LIMITED ATONEMENT – True or False?
ALL MEANS ALL
PRAYER REQUEST FOR MY SON ADAM
I’ll give you the end of the story up front.
All means all!
Is the good news to ALL? I believe the Word shows Limited Atonement clearly to be false and another gospel. No matter how the reformed/ Calvinists may word it, the T, the U and the L in TULIP clearly teaches that many people were chosen to hell with no choice of their own, and Christ never died for them (according to these people). Created sheerly for the enjoyment or pleasure of God destroying the one He knit together in the womb.
This denigrates God’s Holy and Loving Nature and makes Him out to be another god, not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I also believe these Calvinistic teachings blaspheme (or have others speak evil of), the way of truth (2 Pet 2:2)
Did Christ die for even them?
His Word clearly shows He died even for the false prophets and false teachers who will deny Him (2 Pet 2:1).
YET, His blood BOUGHT them.
They can have day long conferences or debates with their top reformed scholars at the ‘Gospel Coalition’ and other reformed strongholds, but still, the simple truth is — the Wy ord answers these men’s ‘wisdom of words and excellent speech….
But so and so says this, and He’s very well liked!!
How often do you see them say, “this Person says this or that”? Or, He’s very popular, well-respected, well liked? They may be well spoken of. They may be clever or well-respected. But does popular mean you should heed their words (Luke 6:26)? Do book sales and huge churches like John MacArthur’s prove soundness? Because Ray Comfort has a huge money making ministry and a t.v. show, (and his sidekick is clean shaven and likable Kirk Cameron), does that mean they are teaching Biblical truth?
What about widely quoted Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian church who speculates about a trap door to heaven? (Pastor to mega-author Eric Metaxas, who wrote a best-selling book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.)
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:26
These well-known and liked “Bible Scholars” or “Apologists” will tell you what the Greek “really means“. The same words they twist in the Greek, or the ones they say signify only some (like ‘many’) ignore other passages where the same word is used, i.e. many were made sinners (Rom 5:19). Does that mean just many were sinners, or is it ALL?? Was Christ’s blood shed for only a select, elite, hand-picked, pre-chosen to salvation group?
If so, how could this be good tidings? Who would know if He came as a Saviour for them? Who would know amongst the nations whether or not they were pre-chosen to hell?
Did the Messiah taste death for Every Man?
1 John 2:2 clearly say He is the propitiation not only for ‘us’ (believers) but for the whole world (Calvinists will say this suddenly speaks to the Jews and then the whole world speaks to ‘people groups’).
Is this verse hard to understand? God intended for faith to come by hearing the Word (Rom 10:17). 2 Tim 3:15 speaks the truth when it says the SCRIPTURES are able to make one wise unto salvation. Does that mean only those elite few who are pre-selected for heaven? Or does that speak to anyone?
Was Jesus being sneaky or dishonest when He said ALL here, or is it that only the pre-chosen to heaven labor and are heavy laden?
Is the offer of rest to ALL or not?
Will you accept this simple truth?
Did His grace appear to ALL or a select few? Why wouldn’t it simply say, listen, His grace has brought salvation to those He has chosen to be saved?
How can Pastor John MacArthur call his church Grace to You with a straight face? Should it not be Grace to a few? Or Grace to the Elect?
Unto ALL and upon ALL that believe, for there is NO DIFFERENCE…
Do you believe His Word? Have you sinned? Then the gift of righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ is available to you too.
I have seen this prophecy ridiculously interpreted to mean that only the sins of His sheep were laid upon Jesus.
Is this how this verse reads? Or does it say we are ALL like sheep? ALL!
Take God at His Word, He has laid upon HIM the iniquity of us ALL!
Truly I ask, has He come to be the Savior/Saviour of ALL?
Is there not a distinction here between non-believers and believers? (Specially of those who believe?)
