Doctrines of Grace Part 5

Why don't we pray together, and then we'll get started.

Our Father in Heaven, we come to you, Lord, on the basis of Christ and His wonderful love for us.

! Lord, we love you because you first loved us.

We pray, Lord, that in this time together we would glory in that great love.

With the great love, Christ made us alive.

We pray we would look into that great love and be encouraged that your love for us is unique and you know us intimately.

Father, we pray that you would be glorified in this time together.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, we've been thinking and discussing in this class about the glorious topic of the doctrines of grace.

John has been our guide, and I'll be taking the next two weeks, and then John will conclude our journey three weeks from now, Lord willing.

And we have focused on the streams of mercy, the doctrines of grace.

But this morning we'll turn our attention to the very fountain of this grace.

We turn our attention to the atonement.

And the atonement has its origins not only in God's justice, but in the sovereign love of God.

A great love, Paul says in Ephesians 2, verse 4.

Ephesians 2:4

The source and proof of God's unwavering love toward you, brother and sister.

And my prayer in this class will just glory in His love together.

And so to get at the heart of the atonement, you can ask yourself this question.

Why was Jesus of Nazareth executed on a shameful Roman cross?

To ask that question is to begin to gaze at the atonement, to gaze at the heart of Christianity.

Paul would say this question is of first importance, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.

Why does Christ die for our sins?

In earlier weeks, we saw our calamitous condition.

Remember, we stand guilty before a good God, as those represented in Adam.

God is good, unimaginably so.

His holiness is good and pure.

His justice unflinchingly righteous.

God must punish sin.

And so the question the scripture asks isn't, how could a good God send us to hell?

The question is, how can He not, if He is good?

And because all that is true, we are in danger.

John 3, 36, the wrath of God remains on all who are outside of Christ.

Enter the atonement.

Christ died for our sins.

If you ask Paul what that meant, he would point you and I to the mercy seat.

The place in the temple, remember, where God ordained sacrifices that would graphically portray the truth of Hebrews 9, verse 22.

Hebrews 9:22

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the entire floor of the temple would be covered in blood.

And at the center of the scene stood the high priest.

Does anyone know what role the high priest played in the Day of Atonement?

Ivor?

He used to go into the inner court and the homily of bullies.

And he would sacrifice a goat.

Put the blood of the sacrifice on the goat and release the goat.

Yeah, so he would offer the sacrifice.

On behalf of the people.

On behalf of the people.

Right.

Yes.

So he was a representative of Israel.

And that's an important detail that we'll return to at the end of our class.

Once a year, the sacrifice was presented at the mercy seat, as Ivor said, as a substitute by the high priest.

And God's wrath would be assuaged for his people.

What the Bible calls propitiation.

When you hear propitiation, think wrath remover or wrath absorber.

Year after year, God's people were reminded.

The appointed sacrifice would be the wrath remover, a mediator between a sinful humanity and a holy God.

In the fullness of time, God provided the once for all sacrifice.

Jesus, the wrath remover, the propitiator, the substitute, the God man, the lamb slain for sinners.

Hell was put into his cup and he drank it dry.

Every last drop.

He drank the cup the father gave him to drink.

And Jesus, as Peter writes, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.

So this is the atonement.

The work of God to deal with our sin, to purchase and procure the blessings for God's people.

And every Christian will give a hearty amen to this.

The issue we discussed this morning, however, is narrower.

Christians all agree on the necessity of the atonement.

Today we'll discuss its design.

Whom exactly did Christ intend to purchase with his blood?

Did he intend to purchase everyone or a specific people?

Was it the eternal design of God that the cross should redeem every human being?

Or was it his design to redeem God's chosen ones?

A multitude so vast that no one can possibly count them all.

Revelation 7.

The first view is called universal or general atonement.

That God intended to save all without exception.

So when Christ died on the cross, he died for every man, every woman, every child.

Past, present, future.

You can go to anyone on planet earth and say,

Christ bore the wrath that your sins deserve on the cross.

The second view is called definite atonement or particular redemption.

Christ, by his blood, purchased an eternal redemption for those whom his father chose to save,

and only those his father chose to save.

He died for a specific people.

And as you can see, I will suggest definite atonement is definitely the view that you ought to take.

But before we begin, let's remember that there are precious gospel companions that differ on this question.

And these companions are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, genuinely seeking these things out in the scripture.

