1. God desires all men to be saved, and to come to an accurate knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, that man, Christ Jesus who gave himself a corresponding price in behalf of all, to be testified in due time. 1Tim.2:4-6; Rev. 22:17; Article 11:3
> 2. "Bible students have found the Ransom to be the key which unlocks the entire Bible--which decides at once what is truth and what is error", EF:3; A57:2; (R5890-5891 1916 May)
3. "The Ransom looms before us more grandly with every fresh ray of Divine Light", EF:4; A171:3; SM69-76.
4. "Now" we see that our Lord Jesus left the Heavenly glory that he might accomplish a ransoming work for Adam and his race. We see that his change of nature from a spirit to a human being was with a view to enabling Him to be a Ransom-price; a perfect man for a perfect man, "Antilutron," a corresponding price. We "now" see that Jesus gave Himself to be a Ransom-price for all at the time of His consecration at thirty years of age at Jordan. He continued in giving the Ransom-price, that is, in laying down His life, which in due time would constitute the Ransom-price for Father Adam and the race. He finished this work of laying down His life, surrendering it, sacrificing it, permitting it to be taken from Him, when He on the cross cried: "It is finished!" (John 19:30) Nothing more could be laid down than was there laid down-- a Ransom, a corresponding price, for Father Adam. But it was not paid over as a price in settlement of Adam's account, else Adam and the entire sinner race would then and there have been turned over to Jesus. The price was merely laid in the hands of Divine Justice as a deposit, to the credit of the One who had died, that he might apply it later in harmony with the Divine Plan. Our Lord Jesus was raised from the dead a spirit being of the Divine nature, as a reward for His faithfulness and loyalty to God in surrendering His earthly life sacrificially*. "Him hath God highly exalted and given a name above every name", Phil.2:9; EF:5; F40:2; E328:1 *Our lord resurrected to the divine nature
5. Jesus could not make any use of the Ransom- price while still on earth. He could not even bring His disciples into fellowship with the Father. Hence He declared: "I ascend to my God and to your God, to my Father and to your Father", John 20:17. He also declared: "Except I go away, the holy Spirit will not come", John 16:7. Ten days after our Lord ascended, His followers, having met according to His direction in the upper room, received the Pentecostal blessing--the evidence that they had been accepted of the Father through the merit of Jesus' sacrifice. Jesus had used as an "imputation" the Ransom merit which He had deposited in the Father's hands; but He did not "give" it to His disciples. It was "not" for them as a "possession," but for the world-- "a Ransom for all," EF:6; R5972-5973.