Divine Provision

We may therefore say that the conception of Itself as pardoning all who ask for pardon is necessarily an integral portion of the Spirit's Self-recognition in Its relation to the human race, and the inherentness of this idea is set forth in Scripture in such phrases as "the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" [John 1:29 --- Ed.] and "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world" [Rev 13:8? --- Ed.], thus pointing to an aspect of the Spirit's Self-contemplation exactly reciprocal to the need of all who desire to be set free from that inversion of their true nature which, while it continues, must necessarily prevent their unimpeded access to the Spirit of Life.

Then, since the Divine Self-conception is bound to work out into realisation, a supreme manifestation of this eternal principle is the legitimate outcome of all that we can conceive of the creative working of the Spirit when viewed from the particular standpoint of the existence of sin in the world, and so the appearing of One who should give complete expression in space and time to the Spirit's recognition of human needs by a supreme act of self-sacrificing Love reasonably forms the grand centre of the whole teaching of the Bible.

The Great Sacrifice is the Self-offering of Love to meet the requirements of the soul of man. Our psychological constitution requires it, and it is adequately adapted to fit in with every aspect of our