CHAPTER IV. Consideration of some passages of Scripture referring to the subject. 2 Cor. v. 19, reconciler, not the re conciled. BUT, it may be asked, are there not many God the passages in the Scriptures which seem decidedly to teach that forgiveness is bestowed only on those who believe in Jesus Christ? Let us examine some of these. Before doing so, however, let us consider attentively the general declaration contained in 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, 21: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing unto them their trespasses." I ought to observe that here, as indeed always in Scripture, God is spoken of as "reconciling "-never as "being reconciled." To reconcile is the act of an injured party who forgives; to be reconciled is the condition of one who has committed an offence, and has obtained forgiveness.1 1 Thus our Lord says (Matt. v. 23, 24), "If thou bring thy In this passage God is represented as declaring a purpose of forgiveness to every individual in the world-as breathing out forgiveness to all (not imputing to men their trespasses)— in order that the world might be reconciled to Himself. Immediately after the fall, He had made known His purpose of restoring the lost race through the instrumentality of the woman's seed. In the fulness of time the Deliverer came forth, and was declared to be no less than the only begotten of the Father,—the manifestation and expression of His nature,full of grace and truth. Christ is thus not only the proof and pledge of Divine love, but is also the appropriate organ through which that love may be dispensed to sinners. God manifested in Christ, therefore, is God revealed as the holy and gracious forgiver of sins. This is His attitude. All who see Him in this attitude must believe in His forgiving love. But sin hides the forgiving character of God gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee (hath ground of complaint against thee), leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother (obtain his forgiveness), and then come and offer thy gift.” from us; the accusations of conscience raise a cloud between God and the sinner. The forgiving love of God being manifested in the life and death of Christ declares itself to be a consuming fire to evil, and thus no heart which does not sympathise with the threatened destruction of evil, can possibly embrace cordially, or enjoy fully, the forgiveness of the gospel. So long, therefore, as a man chooses to keep his sin, so long he refuses to allow the forgiving love of God to enter his heart. In such circumstances, although God remains the same, -although He is still, as Luther calls Him, "the merciful forgiver of the sins of all men,' -yet the man can have no real peace, no true sense of forgiving love; and if he continues in this state through eternity, he must through eternity be a child of wrath, abiding in outer darkness. Therefore, when the light of God's reconciling countenance is first perceived shining through these veils and clouds and obstacles, although the forgiving love has been. always the same, yet the man may be said to be then first pardoned, because he then first admits or accepts the pardon. When one man loves another, that other is loved, whether he Acts iii. 19. accepts the love bestowed on him or not. In like manner, when God in Christ forgives the world, the world is forgiven, whether it accepts the pardon or not. refuser of human But as in the first case the kindness receives no joy and no benefit from it, though it has been bestowed, so, in the second case, those who understand not-or refuse to accept-God's pardon receive no joy,-no benefit from it, though it also has been bestowed. When the Saviour came into the world, St. John tells us, He came unto his own, and his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them who believed in his name." He came to the world, and pardon was and is proclaimed in him. Those who receive him receive the pardon in him; those who do not receive him do not receive the pardon. See also 1st John v. 11, 12. Let us now proceed to examine some of the passages which appear to represent pardon as a gift bestowed upon believing, or upon being baptized. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may That this interpretation of the latter clause is correct appears to me quite evident, from the fact that it is the first and not the second coming of our Lord which is here referred to -for his second coming is separately mentioned in the 21st verse. "To him give all the prophets witness, that Acts x. 43. whosoever believeth in him shall, through his name, receive the remission of sins." The word "receive" here has the same sense that it has in John i. 12, which has been already quoted: "He came to his own, and his own G |