us to handle our subject properly and thoroughly without offering some criticism of these three Gospels which for centuries have entrenched themselves in Christian minds, each fortified by the decisions of its own Councils, backed by voluminous opinions from their several theological seminaries, but we can and assuredly will strenuously avoid saying one solitary word in criticism of those who we believe conscientiously uphold these several conflicting Gospels. We call you to witness that we are all Scripturally enjoined to “Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints” (the true Gospel), at the same time that we are enjoined by the same authority to “Speak evil of no man.” (Jude 1:3; Titus 3:2) We shall endeavor to keep strictly within these admittedly proper lines, and, additionally, as the Apostle admonishes: ‘Speak the truth in love.’ — Ephesians 4:15.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ROMAN CATHOLICISM

(8) The Gospel according to traditional Roman Catholicism is that man was created with a body and an immortal soul, that all men fell into sin and their immortal souls are condemned to eternal torment — that Christ accomplished a redemptive work which, supplemented by the sacrifice of the mass, and by prayers and penances, permits all believers (Roman Catholics) to escape that eternal torment, which will be the sure portion of most non-Catholics (with few exceptions) and heretics, regardless of their good works or morals. As for its own people, it holds that even many its highest officials, including bishops and popes, go to purgatory for refinement, purification from sin and to be prepared for heaven. It claims that some will spend only a short time in purgatory, assisted out of it by the merit of prayers, masses, etc., on their behalf by their friends after death. But their expectation is that ultimately purgatory will be no more, its thousands of millions being prepared for a better and happier condition. But according to all the great theologians of papacy, and according to all the earlier papal bulls, the vast majority of protestants, rejecters of papacy’s teachings, will suffer endless torment. (Some have claimed that the Catholic Church has changed their attitude in the last century or so.) This is the traditional Roman Catholic “gospel” fairly presented, as we understand it. It does not seem to us to be very good news — not very good tidings, even to those who get the very best it has to offer, and it certainly would be very bad tidings to all out of harmony with papacy.

THE GOSPEL PRESENTED BY CALVINISM

(9) Let us next look at the great protestant doctrine represented in the word Calvinism — the doctrine of the election of the church and the reprobation of all others. Calvinism claims that faith in Christ is essential to salvation and it admits that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Calvinism requires more than a mere knowledge of Christ and belief in him as a good and exemplary man, who died a martyr to his too extreme convictions. It requires faith in Christ’s death as a sacrifice for man’s sin, and at least some manifestation towards righteousness of life before any could be recognized as being of the elect church. Consequently, according to Calvinism, the elect church could not include the heathen of the present time and all the way back through the past, who have never heard of the only name given under heaven or amongst men whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Stretched to its very broadest, Calvinism could not include more than one in twenty of earth’s fifty thousand millions that are estimated to have lived from Adam’s day until the present time. In other words, according to the broadest possible estimate of this view, more than forty-seven billions of humanity were, in the language of the “Westminster Confession of Faith”, “passed by” as non-elect in the divine plan.

(10) And what does this mean — “passed by” or “non-elect?” It means, according to Calvinism, that God, who knew the end from the beginning, before creating this world and mankind upon it, determined that he would “pass by” and not elect the great majority of those billions of his creatures to life and happiness, but would predestine them to an eternity of torture, and that carrying out this diabolical plan, he prepared a great place large enough to hold billions, and fuel sufficient to produce the necessary combustion there to all eternity — did all this with a full appreciation of all the awful facts and circumstances of the case.

(11) Moreover, we remember the statement of Calvinism to the effect that God’s favor toward the elect is not because of any worthiness on their part, nor because of any works which they had done, but “of his own sovereign grace” he saves them from all the horrible conditions which he has predestined shall be upon the others. Now if the salvation of the elect is not because of their works or worthiness, but because of God’s sovereign grace only, the simplest mind can see that God might without any violation of principle have extended that sovereign grace to others — to all, since it was not because of worthiness nor because of works, but merely of his own volition that any are saved, — according to Calvinism.

