AN INTERESTING QUESTION

NOT BY RIGHT, STILL BY GRACE

Question.--Did Christ's death give to every person a right to a resurrection?

Answer.--No! Christ's death gave nothing to any person except to Christ Himself. Our Lord's faithfulness unto death gave Him a right to a better resurrection, according to the Father's promise. Having received that better resurrection, He no longer needs the earthly life and earthly rights, which He "laid down" in obedience to the Father's Program. However, since He did not forfeit those earthly rights, and did not give them away, they are still His.

Not needing them Himself now, because He has the better, the spiritual, as His reward, the Lord has those earthly rights in the Father's hands to His credit on the books of Justice. He is holding that credit on the books of Justice, and intends, according to the Father's arrangement, to use it in due time for the purchase of the world. In the end of this Gospel Age, He will present the merit of His sacrifice "for all people." We are assured that [R5300 : page 255] it will be accepted by Justice and that all mankind will come forth, will be turned over to the Redeemer, who will then take unto Himself His great power and will reign for a thousand years, as the Mediator between God and man. This mediation will reach mankind through Israel, with whom the New Covenant will be inaugurated.

While waiting for the time to come when He shall give His earthly rights as a Restitution blessing to mankind, the Redeemer in carrying out the Father's Program makes use of His merit in the interest of those whom the Father draws and calls to be the Church of the First-borns. To each called and obedient one who turns from sin and presents his body a living sacrifice to the Father, the Redeemer, as his Advocate, imputes a sufficiency of His Merit to make the sacrifice acceptable. Then, as soon as the sacrifice is accepted and completed, the imputed merit of Christ will be thereby freed and returned, so that in the end of the Age, after the Church has been assisted by the imputation of Christ's merit, the original amount in the hands of Justice will be unimpaired--sufficient for the sins of the whole world--sufficient to give Restitution blessings to Adam and all of his posterity.