And so no matter where we land, we land charitably.

Amen.

Christ has died for those of us who disagree with you on this question.

We can all agree on that.

Christ has died for our brothers and sisters who might disagree with us.

And I actually love George Whitefield and John Wesley's friendship.

These are two brothers who disagreed on these kinds of issues.

Whitefield once wrote to his friend Wesley.

He says this,

Amen to that.

One day we'll have perfect unity on this question.

Now, I trust that your heart is open and my heart is open to those who disagree.

But we will argue in this class that definite atonement is the scriptural approach.

And, you know, normally when people are talking about this question, you know, we resort to straw manning.

You know, we go for shock value rather than representing each other accurately.

You know, check out the world's biggest lie.

You know, gets clicks on the internet.

And who doesn't love the clicks?

Because of that, I'm sure we've all walked around with certain caricatures in our minds about the other side.

So hopefully this class will display some of that.

So we're going to ask three questions together.

Question number one, why might faithful Christians deny definite atonement?

Question number two, we'll do a brief cross-examination.

And then question number three, we'll consider Christ's special love secures the salvation of his people.

Why it's gloriously true.

Let's start with question number one.

So why might Christians deny definite atonement?

Let's look at the arguments for what we call universal or unlimited atonement.

That Christ died for all without exception.

Let me give you five reasons.

What is that?

It would be the universalists.

Some, not all.

I mean, we'll talk about that.

Yeah.

Not all who are, if you believe this truth, doesn't necessarily mean you're a universalist.

But let me give you five scriptural reasons why people would deny definite atonement.

And at first glance, this view seems fairly obvious.

And any contrary view, implausible.

First, doesn't scripture very straightforwardly teach that God loves the world and that Christ died for the world.

John the Baptist, heralding Jesus' arrival, says,

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Or take John 3.16, maybe the best known verse in the Bible.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

Isn't there a certain universality to these statements about God's love?

God loves the world.

Whosoever believes will not perish but have eternal life.

You know, the arguments that the word world mean only God's chosen ones seem pretty unconvincing.

And doesn't God love everyone in the entire world?

Roger Olson, a strong proponent of unlimited atonement, says to take any other view means you cannot avoid limiting the love of God.

Who wants to do that?

We certainly don't want to limit God's love.

Who wants to portray God as cold and narrow when his beating heart is one of mercy and love?

And normally when people talk about this, definite atonement sounds like a scarcity issue.

You go to the restaurant, you try to get a table, and the hostess says,

Well, let me see if your name is on the list.

Oh, nope, you can't come in.

God says, I know you want it, but there's not enough for you here.

That's certainly not right.

God overflows with grace for sinners that come to him.

Second, the argument goes we should never separate God's desires, his aspirations, with his actions.

1 Timothy 2.4, Paul writes,

God desires, quote, all people to be saved.

His aspiration, then, must not be separated from his action.

If he desires all, then we shouldn't limit his actions when he sends his son to die.

Third, doesn't there seem to be a difficulty in the free offer of the gospel if Christ did not die for everyone?

I mean, what good is an atonement that you can't be sure applies to you?

Is that sincere?

The thought is we should be able to say to everyone on planet Earth, Christ died for you.

Therefore, the atonement must be unlimited.

Fourth, Peter speaks of some who are even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

And Jude has a similar statement in that book.

This very much sounds like a universal intention that when Christ, when Jesus died,

he died to buy, to redeem every single person, sadly, even some who will be lost in the end.

And finally, and fifth, aren't there passages that plainly say Christ died for all people?

Take 1 John 2, verse 2.

1 John 2:2

He is of appreciation for our sins, the wrath remover, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Paul writes to Timothy,

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

who gave himself as a ransom for all.

Isn't that all we need?

I mean, this is the plain meaning of the passage, people claim.

One memorable slogan is,

All means all, and that's all it means.

So, the argument goes,

He must have died for all, without exception, for everyone who ever lived.

Now again, this seems fairly straightforward.

And anything opposing seems fairly implausible.

And friend, if these were the only scripture passages, I would agree with you.

Right?

The evidence has been presented, let's just cast the verdict.

But friend, let's pump the brakes.

One of my favorite genres of movies and books is a British murder mystery.

And I love it when everyone's ready to cast the verdict.

Right?

If Sherlock Holmes comes in and begins to notice clues that maybe were missed, that weren't noticed.