(12) It is reported that the celebrated Jonathan Edwards, when preaching upon this subject in New England years ago, after picturing the awful torment of the non-elect, was asked the question: “Would not the thought of the anguish of the lost mar the bliss of God’s people in glory?” His answer in substance was: “No; you will be so changed that such matters will not affect you; you will look over the battlements of heaven and see in torment your neighbors and friends, and yes, your own parents and children, brothers and sisters, and turning round will praise God the louder because his justice is made manifest.”

(13) We are glad to note that many of our Calvinistic friends are repudiating this doctrine, realizing that there is in it a serious lack, not only as respects divine love, but also as respects divine justice. We are glad some years ago to note that some of our Presbyterian friends were so moved by higher and nobler conceptions of the Almighty that they wished to rid themselves of any part in so blasphemous a statement respecting his character and his plan. We are sorry, however, that when the matter of “the revision of the Presbyterian standards” was taken up it was found that only a minority was in favor of revision, and we are still more sorry to note that that minority of intelligent, godly people was willing to continue to confess to such a horrible misstatement of their true views — willing to continue to “blaspheme that holy name” because a majority of their brethren were unwilling that such blasphemous misrepresentations should be discontinued.

(14) We are prone to believe that if this matter were brought to the intelligent attention of Presbyterians in general, a large majority would be found willing, nay, anxious, to undo the wrong and to make such reparation as would be within their power, by way of honoring the great Jehovah and attesting their appreciation of his love and his justice, as well as of his wisdom and of his power. This is just the point: Calvinism, in its anxiety to establish the wisdom and power of God, his foreknowledge and his ability to carry out his plan, has conceived of a plan which is far from the correct one, lacking both in justice and in love.

(15) It may be argued that Love is a virtue and that its exercise is not incumbent upon Jehovah; that all that could be asked or expected of him would be simple Justice, and some might be ready to claim that for God to eternally torment these untold billions “passed by” would be in strict accord with Justice. This we deny! We claim that having the power to create mankind would not justify their creation if the Creator saw that the result would be the everlasting torture of a single creature. Justice would say that power is not to be exercised to the injury of another, and that to exercise the creative power under such foreknown conditions would be injustice. And Wisdom attuned to Justice would say, Better a thousand times never to have created anybody than to have created one being to suffer eternally, for such eternal suffering would not be just, but unjust.

(16) We have endeavored that this statement be a fair representation of the Gospel according to John Calvin, and of the beliefs of those who subscribe to the Westminster Confession and their allies. This surely is not the Gospel of which the Apostle Paul, in our text, declared, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” Paul would assuredly have been ashamed of such a Gospel, and so are all enlightened Christians, who have the spirit of love and justice, and also a developed knowledge of God's plan. Nevertheless, there are those who unfortunately, through circumstances of birth, etc., and hitherto without realizing what it meant, have been lending their name and influence to this great blasphemy against the divine character.

THE ARMINIAN VIEW OF THE GOSPEL

(17) Let us now examine the Arminian view. This view is growing in popularity. Its message or Gospel is: God is love — he loves you; he loves everybody; he is doing all that he can to save everybody; if you are lost it will not be God’s fault, but your own. On the surface, at least, this theory seems much more loving and much more just than the one already examined, but before we go far we will also find it very defective, very far from being either a reasonable or a Scriptural Gospel. We will find it inconsistent with its own statement — illogical.

