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Chosen no: R-726 b, from: 1885 Year. |
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The Lordship Of Christ.
Lord signifies master, ruler, governor. Lordship
signifies dominion, power, authority...."For to this end Christ both died
and rose and revived, that he might be Lord, both of the dead and living." Rom. 14:7-9.
1. The fact is stated "Christ is Lord of
both living and dead."
2. How he became Lord: By death and
resurrection.
3. Our responsibility: Being his we ought to
obey him.
The reference in this text is to Christians,
Christ DIED FOR ALL, and therefore has a claim upon the obedience of all. A
Christian is one that recognizes the claims, and
yields obedience.... His power over mankind is secured by the Ransom.
Definition:--
Ransom (verb), to recover by
paying the price.
Ransom (noun), the price paid
for recovery.
The ransom has relation to the thing bought as
its equivalent. Note the value of Christ's death. "There is one God, and
one Mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus, who gave himself a
ransom for all to be testified in due time." 1 Tim. 2:5,6. Human for human is the legal
ransom. He became a man that he might "give his life
(Gr., psuchee--the
natural life), a ransom for many." Matt. 20:28. It was the human life. "We see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of
death;... that he by the grace of God might taste death for every man. Heb. 2:9.
"He took not the nature of angels, but he
took on him the seed of Abraham." Ver. 16.
This enabled him both to sympathize with and to
redeem. "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself took part of the same (not that he might die for himself, as one
of us, but) that through death he
might destroy...the devil and deliver" from death those who, while they
lived, were afraid to die. (See verses 14,15.) It
was not the pre-existent life; but, "A body hast
thou prepared me.... Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.... By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb. 10:5-10. "Since by man (Adam) came
death, by man (Christ) came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made "alive." 1 Cor. 15:21,22. The making "alive" of
the 22d is clearly the raising "of the dead" of
the 21st.... He hath "abolished death (by the ransom) and brought LIFE AND
IMMORTALITY to light." 2 Tim.
1:10. He gives life to all, "And
became the author of ETERNAL salvation unto
all them that obey him." Heb. 5:9.
Truly, Christ is Lord of all--angels, men,
conditions and things. God in Christ is our Redeemer and Saviour. Our
dependence is well established by the Word. [R727
: page 6]
He has the highest claims on our hearts and
lives, on account of the RANSOM PAID and the glorious expression of his love in this and
all else he does for US.
May a "patient continuance in
well-doing" secure for US the "glory and honor and immortality"
which he has promised. Rom. 2:7.
J. H. PATON.
[The above is a reprint from our issue of
December, 1879. It gives evidence that the teaching of the TOWER on this
fundamental doctrine of the Ransom is now the same that it was then. It should
be remembered also, while contrasting the statement above with some quoted in
our last from "An Inconsistent Contemporary," that the definitions given
above, once true, cannot change with the changing theories of men. We hope the
above extract will have a second careful reading, as it treats an important
subject truthfully and forcibly. --EDITOR.]
W.T. R-726b : page 6 -1885r