1. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned", Rom.5:12.
2. "Therefore as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift comes* upon all men unto justification of life. For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous", Rom.5:18,19. * eventually comes
3. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord", Rom.6:23.
4. The first great judgment (trial and sentence) was at the beginning, in Eden, when the whole human race, as represented in its head, Adam, stood on trial before God. The result of that trial was the Verdict--Guilty, disobedient, unworthy of life; and the penalty inflicted was death-"Dying, thou shalt die", Gen.2:17, margin. And so, "In Adam all die", 1Cor.15:22. That trial time in Eden was the world's first judgment day, and the decision of the Judge (Jehovah) has ever since been enforced. A140:1; Gen.3:1-24.
5. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness", Rom.1:18. It may be seen in every funeral procession. Every tomb is a witness to it. It is felt in every ache and pain we experience; all of which are results of the first trial and sentence; the righteous sentence of God, that we are unworthy of life and the blessings originally provided for man when obedient and in God's likeness. But mankind are to be recovered from the sentence of that first trial by the one sacrifice for all, which the great Redeemer provides. All are to be rescued from the grave and from the sentence of death, (destruction) which in view of the redemption is no longer to be considered death in the full, everlasting sense of the word, but rather a temporary sleep; because in the millennial kingdom, all will be awakened by the life-giver who will by that time have applied the merit of his sacrifice for Adam, for all. The Gospel Age is the trial-day for life or death to those called to the divine nature. A140:2
6. The Scriptures unequivocally testify that God created man in his own image and likeness, mental and moral; that man, an earthly being was the moral and intellectual image or likeness of his Creator, a spirit being. They declare his communion with his Creator in the beginning; they declare that his Creator approved him as his workmanship, and pronounced him very "good"; very acceptable, very pleasing; they show that the proposition of life or death was set before the perfect Adam, and that when he became a transgressor it was intelligent and willful act, inasmuch as it is declared that Adam "was not deceived." They declare the beginning of the execution of the death penalty. They record the progress for centuries of the death sentence upon the race. They point out how God revealed to faithful Abraham his purpose, his intention, not at once, but later on, to bring in a blessing to the race, which he declared he had cursed with the sentence of death. E22:1; Gen.1:31, 2:17, 3:23; 1Tim.2:14; Gen.12:3, 18:18, 3:17
7. God's purpose in connection with the creation of the world, and man as its inhabitant and Lord, and the lower animals as his subjects, has not been changed by reason of the permitted disobedience and fall; the original plan remains as at first. After the evil attempted by the Adversary shall be ultimately expunged, the divine plan, as originally designed, will be fully accomplished through Christ. The Church of this Gospel age, which shall be highly exalted and glorified as the Bride and joint heir of Christ, is an exception to the restitution of mankind; it is called out or selected for a special purpose, and is particularly tried and tested, fitted and prepared for high exaltation, joint-heirship with Christ--a change from the human nature to angelic nature, "far above angels, principalities and powers," partakers of the divine nature. E222:middle; A57:2; Isa.45:18.
8. This does not mean universal salvation, but it does mean universal opportunity for salvation. R5925