Limited Atonement
What Are The Doctrines of Grace? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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For whom did Jesus die? Did He die for everyone, or few a few? Did His death actually save, or did it make salvation possible? And what was the Father’s purpose, if any, for sending His Son to die on the cross? These are the questions that we walk into this lesson with today because today we are continuing our series on the doctrines of grace. And in our series, we have come to the most controversial point of all of them which is commonly called, “Limited Atonement.”
Now, the name limited atonement is probably not the best phrase to use because it almost comes across as though Jesus has only paid for so much, and if you don’t get in now, His may run out of salvation to offer. That is absolutely not what we, or any one is arguing for when they enter this debate. I personally think it would be better to call the doctrine, “Certain Redemption” or “Certain Atonement” rather than “Limited Atonement.” And the reason is because this view argues that in the death of Christ, God has set out to redeem those for whom Christ died.
Now, you may remember that a few weeks ago I said that the acrostic “TULIP” came from a controversy where the Calvinist’s respond to the arguments of the Arminians and their five arguments come out to spell “TULIP.” Well, in their argument for this doctrine, they begin by asserting the holiness of God.
The Holiness of God and our Transgression
The Holiness of God and our Transgression
In Article 1 they say,
“God is not only supremely merciful, but also supremely just. This justice requires that the sins we have committed against His infinite majesty be punished with both temporal and eternal punishments, of soul as well as body. We cannot escape these punishments unless satisfaction is given to God’s justice.”
So, before you build the house of your argument, you have to set a good foundation and this is what these guys were doing. They are arguing here that we are humans that are created in God’s image, that we have sinned against that Holy God, and that unless we are redeemed, we will be consumed by His just wrath. And their response to this hopeless dilemma is article 2, which I wont read totally, but that essentially says, “Since we cannot deliver ourselves, God has sent Christ to satisfy the justice of God in our place.”
The Great Value of Christ’s Death
The Great Value of Christ’s Death
In Article 3, they say,
“The death of God’s Son is the only and complete sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; it is of infinite value and worth, more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world.”
Now, what they present to us in article 3-4 is that Jesus’s sacrifice is of such value that it could easily atone for the sins of the whole world and what they are doing when they say this is making sure that their is no doubt that they know how valuable and amazing this sacrifice of Jesus is. So, they are saying, “Hey, we know that His death was so valuable that it could’ve atoned for everyone’s sin, if that was God’s intention.” And here is where we enter into the debated area. Now, let me say that this view didn’t begin with these guys. You can find this argued by guys like Thomas Aquinas in 1225-1274 AD, Peter Lombard in 1100-1160, in Gottschalk in 808-878 and even Saint Augustine in 353-430 AD. So this isn’t a new view at all.
For the sake of time, I am not going to dive into Articles 5-7 today, but I will probably use them later on. Essentially those articles are them saying, “1. This doctrine does not discourage evangelism. 2. This doctrine does not mean human’s are not responsible for rejecting the gospel. And 3. This doctrine means that everyone who does believe did so because of God’s graciousness to them.”
NOW, we get into the meat of the matter which is:
The Certainty of Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice
The Certainty of Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice
One part of Article 8 says,
“It was God’s will that Christ through the blood of the cross (by which He confirmed the new covenant) should effectively redeem from every people, tribe, nation, and language all those and only those who were chosen from eternity to salvation...”
Now, what we need to notice here is that they are using words like, “effectively redeem, and chosen from eternity for salvation.” And they are doing this to respond to the position of the Arminians. The Arminians, or the Remonstrants, were arguing that the sacrifice of Jesus made man savable. That is removed a barrier between God and man and that God can now enter into a covenant with us if we believe. The Calvinist on the other hand argued that it isn’t man’s will that made Christ’s death effective. It was that God chose who would be redeemed and that doesn’t just mean that men are able to be saved, it actually means that those who He chose will ABSOLUTELY be saved.
The Scriptures
The Scriptures
Okay, so we’ve seen the history here. But where’s the Bible to defend this position? Well, I want to read a few passages and then we will hunker down for a minute on one text in particular.
In John 6:37-39, Jesus says,
37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
In Matthew 1:21, we read
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Notice the language, “HIS PEOPLE.”
In John 15:13 we read,
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Notice that Jesus is saying He will lay His life down for “HIS FRIENDS.”