Maybe there's a dust print of a cup that's missing on the bedside table.

And when you're expecting noise, no one heard the dog bark at night.

All right, that was Agatha Christie, but you get my point.

So, if you're here and you are adamantly for that first view,

my goal isn't really to persuade you this morning,

but rather it's to maybe have you second guess the certainty of your position.

Proverbs 18, verse 17 says,

Proverbs 18:17

One who states his case first seems right until the other comes and cross-examines it.

So, question number two, let's do a brief cross-examination

of this first view of universal atonement.

Friend, is it possible that we are mistaken about the meaning of these passages?

Could it be that universal language doesn't mean a universal atonement?

For example, in 1 John 2, verse 2,

1 John 2:2

when it says he died for the entire world,

could it be that we interpret the entire world

as that he did not die for all without exception,

but all without distinction?

An ethnic universalism.

In John's immediate context,

could it mean that Jesus died for the world,

for Jews and Gentiles,

and Germans and Jamaicans

and Nigerians, Eskimos?

Not just for Gnostics in John's day,

but for all the nations?

He died for all kinds of people.

We might think this is the plain meaning of the passage,

but to say all without exception,

but that's not the way Augustine understood that verse.

And many Christians,

after Augustine,

in the medieval time,

to the Reformation,

to the modern day,

have understood that verse not to mean all without exception,

but all without distinction,

as referring to the church across all nations.

God's people scattered across every region.

You'll find a parallel verse in John 11,

John 11:51–52

verse 51 to 52,

same pattern of wording from the same author.

Caiaphas, speaking, says this,

he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,

and not for the nation only,

but also to gather into one the children of God

who are scattered abroad.

Maybe.

And we could easily spend the next hour

talking about the all passages.

And these are highly complex passages.

And, you know,

it tends to be a merry-go-round,

you know,

where each side is unpersuaded.

We go back and forth.

So we're going to move off of the all passages,

and let's continue our cross-examination.

And we're going to bring in two interlocutors,

conversation partners,

John Owen and Spurgeon.

Owen raises the issue.

If the atonement is universal,

and Jesus paid for everyone's sins,

I mean, Jesus says it is finished, right?

The work is complete.

That debt is paid in full.

Nothing more needs to be added.

If that is so,

wouldn't that bring salvation and forgiveness to everyone?

Owen writes,

If Jesus died for all men,

quote,

why then are not all freed from punishment of all their sins?

You will say,

because of their unbelief.

They will not believe.

But this unbelief,

is it sin or not?

If it be sin,

then Christ underwent the punishment due to it.

If this is so,

then why must unbelief

hinder them more than their other sins for which he died?

If he did not die for their unbelief,

then he did not die for all their sins.

So Owen is asking,

did Jesus die for only some of the sins of all people?

Well, no, surely not.

Well, I think the reply is this.

Yes, it's universal in extent,

but its application is limited.

You see,

Jesus has done his part.

Now you must do yours.

God intended to save all, yes,

but it was not efficient to save all.

The atonement is limited by individual choice to believe.

So Jesus died for all.

He opened the door,

but there's nothing that guarantees the salvation of anyone.

Enter Spurgeon,

the second interlocutor.

He writes,

they will say Christ died for all men.

Ask them what they mean by it.

Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of all men?

They say,

no, no, no, certainly not.

We ask them the next question.

Did Christ die so as to secure the salvation of any man in particular?

They answer, no.

They're obliged to admit this if they are consistent.

No, they say,

no, Christ has died

that any man may be saved if,

and then they follow certain conditions of salvation.

We say then,

we will go back to the old statement,

Christ did not die

so as to,

beyond a doubt,

secure the salvation of anybody,

did he?

And he asks at the end,

now who is it that limits the death of Christ?

So you see what he's saying.

He's pointing that Jesus did not die to save actually,

but only to make you savable.

The ultimate distinguishing factor

is your spiritual impulse,

the impulse of the depraved sinner,

to be spiritually discerning

and to choose Christ.

Well done to you.

So I very intentionally avoided using the term

limited atonement

because it's a little misleading.

It's not that one view wants to limit the atonement

and the other doesn't.

No, in fact,

unless you're a universalist,

which is plainly unscriptural,

everyone believes in some kind of limitation.

To quote John Murray,

an old professor,

he says,

these limitations will either be related to God's power

or God's purpose.

Consider,

God declares he is all-powerful,

omnipotent.