(18) For instance, while it sounds nice theoretically to say that God is doing all that he can do to save the whole world at the present time, everybody knows that this is not true; that on the contrary you or I or any other intelligent human being if possessed of the one-thousandth part of the divine power and wisdom could speedily accomplish the evangelization of the whole world. Nor will it do to say that God has committed himself to a certain mode of procedure through his Church, and that if the Church fails to contribute with sufficient liberality both money and evangelists the heathen will not hear of “the only name given under heaven or amongst men whereby we must be saved,” but will go to eternal torment, etc. Neither will it do to say that God is doing all that he can do and is hampered by the lack of interest in the Church; because his wisdom and foreknowledge foresaw all these conditions as they are, and he could not justly be excused from the real responsibility of the matter, since he is the Creator, and in him is vested the all-power as well as the all-wisdom. Such a claim as this would be tantamount to saying that God has erred in wisdom when he thought to leave the conversion of the world to the Church, seeing that the Church has not accomplished this. Such a claim would be merely excusing God from doing all that he can do, instead of showing that he is doing all that he can do.

(19) But let us look more critically into this matter. If this view we are criticizing is correct, if God is doing all that he can to save the world, and if he has been doing this during all the past ages, then without question the world’s conversion is a hopeless thing, and we can never expect to see better results than at present. This theory presupposes a race or battle between the Almighty and Satan, each seeking to capture the human family, and to the discredit of the theory it shows Satan the victor thus far. Starting out with one pair, both on Jehovah’s side, the first 1656 (according to the Masoretic text) years ended with a flood in which the whole world of mankind was blotted out because of wickedness, and only eight persons reckoned sufficiently righteous to be preserved. Starting again with those eight persons counted sufficiently righteous for preservation, we find that there are in the world today over five billion people, and that out of that whole number there are about two billion professing Christians, and a very much smaller number of true “saints of God.”

(20) What would be the lesson from this if the Arminian theory be correct, that God is doing all that he can do to save the world? The lesson would be that with all his good intentions of love and mercy our God is thoroughly incapable of the work he undertook to do. In effect, this theory presents God as a very weak God. And if these are the results in six thousand years, what could we hope for in the future? How many hundreds of millions of years would it be before the whole world would be converted? We answer that according to statistics it would never be, for statistics show that the natural increase of population throughout the world is far, far beyond the proportion of even nominal conversions from heathendom. Indeed, according to some good reckonings, the percentage of Christians every year is decreasing, the births of heathen lands so far outnumbering the births of Christian lands — even counting all the children born in Christendom as Christians.

(21) Is any Christian, in view of these facts, prepared to claim that our God has been doing all that he could do for the conversion of the world? If so, that Christian may as well write upon his hopes at once the word “Ichabod” (meaning "There is no glory"). If we saw that the Calvinistic view magnifies the wisdom and power of God at the expense of his justice and love, we find on the other hand that the Arminian view magnifies the love of God at the expense of his wisdom and power. The true Gospel must show divine Wisdom and Power in full accord with divine Justice and Love: of any other we must needs be ashamed.

DISTINCTIONS WITHOUT PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE

(22) But we may as well now as at any time concede that there is comparatively little difference in the outcome of these two popular Protestant Gospels — the difference is merely a theoretical one respecting how the results are to be reached. The results themselves are the same in both cases — the eternal doom and torment of over forty-seven billion of human creatures. For our Arminian friends no less than Calvinists agree that there is no salvation aside from faith in Christ, the only name given; and they admit also that of those who believe in Christ only the sanctified are of the real Church; and their Gospel is also that only the real Church is to be saved and that all others are to be eternally and most horribly tormented; — some claim in literal flames, others say by the torments and gnawings of conscience and remorse, which they proceed to say will be worse than the literal flames, — and we respond, if worse, so much worse for the argument.

(23) All will surely agree as respects these two theories or Gospels held out to the world by Protestant Christendom that it would make no difference to the forty-seven thousand millions, whether they got into that awful state of hopeless woe by divine predestination and lack of love and justice, or by divine incapacity and lack of foreknowledge and proper arrangements. We believe that no true Christian will be ready after examining the subject thus far to say that he fully approves either of these theories, and that he is not ashamed of both of them.

