PART THREE:
DOCTRINE OF LIMITED ATONEMENT
The doctrine of limited atonement is also known as particular Redemption, definite atonement, effective atonement or single atonement. Where this doctrine of particular redemption is, we can be also sure that there is also what we do call the universal Redemption.
When we talk about the Universal Redemption, this guarantees salvation to everyone of Adam’s race and so it is universal to Adam’s race. In other words Universal Redemption teaches that all men actually can be saved, in one way or the other no one is going to be left out. It is actually unlimited in extent but it does hold to a limited efficacy or value of Jesus’ atonement. And this is what most people have now referred to as the Arminian gospel because it is universal in its nature but scripture and experience prove it that not all are saved.
So now the alternative is what I want to deal with. I have to confess that we don’t approach these doctrines with a sense of just believing in ourselves, that we will automatically understand these things, one has to pour his heart before the Lord and humbly ask the good Lord to grant him a Spirit of wisdom and that is to do with the good Lord by his Spirit to enlighten one’s mind to understand some of these things. Not that these things cannot be understood but the reality is, these are things of the Spirit and it is the Spirit that actually gives us the clear understanding of what is written.
And what is also very common is that the modern pulpits are so estranged from some of these things, that is why majority when they listen to what a person would talk about limited atonement and then they compare with the common staple food that they hear in many of the mainstream pulpits, they tend actually to reject this truth because it is a rare commodity, it’s not actually a common thing that people have often heard ministers exegeting and expositing. But what I would basically say to you is that; we are commanded to teach the entire counsel of God’s word and we ought also to know that all Scripture [as far as its unity; the Old and the New Testament] is breathed out by God [theopneustos] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2Timothy 3:16)
Limited atonement basically makes an emphasis that Christ’s death on the cross had a particular purpose and that purpose was basically for the elect. And when we talk about the elect, these are men, women and children that are uncountable in number that God chose from eternity past to eternal life and it was an act of God’s free and Sovereign Grace.
But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11: 4-6)
The reality of all those that He calls, He calls by grace and so God’s design was to save them and Christ’s death guaranteed their salvation
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”(Matthew 1:21).
That is a very good place for us to start, that there are people from eternity past that were given to our Lord Jesus Christ.
So Particular Redemption or limited atonement is entirely concerned with the deeper question of the Father’s and the Son’s intention in the cross. That’s why it declares that the mission and the death of Christ was restricted to a limited number that is to his people basically his sheep. There are people that were given to our Lord Jesus Christ and his mission and death on the cross was restricted to a limited number, the ones we do call his people and so throughout church history it has been actually recognized that all the reformers that are known to have been sound speak of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Zwingle and others were not universalists in that they never believed that all are to be saved but they were reformed in conviction and faith. They maintained that Christ’s redeeming work was definite in design and accomplished that which it was intended to render complete the salvation for certain specified sinners and for no one else. And the Salvation which Christ earned for his people includes everything involved in bringing them into a right relationship with God including the gifts of faith and repentance which is one of the things most people today know not about.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, (2Timothy 2:24-25)
No one can ever exercise faith in God that has not been granted to that individual. It’s why as far as the teachings of the scriptures are concerned, it is regeneration that precedes Faith, and one is able to believe because one has already been born again. And so Christ did not die simply to make possible for God to pardon sinners neither does God leave it up to the sinners to decide whether or not Christ’s work will be effective, that whatever Jesus did, he did it effectively to ransom all of they that were given to him to receive the pardon for their sins. On the contrary all for whom Christ sacrificed himself for will be saved infallibly.
This is why limited atonement is much different from what we call the universal salvation that says; Christ died for all men but they cannot actually have an assurance of their salvation but as far as limited atonement is concerned whoever Jesus sacrificed himself for that individual will be saved infallibly, there is no any person that was given to Christ from eternity past that will not come.
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)
“Oudeisdunamai” that’s the Greek way of saying that no one can come to me. A sinner dead in his sins and trespasses he has no ability of himself, of his own free will, of his own will, to actually bring himself to Christ Jesus. Redemption therefore was designed to bring to pass God’s purpose of election, so whoever was given to Christ there is nothing that can hinder them from coming. Each and every one that was elected, that was chosen from eternity past, they are actually saved infallibly.
And so we continue to make an emphasis, there is nothing new that we are communicating other than that that we do see from the old and the New Testament and we all agree that Christ’s obedience and suffering were of infinite value and that if he had so willed, then the satisfaction rendered by Christ would have saved every member of human race. So the thing is that there is nothing with impossible with God. If God had purposed that Christ should secure salvation for each and every person for all descendants of Adam, still Christ would not have failed in fulfilling that but that wasn’t the agenda. Remember, we made it very clear that as far as limited atonement is concerned the mission and the death of Christ was restricted to a limited number and that is to his people, so his mission and his death was entirely to a specified group of individual, to a specified number, to a limited number of individuals that were given unto him by his father.
