LIMITED ATONEMENT

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    The Bible warns over and over again against false teachers.

1.      Matthew 7:15

 

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

 

2.      II Peter 2:1-2

 

But there were false prophets among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

 

3.      I John 4:1

 

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:  because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

 

B.      There is a false teaching that is advocated by those who claim they are Christians.  The teaching states:  “Jesus did not die for all men.  Jesus died only for the elect.”

 

C.     This is the Calvinistic teaching most often referred to as “The Limited Atonement.”

 

I.                   JESUS’ DEATH

 

A.    Jesus died a horrible, painful death on the cross of Calvary.

1.      The prophet Isaiah (Isa. 53:7)

 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted…

 

2.      Jesus on the cross (John 19:28)

 

…I thirst.

 

3.      The Hebrew penman (Heb. 2:9)

 

But we see Jesus, who made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death…

 

B.      The suffering and death of Jesus is not denied.  The question is:  “For whom did Jesus die?”

1.      Did He die for all men?

2.      Did He die only for a certain group of people?

 

C.     The death of Jesus, also known as the atonement, is limited according to the Calvinists.  They tell us that it is limited to only “the elect.”

 

 

II.                THE ELECT

 

A.    The New Testament refers to “the elect” in numerous passages.

1.      Jesus used the term in Matthew (Matt. 24:22)

 

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved;  but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

 

2.      Paul refers to the elect in Romans 8:33.

 

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect?  It is God that justifieth.

 

3.      Peter addresses his readers as the elect in his first epistle (I Pet. 1:1-2)

 

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:  Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

 

B.      The question is:  “Who are the elect?”

1.      All would say:  “The elect are the saved.”

2.      And, all would agree that Jesus died for the elect.

3.      NOTE:  We am not discussing “how” they were elected.  This is a discussion for another lesson.

 

C.     The next question is:  “Did Jesus die for anyone other than the elect?”

1.      Many would say:  “Yes.   He died for all men.”

2.      The Calvinist would say:  “No.  Jesus died only for the elect.”  (NOTE:  His death was limited, limited only to the elect.  Thus, we have the term “Limited Atonement”).

 

III.             OTHER TERMS

 

A.    We have already seen this doctrine referred to as the Limited Atonement.

 

B.      It has also been called “Definite Atonement.”  There was a definite group of people for which Jesus died.

 

C.     Another name by which it is known is “Particular Redemption.”  Jesus died only for particular persons, that is, the elect.

 

IV.             LIMITED ATONEMENT TAUGHT

 

A.    David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas in their book The Five Points of Calvinism, Defined, Defended, Documented, said, "Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary sacrifice of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith, which united them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, thereby guaranteeing their salvation" (p. 6-7).

 

 

B.      The Westminster Confession of Faith

1.      “God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect; and Christ did, in the fullness of time die for their sins and rise again for their justification…” (Chapter XIII, Of Justification, pp. 81-82).

2.      “Q.59. Who are made partakers of redemption through Christ?  A.  Redemption is certainly applied, and effectually communicated, to all those for whom Christ hath purchased it; who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe in Christ, according to the gospel” (p. 220).

3.      “Q.64.  “What is the invisible church?”  A.  The invisible church is the whole number of God’s elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one under Christ the head” (p. 224).

4.      “Q.65.  What special benefits do the members of the invisible church enjoy by Christ?  A.  The members of the invisible church, by Christ, enjoy union and communion with him in grace and glory” (p. 224)

5.      “Q. 69.  What is the communion in grace which the members of the invisible church have with Christ?  A.  The communion in grace, which the members of the invisible church have with Christ, is their partaking of the virtue of his mediation, in their justification, adoption, sanctification, and whatever else in this life manifests their union with him” (p. 228).

6.      “Q. 70.  What is justification?  A.  Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sin, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone” (p. 228).

 

V.                THEIR “PROOF-TEXTS”

 

A.    False doctrines are often based upon misinterpretations of the Word of God. 

1.      In other words, men read a text and assert that it teaches something that it does not.

a.      They define words incorrectly.

b.      They take passages out of context.

c.       They fail to compare the text with the rest of the Word of God.

d.      They want to put something into the text that is not there.

2.      These texts become their “proof texts.” 

a.      They are set forth as evidence that their false doctrine is true.

b.      We must be able to answer the passages of Scripture they use to attempt to prove their false teachings.

 

B.      NOTE:  I will tread lightly here because these passages either have been or will be dealt with in detail by others.

1.      The good shepherd only lays down His life for the sheep that have been given unto Him by God (John 6:37; 10:11)

 

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out…I am the good shepherd:  the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

 

a.      Calvinists believe that God chose these sheep and at the proper time they are given to Jesus in order to save them.

b.      Two answers:

1)      John 1:29

 

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.

 

a)      The Lamb of God was given for the sins of the world, not just the elect.

b)      We understand that not all of the world will be saved.  This leads to the second answer to this text.

2)      The manner by which God selects those who will be brought to Jesus is told to us in John’s gospel (John 6:44-45).

 

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:  and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God.  Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

 

a)      Men and women hear and learn of God through the gospel of Christ.

b)      Those who truly learn of the Father are chosen, are brought to Jesus, and He saves them through His precious blood.

c)      NOTE:  All the world can have access to the blood of Christ.  In other words, He died for all.  However, only those who hear and learn of the Father will receive the benefits of His death on Calvary.

2.      Spiritual blessings, one of those being the forgiveness of sins, are in Christ.  Those who are in Christ were chosen before the foundation of the world.  They were predestined by God according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:3-7).

a.      The question has always been:

1)      Did God predestine certain individuals to be in Christ?

2)      Or, did God predestine a certain type of person to be in Christ?

b.      This can be clarified by looking at the Great Commission (Mark 16:15).

 

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

 

1)      If the gospel can only be understood by certain individuals, then the command to go to every creature is senseless.

2)      If the saved, however, is a group composed of a certain type of people, those who hear, believe, repent, confess the name of Christ, and are baptized for the remission of sins, then preaching the message to all is very clear.  All men and women can chose to be part of this predetermined group of people chosen for salvation in Christ.

 

VI.             PROBLEM PASSAGES FOR LIMITED ATONEMENT ADVOCATES

 

A.    Mark 16:15-16

 

And he said unto them, God ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 

B.      Luke 19:10

 

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

 

C.     John 3:16

 

For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

D.    John 12:32

 

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

 

E.      Acts 2:21

 

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

F.      Acts 17:30

 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.

 

G.     II Corinthians 5:14-15

 

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:  and that ye died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died and rose again.

 

H.    I Timothy 2:3-4

 

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 

I.        I Timothy 2:5-6

 

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

J.        I Timothy 4:10

 

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

 

K.     Hebrews 2:9

 

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for all men.

 

L.      I John 2:2

 

And he is the propitiation for our sins:  and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    Calvinism starts with a flawed premise that God picked some people to go to heaven and determined that the rest would be lost in hell.

 

B.      This makes God a respecter of persons.  The Bible, however, says that He is not (Rom. 2:11).

 

C.     Aren’t all of us glad? 

1.      Jesus died for us all.

2.      All of us can be saved by His blood, if we will obey the precious gospel of Christ.