Was He the propitiation for ALL? For the WHOLE WORLD? Don’t listen to their specious arguments, see what the Word says. Here His Word. Pray and ask Him to show you, not through reformed teachers or lenses, but through His simple Word and if you have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is, and what He has done on the cross for you, then the Word tells you that you are sealed by His Holy Spirit and He will guide you into all truth. He will teach you. Ask Him to help you grow in the Word of His grace.
Finally, if the Judgment came upon ALL MEN…
Then, there is no denying this….
The Free Gift of salvation DID come upon ALL MEN!
You cannot have it both ways dear Calvinist friends.
Which is it? Is the judgment on some? or ALL?
Does ALL mean some in the first half and ALL means suddenly really means ALL in the second portion? NO!! Do not do this to God’s Word!
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7
PRAY FOR ALL MEN. ALL REALLY DOES MEAN ALL
READ ABOUT THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF CERTAIN CALVINISTS.
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
Thank you for this! Great article, I have so many Calvinist friends that were not raised that way and John Piper got a hold of them! It saddens me!
Shannon — I am saddened too, John Piper calls himself a 7-pointer, (I guess that’s a way to prove you are a little more chosen than others)… 🙂
This is a good article on John Piper, who says it takes a whole village to ‘stay saved’…
http://expreacherman.com/2012/10/19/latest-pronouncement-by-john-piper-it-takes-a-village-to-remain-eternally-secure-john-pipers-latest/
Great article, Holly. It amuses me that those of the Reformed persuasion have no problem with “all” meaning the whole world in verses like Romans 3:23 (All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God) but “whosoever” in John 3:16 is limited to “the elect”.
Keith, that is a great point. We of course understand when something is a figure of speech, as in when the Pharisee’s were speaking — and the Bible records them saying; “the whole world follows after Him”, we know that obviously since the Pharisee’s were not, then this is a figure of speech.
I think the Bible is very plain on even giving us multiple witnesses, that we ALL ‘like’ sheep have gone astray (Is 53:6), but then they will say Jesus paid ONLY for His sheep in John 10, and yet in the same verse in Isaiah 53, Since we ALL have sinned (like sheep gone astray), that the fact of the matter remains, He did indeed lay upon Him, the sins of us ALL.
Holly, likewise Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I imagine that most Calvinists think “all” in this verse applies to everyone.
John, interesting you should bring that up. Yes, they believe all have sinned. They don’t logically connect that to the fact He commended His love for us by dying for us while we were yet sinners, ungodly, enemies of God. Which one Calvinist used yesterday in his long diatribe to state we somehow could not believe – (I imagine it’s a Jame’s White list).
(Funny part was, Jim Floyd was in the conversation, he saw one, maybe two of his posts, as was another friend Eric there answering, and within a couple of posts, they blocked the men without a word. No way to know except Eric said something and then Jim realized he could only see the first couple of posts). So I made sure and removed them from my post.
But in the meantime, one of the Calvinists said:
How does an unbeliever, whose heart is deceitful (Jer. 17:9) , whose heart is full of evil (Mark 7:21-23), who loves darkness (John 3:19), who is not able to come to Christ (John 6:44,65), who suppresses the truth (Rom. 1:18), who does not honor God (Rom. 1:21), who does not thank God (Rom. 1:21), who is futile in thinking (Rom. 1:21), who hates God (Rom. 1:30), heart is foolish and darkened (Rom. 1:21), who is not righteous (Rom: 3:10), who does not understand (Rom. 3:11), who does not seek for God (Rom. 3:11), who does no good (Rom. 3:12), who is ungodly (Rom. 5:6), who is an enemy of God (Rom. 5:10), who is a slave of sin (John 8:34), Rom. 6:16-20), whose mind is hostile (at enmity) towards God (Rom. 8:7), whose mind is not subject to the law of God (Rom. 8:7), whose mind is not able to subject itself to the law of God (Rom. 8:7), who cannot please God (Rom. 8:8), who is dead in his sins (Eph. 2:1,5) , who is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), who lives in the passions of the flesh (Eph. 2:3), who carries out the desires of the body and the mind (Eph. 2:3), who does not accept spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), whom spiritual things are foolishness to (1 Cor. 2:14), who is not able to understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), freely choose God?