But had it been the plan of God for Christ to secure salvation for all men, still the sacrifice of Christ would have required no more obedience or any greater suffering for Christ to have secured the salvation for every man, woman and child who ever lived than it did for him to secure the salvation for the elect only.
So it wasn’t less of the suffering that Jesus suffered because he was looking out for a limited number and neither did he have had to suffer more for him to secure the salvation of the entire human race. The suffering he suffered on behalf of that limited number of men, women and children that were given to him was not only enough for those that were given to him but still it would have been enough for the rest of all men ,women and children if they were given to him. But he came into the world and save only those given to him by the Father and for that I believe you can also attest with me,
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. [John 17:5-6]
The people that were given to Christ, the ones that we know as the elect, first of all they belonged to the Father but the Father in his love for his Son he gave them to Him as a love gift and so the Son came to represent and save only those that were given to him. That’s why Christ’s saving work was limited in that it was designed to save some and not others but it was not limited in value. It also has to be understood that the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ was not limited in value for it was of infinite worth and would have secured salvation for everyone if this had been God’s intention.
So these things here, they are outstandingly important in the sense that there’s what we call the qualitative and quantitative. What we can basically say, the work of Christ was not qualitative in the sense of its extent but it was quantitative for a limited number of people for a specified group of sinners but at the same time it was effective.
And so now I want to consider a number of scriptures because the question that we should all answer is; for whom did Christ die?
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:2)
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (John 6:37) [Indicating they that were never given to him from eternity past could not come and will not come to him]
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep[there are those who will not believe and there are also those who will believe the gospel]. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me [here he has just drawn a contrast between they that do not believe and the sheep that hear his voice the ones he knows and they that follow him] I give them eternal life, [And to whom does he give eternal life? Not to they that do not believe but unto they that are his sheep that hear his voice that follow him] and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, [This this is something that happened from eternity past. One needs to have studied first of all what we called the unconditional election that; there are men, women and children from eternity past that the Father chose to give to his son as a love gift. And so when the son came here he came to represent those men, women and children that were given unto him. And so the salvation that the good Lord earned, he did earn it for only they that were given unto him like we have already said] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:24-30
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, [Who are they that love God? They that love God are they that believe, are they that actually were given to his Son. For those who are called, of course the calling is both external and internal. The gospel goes to all men but the gospel does not always result in the positive results of all. What happens as the gospel goes to all men, there is also what we do call the inward call and that call is a Heavenly call that only goes out to God’s elect. They are Sovereignly called, they are effectually called] for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [Now understand something very important here “foreknowing” here has nothing to do with foresight; God considering someone’s faith, someone’s decision, someone’s work or merits, it has nothing to do with that why; As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”(Romans 3:10-12). So the point has to be made dear ones that; when the scripture talks about these men,women and children that God foreknew, God didn’t depend on his foresight into seeing who would believe onto him and who wouldn’tbelieve onto him in time]
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
[When you hear “Those whom”, it is not a language of each and every person, it is not a universal statement but the statement speaks of a limited and a specified number of men, women and children. That is why it says “for those whom he predestined” that doesn’t mean all. he also called, those whom he called, he didn’t call everyone. The call here is a calling which is inward, the call is not external here,the call is internal. And this is a verse that is well known as the “Golden Chain of Redemption.” See the flow, the onee that he predestined are they that he called, they that he called, are they that he justified, they that he justified, are they that he has glorified]
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?[The “us” here in the context speaks of those that he predestined, the ones that he called, the ones that actually justified, the ones that he has glorified] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, [Remember that the “all” in context speaks of the Jews and Gentiles among the Jews he has his people, among the Gentiles he has his people] how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:28-33)
The language is indeed very clear there is no way how a person can escape the Doctrine of limited atonement.
Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, [this is not corporate solidarity, it’s not the whole human race, this is actually the group that we have been emphasizing about, the men, the women, and children whom he chose before the foundation of the world] that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (Ephesians 1:4-7)
The Redemption goes out only to those that were given to him. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1Thessalonians 5:9) Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:8-10)
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:48) [Indicating if there were as many as were appointed to eternal life, it basically means that there are many others that were not appointed to eternal life and so they could not believe]
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Timothy 4:10
Jesus himself excluded the non-elect from his great high priestly prayer. We all remember very well that it is not us that limited the atonement, its God himself that limited the atonement
I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. (John 17:9)
And so the Bible is very consistent about Jesus’ offer how that he was sent to die for a particular group of men, women and children. Christ’s atonement was real and it affected all that God and the Lord Jesus Christ himself intended by it.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
This is it when we talk about limited atonement; we see the love of our Lord Jesus Christ on display for all of they that he came to atone for.