God says,

I declare the end from the beginning

and from ancient times,

things not yet done,

saying,

my counsel shall stand

and I will accomplish all my purpose.

Isaiah 46,

Isaiah 46:10

verse 10.

But maybe God's power is limited.

I desire all to be saved.

And God says,

you know,

I tried my best.

My plans to save were frustrated.

I saved as many as I possibly could.

You know,

maybe God is like a Wizard of Oz.

You know,

you pull back the curtain

and he's really not as powerful as he claims to be.

You know,

hiding behind a curtain

using a booming voice to project power.

But the true power

comes from within Dorothy.

to tap her red slippers of faith three times.

Is that how the God of the Bible

is to be understood?

No, no,

a thousand times no.

No.

God's plans are never frustrated.

He accomplishes all his purpose.

The power lies in God's hands alone.

The Father's plan to save will never be defeated.

God has the divine prerogative in his own hands

to have mercy on whom he will have mercy,

as we've heard in previous weeks.

J.R. Packer,

in his short intro on John Owen's work on this subject,

which is a great essay,

you should read it.

He writes this,

One makes salvation depend on the work of God,

the other on a work of man.

One regards faith as part of God's gift of salvation,

the other as man's own contribution to salvation.

One gives all the glory of saving believers to God.

The other divides the praise between God,

who, so to speak,

built the machinery of salvation,

and man who, by believing it,

operated it.

Let's move to our third point.

Let's get into the scripture.

Christ's special love secures the salvation of his people.

Now, definite atonement doesn't deny

God's universal loving stance

and his yearning heart for the entire world.

It recognizes that God provides a savior

that is sufficient to save all.

He sends out his ambassadors to persuade,

to pray, and even to plead

that every human being come to accept

this all-sufficient savior.

We can say,

he will save everyone who comes to Christ by faith.

Everyone.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

will be saved.

You know, for work,

I negotiate contracts as an attorney.

And toward the end of the day,

it feels like when I'm reading a document,

I have to get the magnifying glass out

because you always have to read the fine print.

You know, you'll find language like this.

You know, notwithstanding the foregoing,

the following exceptions apply.

There is no exception clause here.

There is no fine print.

Everyone, without exception,

who calls on Christ will be saved.

There's enough for everyone in the entire world.

And if human beings live on other planets,

it's enough for them too.

But definite atonement believes more than that.

It believes that Christ did not die

for a nameless blob of people.

And definite atonement recognizes

that this lover had a distinguishing love,

a special love toward a certain people.

God shows you and set his love on you.

And God's love for you,

brother and sister, is unique.

He has a care, a love,

a particular knowledge from eternity past.

And the success of this divine effort

was never in doubt.

There's a t-shirt that says,

Jesus loves you.

But then again,

Jesus loves everybody.

Maybe that's how we think about God's love for us.

You know, God loves me.

But then again, that's kind of his job, right?

God loves the world.

I'm part of the world,

so I guess God loves me too.

Doesn't he love everyone?

Nothing special about that.

Oh, friend, but this is like a husband

who seeks his beloved bride

who wandered away,

finds her deep in sin,

a prisoner of this world.

And it's not only that he secured

the opportunity for her release from prison,

but because of God's amazing love for her,

he reaches into the prison cell

and by grace grabs her out

into his everlasting arms.

And he will never let her go.

That love actually exists.

And that's why this is a beautiful doctrine.

It is a large jewel

in the crown of doctrines of grace.

That this love,

specific love,

had no beginning

and will have no end.

Paul can write,

before the stars were ever created,

before the planets were orbiting the sun,

God delighted and loved you.

Ephesians 1,

when he chose us in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy

and blameless before him.

In love,

he predestined us for adoptions as sons.

You see,

in eternity past,

his heart was wedded

to his bride in devotion.

And God distinguished her

and set her apart.

And for her sake,

secures her salvation.

So your very name

was written on his heart

as he goes to the cross.

The names of countless millions,

a countless multitude

from every tribe,

tongue,

and nation.

scripturally,

where do we see this?

Let me give you four reasons.

Four reasons.

Number one,

Christ's love

for a specific people.

In fact,

the scripture repeatedly

hits this note.

It emphasizes

that the atonement

had an aim.

There was a special design.

There was a relationship

between the mission of Christ

and that it was oriented

toward a certain people.