I’m sure you instantly see the issues with context in many of these, and the desire to leave out portions of verses even, that directly contradict what they are saying (as in Rom 1 passages, they miss the irony that this ‘dead’ man is suppressing the truth ‘in unrighteousness’ which he left out, or John 3:19 – the very next verse says they will not come to the light).
Anyways, the truth was that his Rom 3 and 5 references, truly point out that Christ has died for All and proved His love for All, and who is the ALL? Sinners.
I hear where your coming from just remember God is the same yesterday today and tommorow. In the flood story everyone one on earth was judged and destroyed except for eight people. I know this is on the other side of the cross, but is God’s pull on the heart of those he knit in the womb so weak that only eight people in the entire earth answered the call. You see how far fetched that sounds. So when you are calling out Calvanists and acting like they are a cult, remember that to put the decision on man whether to serve God or not is pretty out there as well because as in the flood story they just don’t come. Being born again is a supernatural event caused by God initiating it. If He initiates this same call and saving miracle on everyone but only a few respond then how big is our God and are His miracles based solely on our faith. I just don’t believe that everything is based on free will. Is the plan of salvation based on our free will or God’s plan. If it were based on our ideas or free will would we have chosen to be saved by the crucifixion of God’s only begotten Son. Probably not, but it was not our decision nor did our free will to come to God in another way other than His Son ever enter the equation. For that matter did you choose to be born in the first place? You see most reformed Calvanists believe that God has more to do with it than us and that’s about it. I happen to agree with that, but to say that this is heresy and borderline cultic is way out there. There are so many false teachers out there teaching lies and going to the bank regularly that need to be called out let alone some of the true cults that your whole premise and focus seems to lack much relevancy and seems almost vindictive. Just saying……T
T, thank you for visiting and commenting.
God’s drawing does not preclude our resisting of the Holy Spirit (as Stephen said to the Pharisees regarding they and their fathers.) God also said the wickedness at that time was very great and the intent of their heart was to do evil continually. However Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Look at the few saved out of Sodom and Gomorrah. But it was based on them being righteous in His sight, and notice, the preaching preceded the faith.
Yes, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I found it so interesting you used that verse from Hebrew 13, let’s consider the whole passage:
7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Although you may not realize it, you’ve ironically answered your own question, yet turned around and called it far fetched. The fact that God saved eight people only, doesn’t prove His weakness, it proves His longsuffering, and desire for none to perish. In light of the fact only eight people were saved, it illustrates perfectly that God has allowed free will to accept or reject His offer. And He sent a preacher in Noah, and He sent a preacher in Hebrews 13, and He asks in Romans 10:14, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
God did His part by sending the preachers of the Word. You said it was not our decision to be saved. I would disagree, we are commanded to repent, we are told to believe, Jesus cried out to the crowd, “Have faith”, so we cannot say He was being redundant or dishonest, (which would be the case if one had no ability to believe). It would also make Jesus guilty of sin for making someone unable to believe, for unbelief is a sin (John 16:7-11). No! It is that people WILL NOT come to Him that they might have life.
I don’t believe I called them a ‘cult’ or ‘borderline cultic’ as you asserted. But I do and will continue to say the doctrine of Calvinism is heresy and blasphemes the way of truth (spoken evil of). I have chosen the way of truth (Ps 119:30). The doctrine of Calvinism is much more subtle then those other wolves you mention at the end. Many of those in the reformed camp are right in the drive though line at the bank also. It is not vindictiveness that has me speaking the truth here my friend, it is love.
We did not ask to be born, but He commands us to be born again.
