In Adam all die, in Christ shall all be quickened

How to Talk to Other Christians about Jesus’ Ransom Sacrifice
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“Christ Jesus ... gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6).

First, we must determine to discuss with others in a good spirit worthy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we may consider ways to discuss with other Christians how Jesus Christ gave himself a ransom for all.

A majority of Christians know that in some way or another Jesus Christ died “once for all,” or did “taste death for every man.” Calvinists believe his sufferings provided the atonement and that he atoned only for the elect. Others think God simply forgives sin, raising the question, Why did Jesus have to die? If we can agree that the word of God is the final authority, we can peaceably discuss it from the Scriptures alone.

Talking about Christ’s Ransom Sacrifice

Adam sinned and his penalty was death. That death penalty passed down to all of us, his children, for we were all in Adam when Adam sinned (Romans 5:12).

But Isaiah 51:10-11 prophesied, Jehovah “hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over ... the redeemed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.” That ransom was provided by the perfect man, Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.

It is now reasonable to ask, if Jesus Christ died once for all, then should not all benefit? (Hebrews 7:27).

What Makes the Atonement for Original Sin?

“For since by a man cometh death, by a man cometh also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be {1} made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22 RVIC).{2} Therefore Adam and all who have ever been born from him will be released from the Adamic penalty of death.

Someone may say, Even so in Christ shall all who believe be quickened, or made alive. But we may ask, Do only those who believe die in Adam? So does not “all” mean all?

Paul confirms this teaching in Romans 5:18-19 (RVIC), “So then as through one trespass condemnation cometh unto all men; even so through one act of righteousness justification of life cometh unto all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.”

Evidently, Adam sinned and brought death to himself and all his posterity. Just as evidently, Jesus Christ sacrificed his perfect human life to substitute in death for Adam and consequently all his posterity. Every person who has ever been born will be released from the Adamic penalty, whether in this age or in the next.

What could satisfy justice better than a perfect life sacrificed (Christ’s), substituting for a perfect life forfeited (Adam’s)? an exact corresponding price, a “ransom?”

Someone may object: But it would be wrong to give anyone a second chance! Then we may ask, Would that be worse than denying anyone any chance at all? What about the mentally unbalanced or defective, who simply have not the capacity to believe or disbelieve?

Someone may acknowledge that Jesus Christ — the Son of man — came “to give his life a ransom for many,” but qualify it as not for most. Yet Paul clarified it, Christ Jesus “gave himself a ransom for all” (Matthew 20:28, 1 Timothy 2:5-6).

That Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death atones for original sin is further confirmed by Paul, “we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10), and “you ... hath he [Jesus] reconciled in the body of his flesh through death” (Colossians 1:21-22).

Individual Sin vs. Original Sin

Individuals suffered for their sins in Jesus’ day, just as people today also take risks and get hurt. Jesus forgave the sins of some by healing them from the ill effects, as when he said, “thy sins be forgiven thee,” “Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house,” and “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (Matthew 9:2-6, John 5:5-14). But to ransom Adam (and hence all his progeny) from death still required Jesus’ death.

What about Christ’s Sufferings?

One may inquire: Does not 1 Peter 3:18 (KJV) prove that sufferings provide the atonement? “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”

However, suffering for sins (plural) would suggest something other than the Adamic sin (singular). Moreover, a wide majority of best manuscripts say “died for sins,” rather than “suffered for sins,” to which Rotherham, NAS, RSV, NEB, Complete Jewish Bible, Weymouth and several others agree (usually with a note that many other manuscripts read “suffered”).{3}

Matthew 16:21 (and Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22) says, “Jesus ... must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes,” but it continues, “and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Here it does not say “suffer” apart from “be killed,” nor specifically mention atonement (or equivalent).

Paul said, “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him ... in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:9-10). Only the suffering of death made Jesus a substitutionary atonement. Otherwise, the sufferings were for Jesus’ training for his future work as high priest on behalf of mankind. “Yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Not that Jesus was ever disobedient, but he learned the full measure of obedience, as one goes to school in order to learn arithmetic or calculus.

The Mercy Seat

The Apostle tells us, “Jesus Christ the righteous ... is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). The Greek word translated “propitiation” is related to the word for “mercy seat” — the gold covering of the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle — where the blood was sprinkled in the shape of a cross. The Atonement Day sacrifice foreshadowed Jesus Christ’s sacrifice — the ransom for all.

Joseph — A Foregleam of the World’s Savior

Joseph in Egypt was a type of the world’s savior. First he rose in authority under Potiphar. Then humbled in prison he again rose in authority. Finally he was exalted to the #2 position in all Egypt, and then saved the world round about. Jesus is the true world’s savior. As the Logos, he rose in authority by joining with God in creating all other beings. Then, at his advent on Earth, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52 ASV) to give himself a ransom for all. Finally, he was exalted to the number two position in the entire universe, from which he will save the whole world; he will resurrect and restore them to the perfection lost in Eden.

Summary

Jesus Christ died a ransom for all. Therefore all will be released from Adamic sin and its associated condemnation. As a result, all will have the opportunity to fully learn righteousness; first the faithful church in the Gospel Age, and then the entire rest of the world in the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ.

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(1) Or, be quickened. Cf. verses 36, 45; John 5:21, Romans 8:11.

(2) RVIC (Revised Version Improved and Corrected; accessible at {www.heraldmag.org}, among other websites) and Rotherham are cited for greater precision of translation.

(3) GNT (U.B.S. “Greek New Testament”) has given the Greek text both ways, the 1st edition, “died” (with considerable doubt), but with two of the four committee members replaced by three new ones, the 4th edition reads “suffered” (with some doubt).