1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

at Calvary is eventually to be made applicable to the sinsof the whole world, but not yet. It will not be madeapplicable to the whole world until after the gatheringout of the world--of all nations, classes--the Bride ofChrist, the "elect."In harmony with this we read that our Lord Jesusafter His resurrection ascended up on high, there to appearin the presence of God for us--for the household offaith--not for the world. Hence any blessing, and reconciliationwith God, any arrangement of Divine favorand everlasting life, is not open to the world, but merelyto believers, the "household of faith": "To us who believeHe is precious"; "We have an Advocate with theFather, Jesus Christ, the Righteous." Unbelievers haveno Advocate with the Father, and consequently have noforgiveness of sins, no reconciliation, but are still underthe condemnation of death. "We have escaped the condemnationthat is on the world."How fully these different texts of the Divine Worddovetail with each other and with the facts! We havepeace; the world has no peace. God is our Father; theworld is under condemnation, and are "children of wrath,"under sentence of death, and not recognized by the Creatorin the present time, although the Scriptures show us thatHe has very gracious plans and arrangements for mankindin general by and by--during the Messianic reign of Jesusand the Church, His Bride. Then, in this class, the Seedof Abraham (Gal. 3:29), all the families of the earth willbe blessed.THE WORLD IS NOT YET BOUGHTWould it be right, some one inquires, to say that theworld is "bought with a price"? We answer that it wouldnot be strictly right to say, but we need not quarrelwith those who fail to state the matter in exactly theproper language. Rather, we might surmise that they arespeaking of things that are not yet accomplished as thoughthey were already finished. God assures us that in duetime the price which our Lord laid down at Calvary willbe made applicable to the world under the gracious termsof the New Covenant, which He will make first withIsrael. Nevertheless, the point stands out clearly and distinctlythat thus far the Ransom-price has not yet beenapplied to any members of Adam's race except the householdof faith--believers. All things belong to these.Nothing belongs to the world as yet.The privilege granted to the Church through her greatRedeemer and Advocate is that His merit imputed to herpermits her to share with Him in His sacrifice of theearthly nature, and to become joint-heirs with Him inHis glorious arrangements of glory, honor and immortalityon the Divine plane.When we speak of the Church of the First-born weare to remember that the words carry us back to thetypical first-borns, who were delivered from death on