commentators understood Isa. liii as a Messianic prophecy, and the New Testament shows its
fulfilment in Christ.
188. M. Since God is Almighty, He can make people good, and thus reconcile their wills
with His own, without the death of Jesus or any other atonement.
C. But God has chosen to do everything by means which He has appointed. This is a fact
of experience1. We are not now discussing the power of God or His ability to do
what He chooses. We are discussing the fact, revealed to us in the Bible, that Christ gave
"His life a ransom for many" (Matt. xx. 28; Mark x. 45). But experience shows us that God
has given us freedom of will to choose good or evil. To destroy this and force us to choose good
would (1) be unworthy of His wisdom, for it would prove that He had made a mistake in giving us
freedom of will in the first instance. (2) If there was no freedom, there would be no possibility of
virtue, which implies choice. (3) To deprive us of freedom of will would not be to undo our
past transgressions. This plan, instead of making all men good, would prevent any from being good.
189. M. All that happens is fated2 to happen. God has firmly fastened every
man's fate to his