It is worthy of remark that the verdict of God on mankind affects man in every direction, and men of every grade from the highest to the lowest.
It is a difficult thing for the highly civilized and strictly moral man to believe that he is, as regards his standing before God, on the same level as the most degraded. As to his conduct he may be and doubtless is very different; but as to his bare humanity God says there is no difference, and He surely knows best what man now is in his fallen condition.
In Rom. 3, where the apostles declare that there is no difference, he adds the proof that it is so, namely, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Can any one say that he has not sinned? He may think he has sinned but little—much less than others; but can he say honestly that he has never sinned? No, he cannot; neither can he say that he has not come short of the glory of God.
But there is another side to this subject. While there is a class of people who think they are too good to be reckoned with the general run of mankind, there are others that are judged to be much too low to be treated as a part of the common manhood.
This has been shown in. many parts of the world. When missionaries first went to the South of Africa, the colonists declared that they might as well preach to the pigs as to the Hottentots; and even after some churches had been formed there a missionary found written over the door “Dogs and Hottentots not admitted!”
Similar things were said of the native inhabitants of Madagascar, of Australia, and of the islands of the sea—said by traders and travelers who counted themselves Christians.
But God has shown the folly of all this. The glorious gospel has gone forth into these dark places of the earth, and the Hottentots and the most degraded savages and cannibals have been converted, and live consistent lives.
God’s commission to His servants was, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:1515And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15).) It is the same glorious gospel for the high as for the low. All have descended from Adam and Eve in their fallen condition. Some may have been raised in the matter of civilization and education; but as to their standing before God there is “no difference.” All are lost sinners, and need the same salvation, through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. May that glorious gospel go forth everywhere, bringing down the high from their supposed elevation, and raising up the degraded, that both may become members of the body of Christ