"He gave His Only Begotten Son"

Of all sacred Scripture, there is none more familiar nor more beloved than John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Simply believe, we are told, and our faith in Jesus Christ will save us. Certainly, no Christian will deny this, though some groups may point out and stress additional requirements. It is not the purpose here to discuss additional requirements, but rather to consider the free gift and how we are saved by faith. Perhaps the matter is so simple that it does not merit consideration. There are so many perplexing problems; should we not devote available time and energy to the more complex? Paradoxically the simplest problems are often the most difficult to understand. Comprehension of basic truths is usually essential to understanding of higher concepts. Thus it is impossible to master algebra or trigonometry until we understand addition and multiplication.

"Believe and thou shalt be saved." Believe what? Can faith in God the Father save us? How can the death of One save billions? If He saved us by His Son’s death, then why must we believe? Do we need to be saved?

In his sinless state Adam had no need of a Saviour. Father Adam was in a heart and mind condition in which it was possible to live sinlessly. In fact, until the fatal transgression, he did live sinlessly. It may have been only months after he was created, or it might have been several years; we have no record, but he did live without sin. But when Adam disobeyed, an incomprehensible change came over him. From that moment on it was impossible to live sinlessly. He was lost; he was in a dying condition. His state, in so far as any effort on his part was concerned, was hopeless; he was condemned.

Why could not Adam by willpower, by works and effort, overcome his tendency to sin, live down his condition and come out from under condemnation? True, many leading denominations teach this very thing. We see the glory of God, they say, through the eye of faith, and through the wonders of creation. The goodness of it, the splendour, the selfless life, and death of Jesus of Nazareth, draw us to emulation. Through an unparalleled example, they say, we are inspired to do our best, magnify our willpower and effort, and in time come to live a nearly perfect life. Thus, many teach, we are saved. Likewise, non‑Christian faiths use the same method—emulation of great historical leaders.

The true Christian faith, however, first recognises Adam’s total inability to save himself through any effort or willpower of his own. No matter how great, no man can save himself; no man can save his brother. In so far as the sacred record reveals, there is but one way out of Adam’s dilemma, his condemnation. He has nothing with which to pay his debt. So God the Father, in his great love and mercy provided a way. "He gave his only begotten Son." Jesus was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev.13:8) In short, Jesus took Adam’s place. Jesus died instead of Adam, thus setting Adam free, thus paying the penalty in full. He "gave himself a RANSOM for all." (1 Tim.2:6)

When Adam sinned, he carried the whole human race in his body in a representative sense. When he was condemned, the whole race was condemned, though still unborn. When a human reproductive cell divides off from the parent cell to start a new life, each cell is part of the original sinful, condemned organism. The new life is therefore under condemnation at the moment of conception.1 Cor.15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." Rom.5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Note especially that "all have sinned." All, that is, who live to see the light of day and reach any significant age. They sin because of an inherited nature. They cannot help sinning. There are no exceptions!

Rom.5:12 is worthy of another close look. The expression "death passed upon all men" is significant. Death passes, not at age 21 or as a child or even at birth, it is inherited! It passes at conception, at the union of male and female cells to form a new life. It is primarily the result of the sins of the individual. Witness the fact that many infants die prior to birth, before there is any possibility of personal sins, and yet they die! True, all who do live sin personally, which sin is added to the original sin, but each individual is fully, completely and hopelessly lost even before birth, had Christ not come.

Jesus is especially clear in his statements of this truth. John 3:18 "He that believeth on him (Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." And again in 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." And John 3:3. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Believe and thou shalt be saved! We are now in a position to consider the question: believe in what? What must we believe in to be saved? Will believing in itself and works save us? Will believing in the law, the prophets, the great religious leaders? Will believing in Jehovah God, without Christ, save us? First, we must recognise our inherited condemnation and our personal sinfulness. Then we must recognise that Jesus died to take our place. "Who gave himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim.2:6), a redemptive price—the ransom. In connection with kidnappings, the term "ransom" is commonplace. It is the price paid for the one abducted. Jesus, in our place, himself served as the redemptive price, the ransom. "Even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matt.20:28) "Who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:14)