CONSIDER NOW THE TRUE GOSPEL

(24) Let us now proceed to examine what is the true Gospel, presented to us in the Word of God — the Gospel of which the Apostle was not ashamed. The word “gospel” itself should be the clue — should save the intelligent Christian from being misled by the various theories of bad tidings of great misery for nearly all people, miscalled “gospel.” He who thinks it good news that one out of a thousand of the human family is to be saved and the remaining 999 to be eternally tormented, is either not a Christian at all, or he is decidedly undeveloped in Christian character, in mercy, in love, in justice. In our opinion, he is at most only a “babe in Christ” who has need first of the milk of the Word and subsequently of the “strong meat” thereof, that he may grow up into Christ in all things, and be able to comprehend with all saints the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of the love of God which passeth all understanding. — Ephesians 3:18,19.

(25) When occasionally we come across someone who gives evidence of being a Christian, and who still entertains such horribly blasphemous views respecting the Heavenly Father’s character, we feel like quoting to him Jehovah’s words through the Prophet, “My ways are not as your ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts, for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my plans higher than your plans.” (Isaiah 55:8,9) And part of our object in this study is to have those, whose eyes are anointed of Jehovah, that they may see spiritual things, discern some of Jehovah’s higher ways and higher plans which he presents to us in his Word under the name “gospel” — good tidings.

NOT “UNIVERSAL SALVATION TO IMMORTALITY”

BUT A SALVATION OF ALL DYING IN ADAM TO

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ETERNAL LIFE

(26) The Apostle tells us that God preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, “beforehand” signifying before it was due to be preached with its full understanding; please note that the actual preaching of the Gospel did not begin with Abraham, but with our Lord Jesus Christ, as the apostle again declares, this salvation “began to be declared by our Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him.” (Galatians 3:8; Hebrews 2:3) All that ever went before our Lord’s preaching was not the actual full preaching of Gospel, but merely types and promises which foreshadowed it. Let us notice next what, according to the Apostle, constituted this fore-statement of the Gospel to Abraham: he says that it was couched in the words, “In you and in your seed all nations will be blessed.” (Galatians 3:16,29) Note this carefully: it does not say, In your seed one out of a thousand out of the families of the earth will be blessed, and the remainder be doomed to an indescribably horrible eternity, but that the whole Gospel is a Gospel of blessing, applicable to all the families of the earth — through Christ, the true seed of Abraham.

(27) When our Lord Jesus was born into the world, the Heavenly Father sent a message respecting him, and the angels who bore that message declared that it was a Gospel message. Let us hearken to what the angels said about the eternal torment of the vast majority of our race. They said to the shepherds, “Behold we bring you good tidings [gospel] of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10) Let it be distinctly noted that the Gospel of the angels, like the Gospel communicated to Abraham, contains no reference to the damnation and eternal misery of any of Yahweh’s creatures, and that consequently our friends of the Salvation Army and others, who in ignorance preach eternal damnation and call it the Gospel, are doing so in utter violation of the meaning of the word and of all the uses of that word throughout the Scriptures. However well they may mean, they are in this certainly committing a wrong, a grievous wrong, and we long to see the light of the knowledge of the goodness of God shine into their hearts and relieve them of this blindness which comes not from God nor from his Word, but from the prince of darkness. — 2 Corinthians 4:4.

(28) It will require all the Millennial age (the age to come -- Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Hebrews 6:5 -- which is to follow this Gospel age in which we live) to bless all the families of the earth with the joyful knowledge of divine grace in Christ. Just so surely as the estimated more than forty-seven thousand millions went down into death without hearing of the Saviour, without coming to a clear knowledge of the truth, without the good tidings of great joy reaching their ears, — just so surely must they all come forth from the grave that this very Gospel message of “good tidings” may be declared to them, and that they may be tested thereby and either be accepted to eternal life or destroyed, as unworthy of life, in the Second Death. We say just so surely, for three reasons:

-1- The announcement of the Gospel to Abraham says, “In your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed,” and all of these forty-seven billion belong to this very class specified, the families of the earth — and they have not yet been blessed with this knowledge of the only name wherein is the blessing.
-2- The same is true of the message by the angel, — the good tidings of great joy is for all people, and these forty-seven thousand millions of humanity are surely the great bulk of all people.
-3- We are sure that this testimony must be given to them in the future because the Scriptural declaration is that “Christ died for the ungodly;” “he tasted death for every man,” and as a consequence every man must have an opportunity granted him for benefitting by that death, and of availing himself of the privilege of eternal life which was secured by our Lord’s ransom sacrifice.

