Waggoner on the Gospel of John - Ellet J. Waggoner

the mystery of birth. Why should we be any more
foolish in dealing with that new birth which makes
us veritable sons of God? The "plan of salvation" is
entirely beyond the comprehension of the human
mind; but the working out, the results, of the plan,
we may know by experience, provided we believe.
Jesus Christ is the firstborn among many
brethren, "the firstborn of all creation," because "in
Him were all things created, in the heavens and
upon the earth;" and it is for this reason that in Him
we have redemption, even the forgiveness of our
sins. Redemption is creation, for "if any man be in
Christ, there is a new creation." We become sons
of God, therefore, by the same power by which
Christ, the Divine Word, created all things in the
beginning. Now creation is not a fancy, but a fact.
It is not a mere mental process, a conception, but a
tangible reality, a thing done. It is done, however,
solely by the Word of God. "For He spake, and it
was, He commanded, and it stood fast." So the fact
that we are as really sons of God as Christ is, rests
on the same foundation as does the creation. It is
all of Christ, "who is the beginning, the firstborn
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