Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/162

 156 The Plan of the Ages.

"As by the offence of one, judgment came upon alt men to condemnation, even so by righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. " (Rom. 5 : 18, 19.) The proposition is a plain one : As many as have shared death on account of Adam's sin will have life-privileges offered to them by our Lord Jesus, who paid their penalty to Justice, who became Adam's substitute before the broken law, and thus "gave himself a ransom for all. " He died, " the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." (i Peter 3: 18,) It should never be overlooked, however, that all of God's provisions for our race recognize the human will as a factor in the securing of the divine favors so abundantly provided. Some have over- looked this feature in examining the text just quoted Rom. 5:18, 19. The Apostle's statement, however, is that, as the sentence of condemnation extended to all the seed of Adam, even so, through the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Father's plan, by the sacrifice of him- self on our behalf, a free gift is extended to all a gift of forgiveness, which, if accepted, will constitute a justifica- tion or basis for life everlasting. And "as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be [not were\ made righteous. ' ' If the ransom alone, without our acceptance of it, made us right- eous, then it would have read, by the obedience of one many were made righteous. But though the ransom has been given by the Redeemer and has been accepted by Jehovah, only a few during the Gospel age have been, though many dur- ing the Millennial age will be, made righteous justified " through faith in his blood." Since Christ is the propitia- tion (satisfaction) for the sins of the whole world, all men may on this account be absolved and released from the

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