DID CHRIST DIE FOR THE CHURCH ONLY?

(29) But someone would perhaps say: “Christ died only for the sins of the Church and not for the sins of the world, and consequently the sins of the world cannot be forgiven them.” We answer, No; the Scriptural declaration most positively is that “Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man,” “to be testified in due time.” (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:6) And, additionally, the Apostle says, “He is a propitiation [satisfaction, atoning sacrifice] for our [the Church’s] sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) The "world" in 1 John 2:2 is the same "world" spoken of in John 12:47, where Jesus says that he came not to condemn the world (which has already been condemned in Adam -- Romans 5:12-19), but save the world (from the condemnation in Adam -- 1 Corinthians 15:21,22).

(30) What could be plainer than this? If the price for the sins of the whole world has been paid to satisfy God's Justice, we may rest well assured that His Justice will furnish opportunity through the Redeemer whereby all these whose sins were atoned for may come to a knowledge of Christ, and to an opportunity of accepting divine grace through him.

(31) But someone will say, Why should God adopt a plan which would necessitate a resurrection of the dead, and a post-resurrection trial for eternal life except for all the elect Church of this Gospel age? We answer, 

-1- It is not for us to inquire why Jehovah adopts certain plans which differ from those which our poor finite minds might arrange for him: rather it is for us to acknowledge that our wisdom is insufficient on such a subject and that we should come humbly to Jehovah to hear from his Word whatever he may be pleased to inform us respecting his purposes. 

-2- As a matter of fact only those who approach the question from this standpoint need expect to see the truth or to “comprehend with all saints the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of the love of God.” — Ephesians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 2:12.

(32) God has been pleased, however, to reveal to us some of his reasons for arranging his plan as we see it. He assures us of his full wisdom and power to manage every feature of his own work according to his own good pleasure, assuring us that he knows the end from the beginning, and that the end will fully justify every step that he has taken. His Word, no less than observation, shows us that during all these six thousand years the world has been getting a lesson respecting the exceeding sinfulness of sin and its wages of sorrow and death. His Word assures us also that during the next age, the Millennium, the whole world will be brought to a knowledge of the way of righteousness and love and peace, and will see the divine law in practical operation, and witness its beneficent results in all those who will come into harmony with the great Mediator.

(33) Thus mankind learns the lesson of evil and its consequences first in the present life, and the lesson of righteousness and its blessed results under divine providence, in the Millennium; and when thus fully equipped with knowledge on both sides of the question and instructed by the Royal Priesthood, (the completed and glorified elect Gospel Church), mankind will be ready for the tests, that will be applied by the Lord Jesus, under which the obedient and faithful will be granted full perfection and eternal life, and the disobedient and incorrigible will “be destroyed from amongst the people.” — Acts 3:22,23

“IF YOU ARE CHRIST’S,

THEN YOU ARE ABRAHAM’S SEED AND HEIRS”

(34) Another matter, really the key to the whole question which we are discussing, is revealed in God’s Word, viz., that in the divine purpose the promised “Seed of Abraham” that should perform the great work of blessing all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Romans 4:13,16; Galatians 3:8,16,29), is to be one, in the sense of one kind, but not in the sense of one person — that is to say, that the seed of Abraham will consist of all who believe the promise in faith (Luke 20:37,38; Romans 4:3,13,16; Galatians 3:6; Hebrews 11:13,17,39); in this Christian age, it thus includes all who belong to Christ. — Galatians 3:7,29.

