Things Most Surely Believed As To - Redemption 4

By Joseph L. Watkins

In our studies of The Great Work of God in Christ Jesus in "The Reconciliation," we learned that all sin of all men had been borne away by Christ Jesus. The One Holy God of all creation is now fully "satisfied" as we read in 1 John 2:1-2: "Jesus Christ the righteous (One) He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of "the whole world".

The man that hears this, and believes this Divine Decoration is identified of God with Christ Jesus, the righteous One, and is re-born of God in Christ Jesus, and will one day be restored to life in "The Resurrection" and: "he that believeth - not - shall not see life ... but the wrath (judgment) of God abideth on him."  John 3:36

Now we have set this in your mind to help understand that as we deal with the great subject of The Redemption of God in Christ Jesus, we have been taken beyond the sins of men. Even the redemption we have in Eph. 1:7 and Col. 1:14 is a reference to that which we are said to have already.

Yes, we have been forgiven our sins, and we have been delivered from the power of sin - however "The Redemption" that is being set forth in the post-Acts revelation of Paul is taking us away beyond - "The Sin Question".

I have rehearsed what a learner of truth may have to share - now I would like to set before you what a Teacher of Truth has to say of the matter. See Ber. Exp. Vol. 14, pg. 17: "It will be remembered that we pursued the theme of Redemption - up to a certain point ... then called a halt ... for a wider survey of the purpose of the ages. This we felt to be necessary, as many parts of the great purpose of redemption can only be understood in light of the greater purpose of the ages. We realized ... our investigations must take us back long before the fall of man to fine the seat and cause of trouble out of which we can be delivered only by The Redemption."

We turn now to Ber. Exp. Vol. 17, pg. 25: "The confusion (for such we believe it to be) is in measure due to the fact that one side of truth has been apprehended at the expense of the other."

We turn now to Ber. Exp. Vol. 17, pg. 29: "lie have ... searched the Scriptures, and have to record that out of all the places where "paddah and gaal" occur, but one passage definitely associates redemption with iniquity ... Ps. 130:8. There is no place where redemption is ever said to be for or from sin or sins. Now this statement is so opposed to popular teaching ... that many will feel impelled to put the matter to the test before going further."

jlw