And so here we need to understand that there is a group that we have referred to earlier known as the “Arminians” we need to understand that the Arminians also place a limitation on Christ’s atoning work but one of a much different nature. Now what I want to do is to explain the limitation that the Universalist also have, they say Jesus died for all men but only for those who believe.
So that is their different nature but as far as what we have communicated, Christ only died for those that were given to him and all of them come to faith but when it comes to the Arminian theology which is universal in nature, it says he died for all each and every person but it fails to secure their salvation and so the universalists or the Arminians, they hold that Christ’s saving work was designed to make possible the salvation of all men on the condition that they believe, but Christ’s death in itself did not actually secure or guarantee salvation for anyone.
So you see that it is insufficient, it is ineffective, it is just quantitative, it has to do so much with numbers but it not being effective. The Limited Atonement is actually effective simply because it is qualitative in nature, the ones that were given to him, that limited number that specified number, he died for them and secured their salvation and they will be saved infallibly. Now since not all men will be saved as the result of Christ’s redeeming work, we have to admit that a limitation must be admitted; either the atonement was limited in that it was designed to secure salvation for certain sinners but not for others or it was limited in that it was not intended to secure salvation for any but was designed only to make it possible for God to pardon sinners on condition that they believe a quote Joel beeke.
Just to quote from another theologian known as Boettener he said that;
“For the reformed, the atonement is like a narrow bridge which goes all the way across the stream. For the Armenian, the atonement is like a great wide bridge that goes only a halfway across”
CH Spurgeon said that;
“I would rather believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all men for whom it was intended than Universal atonement that is not efficacious for anybody except the will of men be added to it”
The subject of limited atonement is indeed inescapable because we do see it in the scriptures. We should not hold to a theme that the Arminian actually insinuate and continue to persist on by saying that when the scripture says “for those God foreknew” that it literally means to foresee. But the reality is like how I explained that; when we speak of “those God foreknew” it literally means that there are individuals whom God in his Sovereign purpose made the object of his love, those whom He set his love upon according to the good pleasure of his will, and so he fore loved them, he didn’t foresee their actions, their faith, their decision, their works however he fore loved them the way it is made clear;
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. (Amos 3:2)
[The same way God loved Israel in a special way but not all nations.]
Am a pastor and the reality that I should communicate to you is that; I love all women in the church that I do shepherd but I cannot lie to you that I do have the same love for them that I do have for my wife, I love all the women in our church but I do not love them as I love my wife. So the reality is this dear ones; all men were created by God but there are those that God has decided to bestow upon his special love but as far as general life is concerned all men, believers and unbelievers they do all enjoy what we call common Grace (Matthew 5:45) .
Now to respond to some of the common thoughts and questions that might be out there from many of you that might receive this book, the common one is a person is going to the Gospel of John;
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
You have to understand that I’ve have already laboured to make my point that; it is the intent of the atonement that determines the extent, so if God intended Christ to die for everyone on earth I tell you nothing would have failed God in securing salvation for all those men, women and children. But from what we do see in the scripture Christ didn’t die for everyone on earth but only for the elect given to him by his father. We can also say that Christ died for everyone that is a part of the elect and I believe the scripture that fits in very well with John 3:16 is actually 1 John 2:2
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1John 2:2)
So what we see in the scripture is that the atonement is limited, it is particular, it is definite, it is single and we also believe that when we do talk about limited atonement as reformed people we limit the atonement like I’ve already made an emphasis quantitatively but not qualitatively but the universalists the ones that we also refer to as the Arminians, they limit the atonement of Christ qualitatively but not quantitatively. And so the Arminians limit the efficacy of Jesus’ atonement that he died for all universally but they still go to hell. But the reformed, we do acknowledge the effectiveness, the efficaciousness of Christ’s atonement that the ones he died for will be saved and will never be lost.
And so there’s also a popular thing of;
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:4)
The response is simple, when the scripture speaks of “all people” in the context it is a same thing to mean all sorts, with exception, it the same thing to mean all kinds of people, kings, magistrates, lawyers, peasants and all people of any class. This is because of what we do see in 2Timothy 2:25
correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, (2Timothy 2:25)
So that is what we do see in the scriptures that you cannot just stop with 1 Timothy 2:4, you need to see where it basically continues so the explanation is made that God only grants repentance to those he wills.
So you and I do not need God’s justice but we do need his grace and mercy, for we are all sinners and God is worthy of our love, if God is to respond to us according to his Justice all of us would be damned and so what we need is his grace and mercy that’s all.
I pray that this will minister to you as you continue to cross-examine the scriptures carefully, and you not putting your mind into the text but you going to the text willing to be taught by the text, your conclusion will not differ from what you’ve read.