(35) This Gospel age intervening between the time of the great sin offering and the time when the blessing of earth’s billions will commence, God has set apart for the work of selecting or electing the seed of Abraham who are to bless all the families of the earth. The scriptures speak of those being selected as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27), “the church” (Acts 2:47; 5:11; 20:28 — King James Version), the “little flock,” (Luke 12:32) the “royal priesthood,” (1 Peter 2:9) the spiritual “children of Israel” “by faith,” (Revelation 7:4; Romans 4:16) “heirs of God” (Romans 8:17) and “sons of God.” (Galatians 3:26) The salvation provided for these heirs and sons of God is higher than that which God purposes for the world in general, as they all, if faithful, receive an inheritance in the kingdom. But an even greater purpose is also revealed in selecting these heirs of God, and that is the selection of “joint-heirs” with Christ. (Romans 8:17) The ones who receive joint-heirship receive the highest rewards in the kingdom. The selecting of these heirs and “joint-heirs” and trying them and proving them, fitting them and polishing them for service in the Kingdom, and it is to these, as the Apostle Peter declares, God has given “exceeding great and precious promises [far beyond any promises given to any other of his creatures] that by these [promises] we might become partakers of the divine [Strong’s Greek #2304 – godlike] nature [Strong’s #5449 – growth],”* and receive the inheritance of the kingdom in order to bless all the families of the earth.

(36) This true view of the calling and election of the Church is another feature of the Gospel — the true “good news (gospel) of great joy which will be to all the people.” (Luke 2:10) If it is splendid, good news to know that ultimately all families of the earth are to be blessed with opportunities for salvation through the Christ, it is still an additional feature to the good news to know that God has invited us to become members of the Christ company, “members in particular of the body of Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 12:27.

(37) This is the true Gospel, the one we find set forth in the Scriptures, set forth by Paul himself, and of which he was not ashamed. This Gospel shows the character of our Creator in a most wonderful light, — his Wisdom, able to discern the end from the beginning (Acts 15:18; Isaiah 46:9,10); his Power, able to accomplish that which he pleases (Isaiah 55:11); his Justice, squaring every feature of the plan from first to last (Acts 15:18), according to the most absolute features of righteousness (Psalm 145:17; Revelation 15:3); his Love, whose lengths and breadths and heights and depths we have not yet been able to explore (Romans 11:33); a love which sympathizes with his creatures in their fallen estate (John 3:16,17; 12:47,48); a love which provided a Savior, and “who is the Savior of all men” (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:10); a love which prompted that Savior to give his life as our ransom price (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 2:5,6); a love which met all the requirements of divine justice for us (Romans 6:18); a love which still pursues mankind, and in this Gospel age calls many to heirship as sons that they may share in blessing the world in the kingdom age. — Romans 8:14

(38) “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3:1) This divine love, still pursuing its original plan for man’s salvation, will use the “elect” glorified house of sons, of which Christ Jesus is the Head (Ephesians 1:22), in blessing all families of the earth with full opportunity of knowledge and full assistance up the highway of holiness (Isaiah 35:8) that so many as will may attain to the restoration of all that was lost in Adam by coming back into harmony with God through the great Mediator. — Acts 3:19-23

NONE NEED BE ASHAMED OF THE TRUE GOSPEL

(39) Surely of this Gospel we are not ashamed, “for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) It has in our hearts a transforming and renewing power, a sanctifying power which no error could possibly have, and which all the theories of eternal torment have never equaled and never will. Let us more and more “show forth the praises of our God, who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light,” by renouncing all God-dishonoring creeds and theories, and instead hold forth the Word of life, and witness the good confession — the “good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” — 1 Peter 2:9; Colossians 1:13; Luke 2:10 (KJV)

