p. 1 | A FALSE HOPE by I. D. Van Horn

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 7, 1869

A FALSE HOPE.

By I. D. Van Horn

UNIVERSAL salvation to eternal life of the whole human race, is a false hope. The Saviour has borne a decisive testimony against it. “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.” John iii, 36. Two classes are here brought to view, the believer and the unbeliever; and the contrast is drawn between them. The believers find life; but the unbelievers do not even see life. This cannot mean the present life, for both enjoy this; therefore it must be the future, eternal life. No one, I think, will deny this point.

Adam had life and death set before him in the garden of Eden. He had his choice, which made him a moral agent, and accountable to God, to be obedient and live, or be disobedient and die. The sad history of the world in the past, shows too plainly which he did. He sinned, and the result was, death to himself and to all his posterity. Rom. v, 12. If the parents possess a dying nature, the children cannot rise any higher in the scale of being, and, therefore, must possess the same. This explains the reason why the little innocent child suffers the pains of disease, and writhes in the agonies of death, as well as the veriest rebel against the government of God.

But, after the fall of Adam, a Saviour was promised, and another opportunity was given for man to obtain everlasting life. Salvation through Christ is now the only hope for man. Universalists believe this last expression; but they extend it to the whole race of mankind, irrespective of character. In this there is a fatal mistake. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John iii, 16. It is only the believer in Jesus that will receive the future life; all the rest will perish. Again Jesus says: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” Matt. vii, 21. How, then, can any one be saved that does not perform the will of the Father? The truth is, we must obey God, or be destroyed by his wrath.

But there are a few texts of Scripture upon which the Universalist leans to support his theory, some of which he will quote: “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” 1 John iv, 14. “And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Chap. ii, 2. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Heb. ii, 9. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For 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. ii, 3-6. “Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Rom. v, 18. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Cor. xv, 22.

Now if the above quotations of Scripture are taken in an absolute sense, without any reference to other portions of the divine word which are of equal authority, we array the Bible against itself, and thus destroy its divine origin. Let us take one of the above quotations and try it. “Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Rom. v, 18. Now, if this means justification to eternal life, without respect to our character here, then it conflicts directly with what the same writer has said in 2 Thess. i, 7-9: “And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” When our theory or opinion conflicts with any doctrine of the Bible, either our theory is wrong, or the Bible, one of the two. “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” Rom. iii, 4. All these texts can be explained, and made to harmonize with other portions of the word, by the following reasoning:

Adam and his posterity die because of his sin. Rom. v, 12. Jesus, the second Adam, introduces the plan of salvation to save man from his fallen state. In order to do this, he must take the penalty of Adam’s sin upon himself, and “taste death for every man.” Heb. ii, 9. He has bought back, by his blood, the life of Adam and all his posterity; for, had he not died and risen again, the consequences of Adam’s sin would have been eternal. 1 Cor. xv, 16-18. But now there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. Acts xxiv, 15. Jesus brings all, both righteous and wicked, from their graves. John v, 28, 29. The life they lost by Adam’s transgression is restored to them again by the Saviour. 1 Cor. xv, 22. In this we can see that Jesus is the Saviour of all men. All were condemned to death by the offense of Adam, but, by the righteousness of Christ, all will receive the free gift of life (not eternal life) by being raised from the dead.” Rom. v, 18.

The gift of immortality and eternal life is bestowed only on those who seek for it; but the wicked receive, as their portion in the Judgment, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. Rom. ii, 5-9. The righteous are raised to everlasting life, but the wicked to damnation. John v, 29. The righteous shout the victory over death because they are made immortal, 1 Cor. xv, 51-55; but the wicked fall in the second death, which holds an eternal victory over them. Rev. xx, 14, 15. There cannot be a second death unless there has been a death previous to it; and those who die the first death, cannot die the second, unless they have a resurrection from the first. The whole human race suffer the first death because of Adam’s transgression. All are brought back from this death by the resurrection, which is given to us in the plan of salvation through Christ. Those who confess and forsake their sins, and through the merits of Christ’s blood get them remitted, will receive the gift of immortality in the resurrection; but those who do not secure the favor of God through Christ, will be raised, only to suffer the second death for their own sins. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Eze. xviii, 20. Let us turn from our evil ways and live. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. vi, 23.

I. D. VAN HORN.