Question (1915)
Why does the I.B.S.A. place such emphasis on this point?
Answer
We understand, dear friends, that the Ransom is the very center, we might say the hub, of the Divine Plan; that everything in God’s Plan circles around the Ransom. Every feature of His Plan is vitally connected with it.
Just as every spoke of a wheel is connected with the hub, so all the various features of Divine Truth radiate from this doctrine. For this reason we make it very prominent.
We believe that every one out of harmony with the Ransom is out of harmony with the Plan of God, and that any one truly in accord with the Ransom is necessarily in harmony with the whole Plan of God.
The Bible gives this doctrine great prominence. The Bible declares that “by one man’s disobedience sin entered into the world,” and that by the obedience of another man, Jesus Christ, the ransoming of the race is achieved (Romans 5:12-21). The satisfaction of Divine Justice is thus effected. Hence God can be just and yet be the Justifier of all who believe in Jesus (Romans 3:26).
This is our reason for placing such emphasis on the Ransom, for making it so prominent, because the Bible makes it prominent. Every doctrine must be in accord with the Bible or be wrong. If you square your views with the Bible, you can readily see that many doctrines accepted by people generally are entirely erroneous.
What Pastor Russell Said (The Question Book), 1915
pastorrussell.org 
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