1 Tim 2:6 (NWT) “who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all- this is what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times.”
Matt 20:28 (NWT) “Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.””
The Bible does not contradict itself. Why did Paul say, that Jesus gave himself a ransom “for ALL,” but Jesus said “for MANY?” The simple answer is that “MANY” (or the many) means “ALL” as demonstrated in Romans.
Rom 5:15 (NWT) “But it is not with the gift as it was with the trespass. For if by one man’s trespass many died, the undeserved kindness of God and his free gift with the undeserved kindness by the one man Jesus Christ abounded much more to many.”
In Romans 5:15, the “many” are ALL of Adam’s posterity, just like those who receive Jesus’ free gift. Just as Adam’s posterity is ALL mankind, so those who will benefit from the free gift on Paradise Earth is ALL Mankind. Yes, ALL Mankind will have the future opportunity of a trial for life under favorable conditions on Paradise Earth. This is what the Society taught in the early days at the time of Pastor Russell.
Paul clearly explains what this free gift is for many (ALL) is:
Rom 6:23 (NWT) “For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.”
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The Ransom and Restitution are explained by the founder of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Pastor Charles Taze Russell) here:
This is taken from chapter 9 of volume 1, the Divine Plan of the Ages, of his Studies in the Scriptures series.
You can also view a great video that explains the Ransom here:
Events in the Garden, and why Jesus died;
Thank you Peter K for explaining why Jesus had to die, and was dead for three days. Everything you quoted from the Bible is correct, except the three day Jesus was dead, as the three day as Jonah being in the fish.
Here are some facts.
1) Angels came down, took on the forms of men, and took the daughters of men. These angel’s had children, nephilim. These were giants, the mighty men of old. This proves angel’s could reproduce. They had seed that would mix with the egg of human females.
2) After God created Adam, he commanded angel’s to serve man. Many rebelled against this. The Bible shows time and again, when God commands his creatures to do something, if they refuse, he puts them in a position where they have to, plus, he puts consequences onto his command, like he did with Jonah. God cast these angel’s down to serve man, but in a form lower than man, but higher than animals.
3) All the trees in the Bible are symbolic trees. Who made the two trees in the Garden real trees? We all have a family tree. (symbolic.) We all have a racial tree. (symbolic.) We are also part of the human family tree. (symbolic.)
Other creations of God also have family trees, dogs, birds, fish, etc.
4) When Adam, and the women (who Adam names, Eve, after she had Cain) took of the fruit, (from a symbolic tree) they covered their private parts. Question; why did they do that? Why did they not cover their mouths? They covered the parts they sinned with.
5) many religions say; “Satan mentally seduced the women.” If this is so, why did God not ask the women, “What have you thought?” God did not. He asked the women, “What have you done?”
6) Genesis 3:15. God is talking to Satan about what he did with his seed. We know angels can have seed in a creature form.
7) When God cast the angel’s down to serve man, would he make them into a snake like form? Without arms, and legs, how could they serve man? God did put an angel on its belly after Adam, and the women sinned.
8) Note; I keep referring to Eve as “Women.” I do this because Adam called her women, until she gave birth to Cain. After the birth of Cain, Adam named the women Eve…which means, Giver of life. The term simply means, The women gave life without Adams seed.
9) God said to Cain, “You are a liar, and a murderer, like your Father, the Devil.”
10) Genesis 3;15. God is talking to Satan about what he did with his seed. God is also talking about the seed to come. (Jesus.)
11) All things on earth age, and die. Adam, and the women were created not to age, and die.
12) After Adam, and the women sinned, God called Satan a murderer…who did Satan murder? He murdered the unborn human race…for now all would die.
13) Satan beguiled the women. The old meaning of beguiled is, “Sexual intercourse.”
14) Eve, and also Adam had sex with a cast down angel. Eve gave birth to Cain, and Able…not of Adam.
15) Genesis 5. This is the history of Adam…his first child is Seth. Why is Cain, and Able not in that list?
16) Jesus came to die. If God asked any Christian, “I want you to die for three day to save the human family from death, and then I will bring you back to life,” all Christians would be overjoyed to follow that command. Jesus came at a time were the people would kill him. He came among the people who would kill him. God allows people to do wrong to serve his purpose. He allowed the Jews to make laws not of god. That is why Jesus said to the Jews, “It has been allowed, but it has never been Gods law.”
17) Jesus was a perfect man. If he had children, they would not have aged, or died. When Jesus died, what was sacrificed was a perfect unborn human race…that one for this one. This is a medical fact; “It takes three days for a mans seed to die, after the man dies.” Jesus had to be dead for three days for his seed to die.
What Satan did; He created a race of humans made from two creations of God, Angels, and Human…The nephilim. There are two seed lined here on earth. Adams seed, and Satan’s seed. They are still here. When the Jews went into the promised land, they were commanded by God to Kill all the men, women, children, and their animals…These were Satan’s seed that were to be killed.
I did not want to post this, because I could be a crazy old man, could I not? I understand we humans sometimes believe what we want, and what we believe may not be true.
I asked God, “Father, can you tell me what is going on…please.” Within days my thinking changed, and these 17 things above is what I came to understand. For several years now, I have wondered, “Is this from God, or am I just a crazy old man?”
I hope you understand why I did not want to post this.
