What is the gospel of mercy and universal salvation?

In God’s approach to man in Christ the whole world comes into view. “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4), “Who will have all men to be saved.” “Who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:4-6). “And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). You can see at once that we are on entirely different ground from that which we were treading on the “upper line.” There the elect only are in view, here it is the grace of God to all men. “Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” The gospel is for every creature. The believer shall be saved. The despiser shall perish. The death of Christ has made salvation possible for every man. No one need perish, for in Christ God addresses all men alike in grace, and He makes no demand. Righteousness is not required, it has been found in Christ, and He is held out to men everywhere as a covering for their nakedness, and all are called, in the presence of this boundless grace, to repent and to believe in Christ, and to submit to Him in whom righteousness and salvation are. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved, for with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9-10). In all this it is the free grace of God to all men, and the truth as to election does not appear.

It is here that election does come in; not to limit the provision, nor to restrict in any wise the grace that bids and welcomes all, but to secure the blessing of those who otherwise would refuse and forfeit it as the rest do. The grace to all is not narrowed by the "grace upon grace" to many. The universal offer means and is based on a universal provision, and a provision of exactly the same character for all alike, in which God testifies that He has "no pleasure in the death of him that dies," but "will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." It may be asked, as it has been asked, Of what avail is a provision for all which saves not one additional to the elect number? The answer which Scripture would give is, "What if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith [or faithfulness] of God without effect? God forbid." The salvation of men is from God; the damnation of men is from themselves. This all the pleadings, warnings, offers of God affirm. And grace refused is still grace, and to be proclaimed to His praise.

But the reason goes deeper. "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who desires that all men should be saved:" speaking now of His gracious willingness. Not His counsels but His nature rises before us. We must be blind if we fail to see that a great point in these epistles is the good and loving nature of God, that would have us look at all men without exception. It is another thing, how far the counsels of God work, how far the effectual work of His grace is applied; but nothing alters God's nature. And this is true both in the spirit of grace that becomes the saints, and also in their zealous care for the glory of God. Hence he says: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men." This is always the ground and character of the First and Second of Timothy. It is not the Father and His family; it is God and man. And it is not merely God as He once dealt with Israel, for then this Mediator was not. There was a promise, but the Mediator of grace was not come. But now, apart from the heavenly relations that are ours, and much that we know and enjoy by the Holy Ghost in our hearts here below, there is this that needs to be looked after and maintained, that is, the public character — if we may so speak — of the Christian, and that which belongs to him thus broadly before men. It is the testimony of God as a Saviour God, of a God that has to do with men. Accordingly He has revealed Himself in a Mediator. Thus he speaks of Him: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own season. Whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not), a teacher of Gentiles in faith and truth."

How wondrously these few words express the breadth of God's heart - of "God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth!" The breadth of His heart, and the extent of His desire for all men in the present time. In passing I would just observe that the word here translated "will" - "who will have all men to be saved," etc. - signifies desire, wish, in the original, and not determination or decree. Were it the latter none could escape being saved. It is a different word from that used in verse 8, which has more the force of prescribe, or decree.

"For this [is] good and acceptable before our Saviour God, Who desireth that all men should be saved and come unto full knowledge (or, acknowledgment) of the truth" (vers. 3, 4). The spirit of the gospel the apostle would have to permeate the conduct as well as the heart of the saint. Activity in goodness becomes those who know our Saviour God, Whose own heart goes out in compassion toward all men, not alone surely in present mercies without number, but also that they might be saved. This however cannot be unless they come to the knowledge of the truth. Hence the gospel is sent out to all the creation. Here human weakness, if it be not worse, betrays itself. Those who believe in the large grace of God too often leave no room for His positive and living links of love with the elect, once children of wrath even as others. Those who are sure of the special nearness of God's family as often overlook what is patent here and elsewhere all over scripture — that love which Christ made known personally and proved triumphantly in His cross whereby it is free to flow out in testimony to all the world.

"Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him" (John 13:31). Now that His character as Judge of sin is vindicated in the expiatory death of His own Son, His love can freely go out to men on the express ground that they are ungodly, enemies, and powerless (Rom. 5:6-10). He is both able and willing to save the vilest, but not without acknowledgment of truth. Therefore He commands all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel; also the saints, while walking as members of the one body of Christ, are called to walk in love toward all, and to testify the love that can save any by the faith of Christ. If men are lost, it is through their own will opposing the truth; it is not God's will, Who, desiring their salvation, gave His Son, and has now sent His own Spirit from heaven that the glad tidings might be thus declared to them in the power of God our Saviour.

