"Southwestern will not build a school in the future around anybody who could not look anybody in the world in the eyes and say, "Christ died for your sins." Dr. Paige Patterson, President of SWBTS, February 5, 2009This statement addresses the so-called "Doctrine of Limited Atonement". Personally, I would like to thank Dr. Patterson for saying this and taking this stand. The doctrine of limited atonement claims that... "all Christ died for will be saved". However, the Bible teaches that Christ died for all and that all will not be saved. Thus, not "all that Christ died for will be saved".
Not one verse in the Bible, not properly understood in its context, says that Christ died only for the elect. It just cannot be found, it is not in the Word of God. What is in the Bible is that Christ died for the sins of all mankind; past, present, and future.
John 1:29... "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
1 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."
John 3:16... "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Yes... but who is the world? Does world really mean church or elect? Well, verse 19 says... "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Which world did he come into, the same one He died for.
2 Peter 2:1... "But there were false prophets also 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."
This verse says that the Lord "bought" the apostate false prophets and teachers.
Romans 5:6... "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
Was it only the ungodly elect that He died for? Paul could have written that and avoided any misunderstanding.
2 Corinthians 5:14 and 15... "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."
I looked up the word "all" in the Greek and found something very profound... all means all.
Conclusion:
Atonement is unlimited in its extent, but not its application. The Lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole human race (tasting death for everyone). We can look anybody in the world in the eyes and say, "Christ died for your sins." Have we as Southern Baptists really come to the point where this is a controversial statement?
5 comments:
Joe White Fits Southern Baptist Moldy Universalist Heretic Profile
Strong Tower,
It seems that you may be more of a Calvinist than Calvin. Calvin believed that the benefits of the Atonement are applied only to the elect, but he also held that the extent of the Atonement is unlimited. Several comments on passages by Calvin could be used to prove this point such as Isaiah 53:12, Romans 5:15, Mark 14:24, or Hebrews 5:9... but it is perhaps best said in the Institutes.
"But if it is so (you will say), little faith can be put in the Gospel promises, which, in testifying concerning the will of God, declare that he wills what is contrary to his inviolable decree. Not at all; for however universal the promises of salvation may be, there is do discrepancy between them and the predestination of the reprobate, provided we attend to their effect. We know that the promises are effectual only when we receive them in faith, but on the contrary, when faith is made void, the promise is of no effect."
John Calvin (Institutes, 3.24.17)
"but he also held that the extent of the Atonement is unlimited."
This is false and has been proven so innumerable times. And the quote you quote is the premise which Allen falsely accused James White concerning contrary decree.
Like Allen, you need to read for yourself and not depend upon others for you info.
"The first thing to be explained is how Christ is present with unbelievers, to be the spiritual food of their souls, and in short the life and salvation of the world. As he [i.e. Hesshusius] adheres so doggedly to the words, I should like to know how the wicked can eat the flesh of Christ which was not crucified for them, and how they can drink the blood which was not shed to expiate their sins?
For our present question is, not what the power or virtue of Christ is, nor what efficacy it has in itself, but who those are to whom he gives Himself to be enjoyed. Now if the possession of Christ stands in faith, and if faith flows from the Spirit of adoption, it follows that he alone is numbered of God among His children who is designed of God to be a partaker of Christ. Indeed the evangelist John sets forth the office of Christ to be none other than that of ‘gathering together all the children of God’ in one by His death. From all which we conclude that, although reconciliation is offered unto all men through him, yet, that the great benefit belongs peculiarly to the elect, that they might be ‘gathered together’ and be made ‘together’ partakers of eternal life." -John Calvin
But, I wasn't playing Calvin, it is the Scritpure which you have not answered.
Thomas,
You wrote, "it is the Scripture which you have not answered."
Really, which scripture is that? I have referenced that the Bible says Christ died for all... died for the ungodly... died for the world (the whole world). When I said all means all? The word is πᾶς, pas. In order to hold to a limited view of the Atonement one must make all mean the elect only, some, or a few. Funny thing, pas is never translated as elect, some, or a few.
According to my Greek Lexicon pas means... "all, all manner of, all men, all things, always, any, any thing, daily, every, every man, every thing, everyone, whatsoever, whole, whosoever, all kinds, all people, all respects, all the things, any at all, anyone, anything, continually, entire, every form, every kind, every respect, every way, everyone's, everything, forever, full, great, perfectly, quite, whatever, whoever."
Perhaps you would like to take me up on my challenge and point me to the scripture that says Christ died only for the elect. I would be glad to try and answer that scripture.
The clear contextual meaning of numerous texts is that Christ died for the sins of the whole human race. Thus, I can look anyone, anywhere in the eye and say that Christ died for their sins. If preaching the good news of the Gospel makes me a heretic in your eyes, so be it.
Am I a universalist as you charge? Absolutely not! It is only when one adds his Calvinistic assumptions to the love of God that one becomes a universalist. I do not believe it is at all inconsistent to believe that God loves all, died for all, but that all will not be saved. I think it is much more inconsistent with the Bible to say that God only loves some, died for the elect only, and that they were saved in eternity past by the sovereignty of God absent faith.
Joe:
I believe your post is over simplistic, yet I'll refrain from saying you fit the "Southern Baptist Moldly Universalist Heretic Profile." You bring up Hebrews 2:9, for example. But what is the context? As you continue reading in Hebrews, to whom is the writer referring? The "many brethren" of Christ. Of course, in the Gospel of John the Lord Jesus speaks of laying down His life for "the sheep." He declares emphatically to the Pharisees that they are *not* of His sheep.
Historically speaking, the Reformed doctrine of particular redemption has pointed to the fact that the death of Christ is sufficient for all, but efficient only for the elect. It majors on the design of of the atonement and makes great consideration of the High Priestly prayer of Christ. Rather than denying universalistic passages, most (not all) Reformed theologians have tried to understand how both the universalistic and the particular passages fit together.
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