# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S30
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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ours, but also for the sin of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. And in John 1:29 he is called "the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world." It is said of him in 2 Cor. 5:19: "God was in Christ and reconciled the world to himself and did not reckon their sin to them," etc., and in Col. 1:20: "that all things be reconciled through him to himself," and that "he by God's grace tasted death for all." Heb. 2:9. All these passages teach that the redemption which has been accomplished through Christ took place for all. For the explanation of the words, Christ is the second Adam, serves what the Apology says: "The whole world, however, is made subject to God, brought under the law; for through the commandment of the law we are all accused, but through the works of the law no one is justified, for through the law sin is known, but the guilt is dissolved through faith; and it seems indeed as if the law had done harm, since it has put all to shame; but the Lord Christ has come and has forgiven us the sin which no one could avoid, and has blotted out the handwriting by the shedding of his blood. And this is what Paul says to the Romans, ch. 5:20: Sin became mighty through the law, but grace has become still mightier through Jesus. For since the whole world has become guilty, he has taken away the sin of the whole world, as John testifies: Behold, this is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (Symb. BB. [Symbolical Books] by Müller p. 106.) True, one must not carry the parallelism between Adam and Christ too far, for in one respect it is different with grace than with the curse. As soon as a person is a person, he is of course in possession of the curse; but it is not so that he is also at once in possession of Christ's merit. The treasure is indeed there for all men, the guilt of all is paid, so that in the blood of Christ the righteousness, life and salvation of all men have been restored; but in order that man may come into personal possession of these goods, he must acknowledge the work of Christ, accept his grace, believe, and in this respect there is a difference between Adam and Christ. Adam was not a mediator but a forefather, who propagated death in his natural children. Christ, however, does not propagate life through natural descent, but spiritually, when the sinful person acknowledges his work and accepts his salvation, which takes place through faith. So we must accept as our own property the payment of Christ, which is offered for all, and take comfort in it, so that it is reckoned to us as individuals. It does not say: As through one man all men were begotten in sins, so through one all are again begotten righteous, but it says: "As through one man's sin condemnation has come upon all men, so also through one man's righteousness justification of life has come upon all men. For as through one man's dis-