We have seen that the source of glad tidings is the heart of God, whose desire is that all should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). That all will not be saved is a certainty, for as long as the testimony of God is in this world there will always be those that believe, and those that believe not (Mark 16:16). But that does not alter the fact that the heart of God goes out to all in infinite goodness and genuine philanthropy.

Upon this ground, and to give express utterance to what is in the heart of God, the gospel is bidden to be proclaimed to "every creature." Men are assured that God "willeth not the death of a sinner," but that on the contrary He "will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." These testimonies are simple, and they deny that there can be any contrary decree of God hindering the salvation of any. The Redeemer's words as He wept over Jerusalem assure us that it is man's contrary will that resists God's will -" How often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"

Another error that has caused a difficulty as to 'election ' is the idea which some maintain that as some are ordained to eternal life, others likewise are fore-ordained by God to perdition, called 'reprobation.' But this is not taught in scripture — God desires that all men should be saved, 1 Tim. 2:4, and His election to life ensures that some will be. It was not before Esau was born, nor until long after he was dead, that it was said he was hated of God. Malachi 1:3. Some even judge that it refers, not to Esau personally, but to his descendants after their deeds had been fully manifested. Cf. Oba. 10; Ezek. 35.

A very little consideration will show that the translation of this scripture in our version cannot be accepted. Taking the latter clause as it stands, it would imply the salvation of all men, which manifestly is not the teaching of Scripture. The error of the rendering lies in the preposition "upon," which is given as the equivalent of the Greek word eis. There is no justification whatever for such a rendering, for the word means "into," "unto," "towards," etc., according to its connection; and there can be no doubt from its usage that "towards" would most nearly express in this place the sense of the original, that is, the mind of the Spirit. Thus read, the meaning is entirely changed. It will then run (we quote from the New Translation), "So then as [it was] by one offence towards all men to condemnation, so by one righteousness towards all men for justification of life."* Now then for the interpretation. First of all, it will be observed that the contrast is drawn between Adam's sin, "the offence of one," and "the accomplished subsisting righteousness" of Christ, together with the effect, or rather bearing, of each. The "offence" of Adam stretched out in its bearing towards all men for condemnation, inasmuch as all men came under the consequences of his fall. The righteousness of One (Christ), on the other hand, extended towards all men, in that the gospel which proclaimed it was to be preached to every creature under heaven. (Col. 1:23.) Whether souls came under its benefit and blessing depended upon another thing; viz., whether the glad tidings were received. We thus read, in chap. 3, that "the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ (is) unto (eis) all and upon (epi) all them that believe." While therefore the righteousness of One is "towards" all, it is only those that believe who receive justification of life, that justification which believers possess in virtue of having life in Him who is risen from the dead, a life which is out of and beyond death, and hence a life to which no condemnation could ever attach. (Chap. 8:1-3.) The application of the truth contained in v. 18 follows in the next verse; and it will be noticed that instead of "all men," where the bearing or scope of the respective actions is spoken of, we have now "many," when it is a question of application. This is to teach that the consequences - condemnation, and justification of life, being constituted sinners or righteous - are limited to those, on the one hand, connected with Adam, and, on the other hand, to those connected with Christ. Through birth into this world we are linked with Adam, and through faith we are associated with Christ, and then no longer under the penal consequences of Adam's offence.

"As by one act of offence [it was] unto all men for condemnation, (i.e., it was unto all men to condemnation,) even so by one accomplished righteousness [it was] unto all men for justification of life." So it runs literally. The meaning may be thus explained. Supposing you had only the one act of Adam by itself, it would have plunged all men into condemnation. On the other hand, the work of Christ in itself would have brought complete deliverance unto all men. But that is only the tendency towards or unto all men, not the actual effect upon them. Here, in this chapter, we have, in verse 18, the tendency; and in verse 19, the effect. "As by one man's disobedience [the] many were made sinners; so by the obedience of one shall [the] many be made righteous." "The many" who had to do with the one man that disobeyed were all men, because all were children of Adam; so by the obedience of Christ shall "the many" — His class — be made righteous. In the first clause, therefore, "the many" means all men; in the second, it means all saints. You could understand in the first clause "all men" but not in the second. The respective families of Adam and of Christ are instanced. "Therefore as by one offence [it was] unto all to condemnation, so also [it is] unto all to justification of life." It is the aim a thing would reach if unimpeded. If all had submitted to it — Christ's death and, rising again — they would have been justified; that was the tendency. But in verse 19, we have the positive result. "By the obedience of one shall [the] many [those who have to do with Him] be made righteous." Headship, first of Adam, then of Christ, is the great truth brought out here. "Justification of life" is the actual condition of a Christian. The life he now possesses is the life of Christ risen. And as there cannot be a question against Christ risen, so there cannot be one against the Christian.