Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/110

 past and the present as the only opportunities, laying aside all hope through a restitution in the coming age, how shall we understand the statements, "God is love," and "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish ? v> (i John 4:8; John 3 : 16.) Would it not seem that if God loved the world so much he might have made provision, not only that believers might be saved, but also that all might hear in order to believe?

Again, when we read, "That was the true light thafr light- ed every man that cometh into the world " (John i : 9), our observation says, Not so ; every man has not been en* lightened ; we cannot see that our Lord has lighted more than a few of earth's billions. Even in this comparatively enlightened day, millions of heathen give no evidence of such enlightenment; neither did the Sodomites, nor multitudes of others in past ages.

We read that Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death "for every man." (Heb. 2:9.) But if he tasted death for the one hundred and forty-three billions, and from any cause that sacrifice becomes efficacious to only one billion, was not the redemption comparatively a failure? And in that case, is not the Apostle's statement too broad ? When again we read, " Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL PEOPLE " (Luke 2 : 10), and, looking about us> see that it is only to a "little flock" that it has been good tidings, and not to all people, we would be compelled to wonder whether the angels had not overstated the goodness and breadth of their message, and overrated the importance of the work to be accomplished by thfc Mes- siah whom they announced.

Another statement is, " There is one God, and one Medi- ator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all/ 1 (i Tim, a : 5, 6.) A ransom for

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