1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

12.07.2015 Views

R710 : page 2for a loaf of bread, or pay a year's laborfor a clearing. This is nothing short ofthe commercial and only usage of theword bought.The cost is whatever is NECESSARY toprocure the thing desired, whether it bea son, a farm, or a race. Jesus boughtus with his own precious blood [his sacrificedlife] whatever may have been theattendant circumstances, by which thisresult was accomplished [such as leavingthe heavenly glory, humbling himself tobecome a man, etc.,] the fact remains,that all those incidentals were not theprice; they merely enabled, or were thenecessary preparation, for giving theprice. The price was his death--He"suffered [death] the just for the unjustTO BRING US TO GOD. (1 Pet. 3:18.)The question arises, Did Jesus givetoo much? Did he give more than wasneedful to procure the results attained--the liberation of man from sin and death.To say that the sacrifice of Jesus--hisdeath--was not necessary, is not only tocharge him with folly, but to deny thoseScriptures which state that the givingup of his life was the price of one ransom.If the thing given was the price, thenour price or cost of our liberty from deathwas Jesus' death. Now follow the trainof reasoning--The reason he died, wasthat we as a race were all under the dominionof death and his aim was to setus free from sin and death. Why didhe not set us free without becoming aman? Because Jehovah's just penalty,death, rested upon us all, and his justiceis as unalterable as his love. Why didnot Jesus die as a spiritual being withoutbecoming a man? Because it was men,who were condemned and God's lawdemanded a corresponding price. Whythen did Jesus become a man? It wasthat he by the grace [favor, love, kindness]

of God, should taste death for everyman. Was this an equivalent or correspondingprice for an entire race? Yes,when God condemned all because ofone man's transgression, it was in orderthat as a result of one man's [Jesus']obedience even unto death, he mightdeliver the race from condemnationwhich was upon all through one man'ssin. Was not the death of Christ anexample of resisting evil? It was that,but it must have been more; for manyprophets and righteous persons resistedevil unto death, and they would haveanswered for examples, if nothing morehad been needed. What more wasneeded than to be shown by a good example,to refrain from sin? Much more,for even if it were possible for all men tolive spotlessly, still there was the penaltyof sins that were past--which came uponall and continued upon all until Jesus"bare our sins in his own body on thetree." Could not something else meetthe requirements and lift from men thepenalty? No, without shedding of bloodthere is no remission of sins. Heb. 9:22.So then, Jesus gave none to great aprice, but one which corresponded exactly,with the penalty, viz.:--man'sdeath. "Wherefore God also hath highlyexalted him and given him a name[power, and authority, and honor] whichis above every name." "He [now] isLord of all." Phil. 2:9; Acts 10:36.Again we quote our contemporary:"Paul says that Christ redeems us fromall iniquity (Titus 2:14). Now, if toredeem from death means to give deatha substitute, then to redeem from iniquitymeans to give iniquity a substitute.Will any one claim that Christ gave himselfa substitute for iniquity?"Such sophism is not really worthy ofrefutation. Sin and iniquity are twonames for the same thing. When deathpassed upon the race, it brought with it

R710 : page 2for a loaf of bread, or pay a year's laborfor a clearing. This is nothing short ofthe commercial and only usage of theword bought.The cost is whatever is NECESSARY toprocure the thing desired, whether it bea son, a farm, or a race. Jesus boughtus with his own precious blood [his sacrificedlife] whatever may have been theattendant circumstances, by which thisresult was accomplished [such as leavingthe heavenly glory, humbling himself tobecome a man, etc.,] the fact remains,that all those incidentals were not theprice; they merely enabled, or were thenecessary preparation, for giving theprice. The price was his death--He"suffered [death] the just for the unjustTO BRING US TO GOD. (1 Pet. 3:18.)The question arises, Did Jesus givetoo much? Did he give more than wasneedful to procure the results attained--the liberation of man from sin and death.To say that the sacrifice of Jesus--hisdeath--was not necessary, is not only tocharge him with folly, but to deny thoseScriptures which state that the givingup of his life was the price of one ransom.If the thing given was the price, thenour price or cost of our liberty from deathwas Jesus' death. Now follow the trainof reasoning--The reason he died, wasthat we as a race were all under the dominionof death and his aim was to setus free from sin and death. Why didhe not set us free without becoming aman? Because Jehovah's just penalty,death, rested upon us all, and his justiceis as unalterable as his love. Why didnot Jesus die as a spiritual being withoutbecoming a man? Because it was men,who were condemned and God's lawdemanded a corresponding price. Whythen did Jesus become a man? It wasthat he by the grace [favor, love, kindness]

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