In Ephesians 5:25 we see that Jesus died for His bride.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Are you picking up on the theme here? He would die for the one’s gifted to Him by the Father, for His people, for His friends, for His bride. But not only this, but in John 10, we will read that He will die as a Shepherd for His sheep. That’s where I want us to look for just a moment.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Notice, in verse 11 that Jesus doesn’t say, “We are good shepherds. Or that He is one of the good shepherds.” But that He IS the good shepherd. And what does He do? He is willing to die for His sheep. Now, this doesn’t mean that He’s going to go hurt Himself just to prove how much He cares, but that His sheep are in danger and that for their salvation, He will give up His own life. Who does He give it up for? His sheep, not the goats, but His own sheep.
Now, look at the fact that He says in verse 16, that there are other sheep out there that He MUST bring in and what will they do? They will hear Him, they will be in His flock, and He will be their shepherd. That passage is referring to Jesus not only saving Jews, but that He has a plan to save Gentiles around the world and that those who are His will be saved.
But isn’t everyone one of Jesus’s sheep? Well, let’s ask Him! In John 10:22-28
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
What’s amazing about this passage is that the feast of dedication was a relatively new feast that marked an event in 167 BC which was that Israel had been invaded and conquered but a guy named Judas the Hammer rose up and led them to reconquer their land and they rededicated the Temple. What I find interesting here is that it’s almost as though these dead and lifeless Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus in a corner and it’s like the text says, “Judas the Hammer may have rededicated the Temple, but I have a people who I will deliver from the bondage of this dead pharisaism who will be truly dedicated to me.”
But notice that Jesus clearly tells these sneaky Pharisees that they are not His sheep. But remember, Jesus has been talking about His willing to die for His sheep and in the passage we read the He will do this to give them eternal life. Would this not clearly explain the Jesus did no go forward to die for them?
The Beauty of This Doctrine
The Beauty of This Doctrine
Article 9 of Point 2 of the Canons of Dort says,
“This plan, arising out of God’s eternal love for the elect, from the beginning of the world to the present time has been powerfully carried out and will also be carried out in the future, the gates of hell seeking vainly to prevail against it. As a result, the elect are gathered into one, all in their own time, and there is always a church of believers founded on Christ’s blood, a church which steadfastly loves, persistently worships, and here and in all eternity praises him as her Savior who laid down his life for her on the cross, as a bridegroom for his bride.”
This doctrine is very clearly laced with love. It is not to strike fear or terror, but is to fill our hearts with assurance. I often run through my studies with Ragan whenever the house is quiet and while I explained this to her she said, “Well, that is assuring.” And that is exactly the response this teaching is supposed to bring out of us. Why?
This doctrine means that God’s wrath towards me is satisfied.
Augustus Toplady wrote, “‘Payment God cannot twice demand—
First at my bleeding Surety’s hand
And then again at mine.’”
This doctrine means that God loves ME, and that Christ died for ME.
It makes the work of Christ personal.
This doctrine encourages evangelism.
What About?
What About?
Now, with the time we have left, I want us to look at a few verses that might cause some flags to pop up in your mind.
First, let’s look at the world’s most popular verse. John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
As we look at this text, we need to ask ourselves a few questions and the first question we need to ask is, “What does John mean by the word, ‘World?’” You see, throughout the Bible, there are three common usages of the word “Kosmos” or “world.” One is in John 1:3 where it refers to the world as the sum of the created universe. Another use is in John 3:19 which can refer to the dwelling place of men, the earth. In other places, such as John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11, it can mean the world as the dwelling place of sin and sinners. For instance, in Luke 2:1 we read “1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” Now, this doesn’t mean that every single human was registered, but that those who lived in the Roman Empire. So world doesn’t always mean every single soul.
What John is meaning here is not that Jesus died for every single person without exception, but that Jesus died for people throughout the world. I also want you to ask yourself, “Who are the whosoevers?” This phrase again doesn’t teach that Jesus died for everyone, but that God gave His Son for the salvation of those who would believe. And, as we have seen throughout our studies, How do people come to believe? By the work of God in them.
Second, let’s look at 2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Let’s ask some questions here:
Is it true that God is not willing that absolutely no one on earth perishes? Well, Proverbs 16:4
4 The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.
So, if that’s the case, then it’s not Peter who is wrong and it’s not Solomon who is wrong, but it is our interpretation!
2. So, who is God longsuffering toward?
The passage says that God is longsuffering toward us. Who is us? Is it the blasphemers who crucified the Lord in verse 3? No, obviously not. Paul is speaking to those he calls, “Beloved” in 2 Peter 3:1, 8, 14,17. But what is He doing for the sake of these people who are beloved to Him? Well in context, we learn that the godless world was mocking the Christians and saying the Lord was not going to keep His promise of coming to judge the world. And here God is saying that the reason He has not already come is only for the sake of His elect. Essentially, He is waiting for all of His chosen people to be saved and when all of His sheep are brought into the fold, He will descend to judge the world.