That all humans regardless of age, colour, education, abode on the earth, historical era or other factors are condemned, and need a saviour, a ransom, is aptly proven by the following: 2 Cor.5:14 "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, THEN WERE ALL DEAD." Could anything be clearer? All were in God’s sight dead, condemned to death. So Christ died for all. ALL! He gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Heb.2:9. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." 1 Pet.2:24. "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye (we) were healed." We must then first realise that we are lost and that Christ redeemed us from all iniquity, gave himself a ransom for each of us personally, all of us. This then, is the faith that saves us! "Ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price." (1 Cor.6:19‑20 RV) It is faith in the One who gave himself to save us—Jesus of Nazareth, the only begotten Son.

But did not our Heavenly Father give his Son as our ransom? Could not faith in the Father, apart from Jesus, save us also? Was not his sacrifice of love as great, his suffering as great, as that of Jesus? Did not He redeem us with the gift of his Son? Perhaps to our finite human minds this would seem a reasonable assertion. However we have the unqualified statement found in Acts 4:12 to the contrary. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." There is but one name given. Jesus Christ is the one who died for us—who took our place. He it was who paid our debt. His is the only name in which our faith can save us.

How can the death of one man pay the penalty for millions? No one has any approximation of the number of humans who have been conceived since Adam’s creation. Some estimate it at twenty to forty thousand millions. Someone recently as much as seventy‑seven thousand millions. How can One vicariously take the place of many millions? When Adam transgressed, he brought condemnation on the whole race, then within his body, though yet unformed though they numbered many millions. In the same way, when Jesus died and redeemed Adam, He redeemed the whole race along with Adam just as though they were yet unborn. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor.15:22) This does not mean that all will be saved; merely that all will come up out of their graves. "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth." (John 5:28‑29)

"So then as through one trespass the (Adamic) judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the FREE GIFT came unto all men to justification of life." (Rom.5:18 RV) In short, when Adam sinned, and the whole race with him, we personally died. When Jesus died in Adam’s stead, He redeemed not only Adam but the whole race. He redeemed us personally.

Now where does faith enter in? If Christ saved us at Calvary roughly two thousand years ago why do we need to believe? How can faith save us?

Though Christ died for us nearly two thousand years ago, and paid our penalty, both for inherited sinfulness and our own transgressions and omissions, we must still hear and believe. He paid it all, but until we hear and believe we are not free we are still in our sins. The reason the Bible can truthfully state: "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved", (Acts 4:12) is now discernible. Jesus died to save us. But only hearing and believing can make it effectual. Did Confucius die for us? Could he, himself a sinful man, have paid the full price? Could Mohammed? Could any but the sinless Son of God?

There is a popular teaching abroad today that the doctrine of the ransom is outmoded, that it has been superseded by "more modern theories of the atonement." Unfortunately, this is too true in some quarters. But not in God’s word. In holy writ man is more in need of a Saviour today than ever! More in need of a Redeemer! These are perilous times, of seducing spirits, of gross darkness. The Greek words antilutron—ransom, and lutron—also rendered ransom, unlike many Greek words, have but one meaning. That is "Ransom," a redemptive price. In addition the word redeem, in its several forms, is used twenty times in the New Testament alone. To deny the ransom, that we were in need of redemption, that Christ redeemed us with his precious blood is no less than to deny the Christian faith! True, it is but the first step in the process of atonement. But redemption is the very foundation of Christianity. Without it we are, without exception, in this age or any age lost; hopeless, perishing in our sins.

Great as it is, the priceless gift bringing salvation by faith in that gift, does not constitute all of the Gospel. Rather it is the stepping stone to the high and heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus. To those who hear and heed goes the promise of sonship, participation in the Divine nature, heirship of God and joint heirship with Christ, to be seated with him in his throne, and to live and reign with him a thousand years. The saints will judge both men and angels. The mind of man is utterly unable to comprehend the glory and honour which God has in store for his own.

March / April 1984