(40) All who will declare the true Gospel will need to be well equipped with the preparation of the gospel of peace (gentleness, patience, meekness) for, strange to say, they will find bitter opposition from professed servants of Christ who have been blinded and prejudiced by Satan’s misrepresentations of the Gospel, — by which he seeks to drive from Jehovah all who have a remnant of reason in their religious thinking. (Ephesians 6:13-18; Galatians 5:22,23; 2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:20; 1 Peter 5:8) All who have ears to hear, and who do hear the true Gospel, will be enabled to distinguish it from the miserable counterfeits which for so long have passed current among God’s people. (Matthew 11:15; 13:9,16) Let all such remember that ability to hear is one of the evidences of divine favor in this regard, and let them not be ashamed, but glorify God on this behalf. (1 Peter 4:16) Let such remember, also, that their acceptance of truth as due, in the face of unpopularity, is a part of their testing. (Revelation 2:10; 1 Peter 1:7) Jehovah puts his plan, his Word, as his representative, in effect, saying — He that is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of the Man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy angels. — Mark 8:38.

(41) The call still goes forth, then, to “repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 2:38) If you are not already a disciple of Jesus, are you ready to count the cost of being a disciple of Christ? (Luke 14:25-35) Are you willing to give yourself in full devotion to Jesus and his God in appreciation of what he has done for you? (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:6-8) Then go to God in prayer and tell him of your desire to turn away from all that he hates and your heart’s desire to serve him through Jesus. — Hebrews 13:21.

Presented by Ronald R. Day, Sr., Restoration Light Bible Study Services (ResLight, RlBible). 

Did Jesus Die for Those Condemned to the Second Death?

Ezekiel 18:20,21 and the Condemnation in Adam

1 Peter 3:18, Romans 8:8,9 and Jesus' Sacrifice for Sin

Was Peter simply contrasting sinful flesh with a spiritual life in 1 Peter 3:18? How was Jesus put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit?

1 Peter 3:18 - Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. -- Young’s Literal.

Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh can't please God.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

The claim is sometimes made that "in the flesh" and "in the spirit" of 1 Peter 3:18 contrasts the fleshly, carnal, or sinful way of life with that of the spiritual, godly way of life. Romans 8:8,9 is referred to as support of this.

Peter states regarding Jesus’ sacrifice that Jesus suffered for sins once, in that he was put to death in the flesh. If the thought is to apply Romans 8:8,9 to what Peter stated in 1 Peter 3:18, the logical conclusion would be that the sacrifice that Jesus gave for sin was was that he died toward walking in the sinful flesh. (Romans 8:3) However, as was stated, Jesus’ flesh was not sinful. Peter said that Jesus was righteous, that is, he was not of the crooked, unrighteous, generation that has come through Adam. -- Genesis 3:17-20; Ecclesiastes 1:2,13-15; 7:13; Romans 5:12-19; 8:20-22; Philippians 2:15.

This is supported by what Peter had stated earlier in that same letter. -- 1 Peter 1:18,19:

You were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, the blood of Christ.

There is not reason to think that Peter is not indeed talking about the actual sacrifice of Jesus’ flesh with its blood. It is obvious from the context that he is referring to Jesus' physical sacrifice.

Romans 8:8,9 refers to walking in accordance with the sinful flesh versus walking in accordance with the spirit. It is contrasting the new creation in Christ with the old creation, the sons of disobedience. Jesus’ flesh, of course, was not sinful, although he came in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) and, although he suffered as though he were a sinner, he proved that a sinless man can be remain obedient, by which obedience he condemned sin in the flesh. Jesus’ obedience, in itself, was the sacrifice that Peter wrote of in 1 Peter 3:18.

Romans 8:8,9 says nothing about being either a spirit being or a human being. Those justified in the blood of Christ are first reckoned, not as having spiritual bodies, but as having bodies of flesh. Jesus’ sacrifice only restores man to what Adam lost; Adam did not lose a celestial, spiritual body; he lost a terrestrial, earthly, physical body. When Adam disobeyed, all of his offspring are counted in God’s sight in that disobedience. It would take another man, having a sinless body of flesh as Adam possessed before Adam sinned, a man outside of the condemnation in Adam, who could offset the condemnation of the human race that has about by mean’s Adam’s disobedience.

