“ For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith.” (Ro 1:17 ASV)

By "the righteousness of God" (Rom. 1. 17) is meant a justification from all past sins, devised and enjoined by God — a purification of the heart, or conscience, without the necessity of obeying the Law of Moses (which since the Destruction of Jerusalem can not be kept), but attested by that law and the Prophets — a justification through Jesus Christ's faith (dia pisteos Jesou Chnstou), that is, through belief of what he and his apostles preached concerning the Kingdom of God and His Name (Acts viii. 12); in other words, through belief of the Gospel to all that shall put on Christ (Gal.Hi. 27).

The "Righteousness of God" is the "Gospel of the Kingdom", sometimes called "the Gospel of Christ",and often simply "the Gospel", which Paul says, "is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek", or Gentile.

Dr. John Thomas

Read " The Blood of Christ ", by R. Roberts.

Nowhere does the Bible say that God is the author of sin.

What it does say is:

He is the Creator or Author of evil (Isa. xlv. 7; Jer. xlv. 5; Amos iii. 6).

Sin is one thing and evil another. The latter is the punishment for the former.

F. G. J.

Universalists err in quoting the text from which these words are taken as proof of Universalism. The text reads:

"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe" (1 Tim. iv. 10).

It is manifest that all depends upon the meaning of the word Saviour, which in the Greek is soteer, which Liddell and Scott define as "Saviour, deliverer, and preserver". A reference to Psa. xxxvi. 6, which reads,

"Ο Lord, Thou preservest man and beast",

shows how God is the preserver of all men — i.e., as he is the Preserver of the "beasts". God gives "to all life and breath and all things" (Acts xvii. 25), and so the Psalmist said,

"Thou takest away their breath (man and beasts), they die, and return to their dust" (Psalm civ. 29).

The text in question, 1 Tim. iv. 10, is misapplied by Universalists in confusing it with Salvation,

F. G. J.

The statement of Paul, about feeding "the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood" (Acts xx. 28), is adduced in support of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Many Greek manuscripts, however, have the words, "the Lord" instead of "God", which rendering at once explains the difficulty, for the Church of God was bought with the Lord's blood, "the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. vii. 14).

F. G. J.

Also do not forget Jesus being the beloved begotten son of God, in a special way placed in the womb of a young Essene girl, makes Jesus as direct son of God also coming from the "bloodline" of God.

The first human beings rebelled against God. As their Creator and Father He had to punish them for their wrong doing, but out of His love He provided a solution against the curse of death.

The righteous God was willing to be patient enough until there would be another man of flesh and blood who would break the spell of the first Adam and as such could be the second Adam, proving that man is able to keep to God's Commandments.

Jesus put his own will aside to do the Will of God, his heavenly Father. Jesus even went so far that he gave his own soul (his body or flesh and blood) as a sacrificial lamb to pay for all the sins of mankind. This unselfish offer of Jesus was accepted as a ransom payment by God.

As a righteous God Jehovah held word and His promise made in the Garden of Eden became fulfilled by Jesus' impalement. His death and resurrection should be a sign for mankind to accept God's Words as righteous words to our salvation.