It’s not easy to speak, but I do it for that reason, to cut off the opportunity of these false ministers of light (2 Cor 11). In Christ eternally. Holly
Holly, in Matthew 7:13, Jesus says “Enter ye in at the strait gate…”
If He were to give us the faith to do that , then he would have been talking to Himself here.
In verse 14, He says “…and few there be that find it.”
In 1 Peter 3:20, we see the reference to Noah and again see the word “few.”
God is described in 1 Peter 3:20 as “longsuffering.”
We see the use of this term again in 2 Peter 3:9, along with “…not willing that any should perish.”
The fact that only eight people were saved on the ark is not a compelling argument for predestination, any more than few entering the strait gate is a compelling argument for predestination.
But is limited atonement a “salvation issue”? If someone teaches a correct method of getting saved but is teaching that Christ only died for the predestinated few, is his gospel still savable?
Lester, good question, however maybe not so simple.
If someone teaches that, but correctly relates the Scriptures that relate to the gospel, then the gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16-17; 1 Cor 1:17-18). However, let’s say someone tells someone the gospel but relates in it that Christ only died for a few. Would that person believe that He died for them? And isn’t that implicit knowledge in the gospel itself? So I believe it is a salvation issue. I am not saying one could not get saved because the person relating the gospel believed in Limited atonement, because generally they don’t bring those things out till later. But it sure does matter in that it lies about what the Scriptures say, and it also lies about what Jesus did, and who He did it for.
Thanks for asking, in Christ, Holly
For the transgression of my people was He stricken (Isaiah 52:8). Thou shall call His name JESUS for He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
Hi Greg, thanks for sharing Scripture. Always good to understand context, and contrast and compare with two or three witnesses in Scripture.
Who were ‘His people‘ spoken of in Matt 1?
Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus. Acts 13:23
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. John 11:49-50
But did that mean that Jesus died solely for Israel? Or were we (the Gentile Nations) grafted into the promise of salvation? Just continuing on in that same chapter answers it was not only for that nation.
But so does Scripture all over the place.
Heb 2:9 says He died for every man.
1 Tim 2:4-6 says He desires ALL to come to a knowledge of the truth (as does 2 Pet 3:9), since He was a ransom for ALL.
1 Peter 2:1 is clear that He died even for the false prophets and false teachers who would deny Him.
1 John 2:2, states unequivocally that not only is He the propitiation for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.
John 6 in a couple of places says He gave His life for the world. So we know it is not just for ‘His People‘ in Isaiah 52 (who are identified multiple times as Israel). We know it’s not just for some in other nations. We know He died for the whole world. That payment is effectual for all who will believe upon Him as their Savior.
but it seems that polycarp also taught something that’s similiar to limited atonement, it polycarp is John’s students so his teaching was supposed to be correct
Here is how I think on it. I know that John’s writings, what God determined to preserve, were inspired by His Spirit. I studied Church History years ago, and I am not compelled to be very interested in it, finding all sorts of various doctrines. So, for me? I’d rather stick with His Word and trust the Spirit to guide me into all truth as I submit myself to God. And apply my heart to His Wisdom, trusting (as He said), He will teach even me. When we study with His approval as our goal, I trust we will not be ashamed.
Too many are students of men’s writings and church fathers and haven’t even earnestly studied through His Word even one time. I’ve been a believer most of my life, and went to Christian schooling, took some seminary courses at various times, had a very sound Biblical church from the time I was young, and yet, I know there is too much to learn from His Word for me to want to waste time on much else.
Love in Christ Daniel.
but i guess unlimited atonement has some problems either. I guess the calvinist argument is that if He died for everyone, and there are unbelievers who don’t believe and perish then Christ has died in vain for them.
Hi Daniel, yes that is what they say. But if the Passover Lamb died, and the blood is not applied to the doorpost, how did that Passover Lamb die in vain? We know he did not. His instructions to the Israelites in that instance was to apply the blood if they wanted to be saved from the last plague. It is a picture of our Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. He asked us to believe if we want the blood applied. Their argument falls flat. Thanks for visiting.