Domenic, servant of YHWH
Dieter G.,
I am slow to learn, so please help me here. If Jesus came to die just to save the seed of Abraham, who I assume you mean the 144,000, who will rule with Jesus over the earth, who are they going to rule over if the rest of mankind is lost?
And, who are the meek that will reside on earth, and never know death?
Domenic
Domenic, I just forwarded your story to Br. Peter from our contact form. Now he will know more about you.
Jacqueline…He will know more about me? I like to keep a low profile. I knew I never should have said anything.
Domenic, when you post in the contact us part of the site Br. Peter will see it. He controls that part. I saw your post about needing to know more about us so I sent him your concerns. Don’t be afraid here Domenic, the Bible Students are not like the witnesses.
In my darkest hour they accepted and took me in. I was afraid of all religion but like you my heart said you must be in touch with God. I finally knew how when I found Jesus, someone that the witnesses had replaced. I was a witness for 61years myself so you see along with a few others,we were all in training and darkness while a witness but the teacher was there as they are often silent during the test. I view the witness experience as a test. I will never let people control me like that again. I was a born in so I didn’t have control over the early indoctrination process.
There is freedom here to speak and we have others that have that same freedom to speak. So you are among friends, let us hear your point of view and your heart. There might be someone looking on that might get even greater benefit from things said. Take Care, Jacqueline
Many just say, “Jesus died for us.” Not a soul ever ask, “Why did he have to die, and why did he have to be dead for three days?”
It has to do with what took place in the Garden, and Genesis 3:15.
I am new here, so I will withhold my comment until I find out more about its members.
Domenic – Nice to hear from you. It is okay to have differences of opinion on this website. The idea is Christian Liberty in Christ. Since the Bible is Jehovah’s inspired Word, our hope is that by trusting in His Word we can help each other in finding truth through His World.
I would like to hear your answer to your question. Since you asked for us to comment, I will offer a response.
Why did Jesus have to die?
Romans 5:12,18 (NASV) “…through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…18 so then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
1 Tim 2:3-6 (NKJV) “3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom [Greek: anti-lutron = corresponding price] for all, to be testified in due time,”
The human race inhereited sin through father Adam, Jesus died as a substitite or corresponding price in Adams place, thereby releasing the penalty on ALL. The annointed / spirit begotten New Creatures receive the benefit of that Ransom since Penticost. Mankind will benefit from it when they are all raised from the dead and given an opportunity for learning, repentence and righteousness.
John 5:28-29 (NASV) “28 Dd not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”
Why was Jesus dead for parts of three days?
True this fulfilled the type of picture of Jonah in the large fish for parts of three days. His resurrection on the third day forshadowed the resurrection of His body members on the third thousand year day from His death and resurrection. The three days was sufficient time to prepare the body, place it in the tomb, have it guarded and remove doubt that his disciples hadn’t stolen the body to pretend Jesus had been raised from the dead. Also, the Psalmest tells us that Jesus body would not see corruption/decay (Psa 16:10; Acts 2:27)
The ALL in that verse are the ALL of those Jesus died for in Jesus’ own words here to the Syrophoenician Woman in Matthew 15:24, whereas the MANY are those out of the ALL Jesus died for actually believing that to be true.
Alas, here is the introductory spin of Paul with which he introduced that verse 6 commented on above:
1 Timothy 2:1-6: ‘1 I therefore exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, offerings of thanks, be made concerning ALL SORTS OF MEN, 2 concerning kings and all those who are in high station; in order that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life with full godly devotion and seriousness. 3 This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that ALL SORTS OF MEN should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all—[this is] what is to be witnessed to at its own particular times.
So here the Witnesses in the NWT have ALL SORTS OF MEN presented to us twice (verse 1 and 4), yet in verse 6. where exactly the same Greek word occurs, they just have ALL to justify their false doctrinal stance, while tacitly acknowledging the ALL SORTS via their footnote: *** Footnote *** : Or, “all sorts of people.” WONDERFUL indeed.
An observation on that word ALL by one very learned Christian might not be entirely amiss here:
… ‘the whole world has gone after him” Did all the world go after Christ? “then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan.” Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem, baptized in Jordan? “Ye are of God, little children”, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one”. Does the whole world there mean everybody? The words “world” and “all” are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture, and it is very rarely the “all” means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts — some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile …’
C.H. Spurgeon from a sermon on Particular Redemption
In spite of what Spurgeon said, he nonetheless believed that Jesus died for all mankind, while acknowledging at the same time that only those from all sorts of people of all races, nations and social classes who accept God’s means of salvation will benefit, because not all shall.
What he did not understand, even as (JWs) don’t, that Jesus came to provide salvation only for those who were to make up, or rather be, the Kingdom of the Heavens, namely the seed of Abraham, the people Israel now made up of all races, nations and social classes. Galatians 3:28-29.
These in turn will be the instrument, vehicle or means to complete God’s purpose toward the earth and mankind that Jehovah had temporarily placed on hold because of the Angelic rebellion and Adam’s subsequent non-cooperation.
ALL will thus benefit, because Jesus had died to bring salvation to anointed Israel collectively and individually.
Why then did JWs translate pas with ‘all’ in verse 6 but with ‘of all sorts of men’ in verse 4, which is contextually correct? Doctrinal bias! Yes, because all ‘Christians’ believe that Jesus literally died for ALL humanity as a ransom or redemption or whatever, . . . and JWs just follow along, merrily missing the point.
I rest my case and that of God.
Dieter