The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-12-29
Blood That Maketh an
Atonement for
the Soul
BY PASTOR RUSSELL
of Brooklyn Tabernacle

IAe dlldT 10 HldKo an dLOnemenC IOr your
souls; for it is the blood that maketh an
XVII, 9.
Ours is a day in which, more than
ever before, the statement of Dur text
is disputed-disbelieved-by Jews,
Gentiles and Christians. The great
Christian author, st. Paul, agrees ex-
actly with the words of Moses In our
text, saying: without the shedding
of blood there is no remission Of sins
(Hebrews 9:22). The orthodox Jew
and the orthodox Christian, therefore,
are in substantial agreement as to the
foundation of things and the unortho-
doX are in agreement of opposition.
The latter agree that there is no ne
cessity for sin atonement-that the
later thought of all the wise men of
the earth, the greatest ministers and
rabbits, is that there is no such thing
as original sin; hence could be no
such thing as necessity for %canceling
it-of making an atonement or salts
faction to justice on behalf of it.
All the worldly wise of Christen.
dom have reached the point Of repu-
dating the testimony of the Old Tes-
lament and the New respecting the
need of a sacrif1cial death for the sat-
isfaction of divine justice, the cancel
lation of sin and the restitution of
the sinner to divine favor. The claim
of the so-called new theologists repu-
dates the fall, repudiates the ransom
and repudiates a restitution to all that
was lost-claiming that nothing was
lost and all that we have is gain.
Thus the world and it's wisdom know
not God and appreciate not his ar
.rangement that, as death came upon
mankind through the sin of one man
(Adam), even so a restitution to life
should come to all men through
Christ-that "as all in Adam die, even
SO all In Christ shall be made alive"
These worldly wise cannot deny the
fact that there is sin in the world and
that there is death In the world and
that the tendency of all sin is toward
death. They cannot deny that death
is gaining a greater hold than ever
before upon u C Insane asy.
lums, prisons and reform schools show
that, Notwithstanding our educational
facilities and wonderful achievements
under the enlightening influences of
the new dispensation 10 dawning-
nevertheless, the insanity statistics
and the prison statistics and the phys
everything, our race is becoming men,
tally, morally and physically weaker
day by day. 1t is for them to explain
how these facts fit to their theory Of
evolution.
By the term Christian we refer to
those who intelligently believe the x
| PLANTATION of the Bible respecting sin,
that it is a violation of the divine law
and carries with it a penalty-that
Father Adam was created as sinless
as are the angels and as perfect as
they, only on a little lower plane of
being. Obedience was required of him
as the price of divine favor and ever
lasting life. Disobedience thrust him
from paradise into the unprepared
earth to wrestle with the thorns and
thistles, where the decree, Dying
thou shalt die" accomplished his exc
cution. His race was in his loins and
naturally shared by heredity his weak
nesses and death penalty, so that the
entire race is a dying race. But the
Creator was unwilling that Adam and
his children should die as brutes. God
did not revoke his decree of death MOI
give any intimation that he had done
~uniustly in condemning his creature.
He did, however, provide a way for
their relief. He provided that, as the
| first man alone had sinned actually, SO
one Redeemer alone would be neces'
sary for the race. And to him he. Of
fered a great reward, SO that his sac,
riice for sins would work out to his
own advantage, as we'll as to the sin
ner's. A part of the reward was the
high ex~altation to the heavenly ma
ture-far above angels, and the gift
| of the kingdom of earth necessary for
the overruling and subduing of the
spirit of rebellion in the world and for
the exaltation and uplifting from sin
and death conditions of all the willing
and obedient of Adams entire race.
But why should God require the
death of a victim as a basis for the
forgiveness Of the sins of Adam and
his race? We reply that Gods law
was intended to be an illustration of
the %exactness of divine justice. JUS
tice could not punish Adam nor his
children with everlasting torture or
any other of the horrible things we
once imagined. The severest penalty
of the divine law is represented in our
common law, which, as an extreme
penalty, requires the death of the
t~ransgressor.
After the divine reconciliation
comes human reconciliation. The great
Messiah will not require sacrifices
of humanity, but, OF the contrary, will
open the blind eyes and cause the
knowledge of the grace of God to
reach Adam and every member of his
race. Then all willing for reconcilia.
ton will be helped by the great Medi-
ator of the New Covenant and by Is
rael, his chosen people and earthly
rorreoontotivas The object To he ac.