In Romans 8, it speaks of these as the sons of God; these sons of God were once of those sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-10), but they are made alive (reckoned / counted / imputed / considered [Strong’s #3049] justified and as alive -- Romans 4:3-24; 6:11) as new creatures [sons of God] in Christ (Romans 8:16,19) through faith in Jesus. (Galatian 3:26) Jesus, however, was never such a son of disobedience; his birth into this world was not under the condemnation of Adam, since it was God who had especially prepared Jesus’ body of flesh. (Matthew 1:20; Hebrews 10:5)

Those who walk after the flesh have their minds set on things of the flesh – the things seen; those regenerated as sons of God are to walk after the spirit and to have their minds set on the things of the spirit — that which is not visible, but seen by the eye of faith. The regenerated son of God is walking in the spirit, not walking in the sinful flesh, as the apostles says, “if the spirit [mind, disposition] of God dwells in [stays within] you,” in contradistinction to living to the flesh, and having sin dwelling in us. (Romans 7:17,20) The disposition (spirit) of Christ in the believer would mean that they would be following the likeness of the spirit that he has, as sons of God.

Jesus’ sacrifice was not that he stopped walking in the sinful flesh, for his flesh was never sinful, although he did take upon himself the likeness of sinful flesh, in that he suffered to pay the wages of sin as though he were a sinner. If Jesus’ sacrifice was that he stopped walking in the sinful flesh, that would mean that his flesh was sinful, and such a sacrifice would have been meaningless to pay the wages of sin. -- 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; Romans 5:6,8,12-19; 6:23;

The condemnation in Adam would have been eternal had Jesus not paid the wages of sin for Adam and the human race dying in Adam. Jesus’ sacrifice -- once given over to his God -- could not be taken back. Jesus did indeed sacrifice for eternity his human body of flesh (which was prepared by God -- Hebrews 10:5) with its blood, and presented that sacrifice to his God in heaven after his ascension, thus it was important for Peter to show that Jesus is no longer flesh and blood with the terrestrial glory (1 Corinthians 15:40) that is lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9), but that he now has the celestial glory of a spirit being, which he states is above the angels. -- Luke 22:19; John 6:51; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 9:24-26; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18,22.

So what did Jesus sacrifice for our sin? Was it not his flesh? (John 6:51) Was it not his human blood and body? (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19,20; Acts 20:28; Romans 3:25; 5:9; 1 Corinthians 11:24,25; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14,20; Hebrews 9:12,14; 10:10; 1 Peter 1:18,19; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; 7:14) Was it not his human soul? -- Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45 (Many translations render the Greek word for "soul" as "life" in some of these verses).

As a human, Jesus is dead forever; this has to be, else Jesus never completed the sacrifice to pay the wages of sin. (Romans 6:23) It should be plain by comparison of scripture that this is what is meant when Peter said Jesus died in the flesh, but was made alive in the spirit. He is no longer flesh, having a terrestrial glory a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9), since he has sacrificed his human flesh forever; he is now a spirit being highly exalted above the angels.

This is not to say that Jesus walked after the flesh while he was in the days of his flesh. (Hebrews 5:7), since he certainly was led, and he followed perfectly, God’s holy spirit (Ephesians 4:30) all the days of his flesh. (Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1,14; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 5:21) His walking in according with the Holy Spirit of his God was not, however, the suffering for sins that Peter spoke of. (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus maintained the human crown of glory unblemished by sin throughout the entire days of his flesh, else he could not have tasted death for all of mankind. -- Romans 5:12-19; Hebrews 2:9.

Related Restoration Light studies:

Raised in the Spirit

Jesus Died a Human Being, Raised a Spirit Being

The Manner of the Resurrection

Studies Written by Others:

Jesus No Longer Flesh - Now "That Spirit"
Re Christ's Resurrection
Who are "The Spirits in Prinson?"

Preaching to Imprisoned Spirits

The Risen Christ

How Jesus Preached to the Spirits in Prison