By the transgression of Adam, the whole of mankind were so entirely separated from God, that it was impossible for His love to justify any, (Rom. 3:25,2625Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:25‑26)) or even to visit—them with temporal mercies, unless some satisfaction were made to His justice. This will be admitted by all who feel the entire holiness of God and the exceeding sinfulness of sin.
But the world was still the object of love:—Christ fulfilled the gracious purpose of the Father, in making the needful satisfaction; — and hereby “where sin abounded, grace did more abound.” Sent by the love of the Father, He removed the “sin of the world” (John 12The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:2)) in such a sense, that the “riches of divine goodness, and forbearance and long-suffering,” (Rom. 22But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. (Romans 2:2)) were again open to man without any violation of the attributes of God. It is in this sense that the scriptures speak of an universal propitiation, (John 1:2929The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)., 1 John 2:22And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2).) by means of which, all men are, in an important sense, objects of the direct favor of God, “for He is the Savior of all men, specially of those who believe.”
This favor is manifested in many ways; “He giveth to all men food from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:1717Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. (Acts 14:17).) “He maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and upon the good, and sendeth His rain upon the just and upon the unjust.” He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil; but above all, He sends to all men the “report” (ακοη) concerning the salvation that is in Christ, and directs us to the gift of His Son for the proof of His love to the world.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him might not perish.”
“God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
“I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”
“Look unto me and be saved all ye ends of the earth.”
It is on the ground of this universal love, that we are commanded to go unto all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature—to say, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself; that is, that God has in the greatness of His mercy, left the position where instant wrath must have met every sinner that approached, and has placed Himself on the level of sinners, ready to receive all who came, simply on the ground of their being the sinful descendants of Adam. He receives them, “not imputing to them their trespasses,” but through faith justifying the ungodly. We are not addressed in the gospel message as being Jew or Gentile, male or female, elect or non, elect, but simply and solely, as being ruined children of Adam, as being OF the world; and thus, through every turn of our life, our title to mercy is substantiated, the unpardonable sin alone excepted.
Such then is the position in which the world is placed. It is loved by God, addressed by Him, and though not pardoned, as Mr. Erskine unscripturally says, yet assured that a pardon is prepared and certain for all who come. “Therefore, let him who heareth, say, come; and let him that is athirst, say, come; and whosoever will, let him come and take of the fountain of the water of life freely,”
The barrier then, which the righteous holiness of God had necessarily raised, is altogether broken down, for the world as well as for the Church, by the propitiation of Christ Jesus, which is therefore, in this sense—universal. Nevertheless, mankind are not reconciled to God, for they continue to maintain THEIR barrier against Him.
And what was true of Jerusalem is now true of the world— “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings) and ye would not.”
It is the rejection of love which is the world’s condemnation; it is this that will judge them at the last day. The light, even the light of God’s love hath shone upon them: “but they love darkness rather than light;” they strengthen their barrier against God, and make His word of life, a “savor of death unto death.” The barrier is man’s perverse will, strong enough to have prevented one single individual from being saved: strong enough to have frustrated the manifestation of love in Christ, if God did not interfere by a second act of special grace, whereby He removes the barrier from some, though not from all, and plucks the Church “like a brand from the burning.”
Accordingly, He chose the Church unto salvation in Christ. He identified them with Him, both in His death and in His resurrection. (Rom. 6) “Christ bore all their sins in His own body on the accursed tree.” (Gal. 3:1313Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13).) He sanctified them by the offering of His body on the cross; (Heb. 10:10-1210By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:10‑12)., and Psa. 14He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (Psalm 2:4‑6). 5.) and as the result of this, the Spirit, as the earnest of their inheritance, is sent into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father. All these things are true of the Church only, and not of the world.
And here, we should remark the entire submission of the Son to the Father, as to the reward of His service. The Son does not choose those who should be saved, but the Father; no definite assignment as to the character or extent of the reward is determined, but all is left to the love of the Father who sent Him. Thus in Isa. 49 the Son is thus addressed by the Father: “Thou art my servant O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” Then said I, (since Israel has rejected me) “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.” Here is the entire consignment of all, into the hands of His Father; and His faith is not unanswered: “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.” Even as respects the literal Israel, the work shall not utterly fail; “but it is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.” In the days of His flesh also, when Jesus beheld the apparently total failure of His ministry among the Jews, the thought on which His soul rested, was this— “all that the Father giveth me shall come unto me.” “I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
It is deeply important, not to despise either of these branches of truth. Our own souls, and the souls of others must suffer thereby. If we do not see the universal love of God to the world, we shall, in the first place, lose the mainspring of encouragement to preach the gospel, and contract an evil narrowness of mind, from which we ourselves shall surely suffer great loss; secondly, we shall obscure the view of the malignity of man’s aversion to God, as shown in the rejection of His free and costly love; and lastly, we shall inadequately appreciate the second act of God’s mercy, in the unmerited rescue of the Church, who like the world, condemn them. serves by the rejection of Christ.
The new responsibility under which man is placed, by the extent of the propitiation of Christ, cannot be marked too strongly. Man is now dealt with in grace, upon the acknowledged principle of having sinned and come short of the glory of God; and this on the ground of the work of Christ.
While therefore, through this work of God’s own graciousness He is enabled to present Himself to men in the blessed position of not imputing their trespasses unto them, yet, the fearful character of wrath to the unbeliever, immediately results from it; because he is judged, not merely as a rebel against God, for there are the means of reconciliation for that, but as a despiser of God’s goodness and love. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.”
On the other hand, if we do not see the peculiarity and perfectness of God’s love towards the Church, as detailed for example in the first two chapters of the Ephesians, we shall want that firm steadfastness in the faith, which is derived through the knowledge that Christ has purchased the Church to a sure and certain salvation, with everything that is necessary, as means or conditions, freely provided and freely given. “By grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast; for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”