And while God has a general love

for all people,

and the gospel call

is freely preached

and offered to all,

he has a special,

saving,

covenantal love

for his own bride.

Consider some verses with me.

Matthew 1,

21,

Jesus will save

his people

from their sins.

John 15,

John 15:13

verse 13,

greater love

know no man than this.

Christ laid down

his life

for his friends.

The Son of Man

came to give

his life

as a ransom

for many.

Mark 10,

Mark 10:45

verse 45.

We can reach

further back.

Isaiah writes

to the Messiah

in chapter 53,

yet he bore

the sin of many

and makes intercession

for the transgressors.

John 10,

the shepherd

lays down

his life

in the place

of his sheep.

John 10,

John 10:11

verse 11,

I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd

lays down his life

for the sheep.

Verse 15,

just as the Father

knows me

and I know the Father

and I lay down

my life for the sheep.

The shepherd dies

so his sheep

can live.

He loves them.

He cares for them

uniquely.

In that chapter,

Jesus says,

my sheep hear my voice

and I know them

and they follow me.

He knows them.

That's like

a covenantal language.

It's rich

with intimacy.

The way a husband

knows his bride.

The apple of his eye,

faithful to her forever.

Hosea 13

is a great example

of this knowledge,

this intimacy.

Verse 5,

but I am the Lord

your God

from the land of Egypt.

You know no God

but me

and besides me

there is no Savior.

It was I

who knew you

in the wilderness,

in the land of drought.

God knows his people

in an intimate,

loving way.

Galatians 4,

9 speaks of salvation

in this way.

But know that you

have come to know God

or rather to be known

by God.

Don't rob yourself

of this love,

beloved.

You are an object

of distinguishing love,

a unique love.

You love him

because he first loved you.

The Jews in John 10

didn't believe Jesus.

Speak plainly,

they say.

Tell us if you are the Christ.

Jesus' track record

up to this point

about his identity,

let's just say

it's been pretty solid.

But why do they not believe?

Verse 25,

Jesus answered them,

I told you

and you do not believe

the work that I do

in my Father's name

bear witness about me.

But you do not believe

because

you are not among my sheep.

And the logic is striking.

Did you hear that?

It's not that you don't believe

therefore you're not my sheep.

It's the opposite.

Because you are not my sheep

therefore you do not believe.

My sheep hear my voice.

I know them

and they follow me.

I was at the trampoline park

with my kids this week.

For those of you

who haven't been to a place like that,

it's chaotic.

There's a cacophony of noises.

It's loud.

It's crowded.

Kids are yelling and screaming.

They're running into each other.

The music is blasting in your ears.

When I was there,

I faintly heard a child cry.

And I immediately knew

that's my child.

I know my child.

I know them in a personal way.

It's the same way

for you,

brother and sister.

Jesus knows his sheep.

And he has other sheep

of this fold.

All the Father

has given him

will come to him.

Parents,

this is the difference

between the love

you have

for all the kids

in the nursery.

You love them.

You do good to them.

You care for them.

But there's a difference

between that

and the love you have

for your own child.

You hear the cacophony

of crying

and then you recognize

their voice in the crowd.

Husbands,

wives,

again,

this is the difference

between your love

for others.

You sincerely love them.

You do good to them.

But you love

your spouse

differently,

don't you?

Husbands,

you love your bride.

She's distinguished.

She's set apart.

And that love

is higher,

deeper,

wider

than your love

for others.

When Jesus' audience

heard him say,

the good shepherd

lays down his life

for the sheep,

no one in the audience

is asking,

you know,

I wonder,

does he mean

only his sheep

or all sheep?

It only makes sense

for him to speak

of specific sheep.

Now,

it is true

that logically speaking,

his only dying

for the sheep

doesn't automatically

mean he didn't die

for all the other sheep.

So I want to be careful

not to make

sweeping conclusions.

But I think

if you look at

the other scriptural witness,

it's pretty clear

he's talking about

his sheep only.

Doesn't he make that point

in the parable

of the lost sheep

of his intention?

The good shepherd

responds to one

missing sheep

by leaving the 99,

he goes out

until he finds

the missing sheep.

And when he finds

this missing sheep,

was it an invitation,

you know,

a mere possibility?

Sheep,

I invite you

to travel back

on your own legs.

No,

he doesn't do that.

He doesn't say,

I've done my part,

sheep,

now you do yours.

No,

the shepherd finds

the sheep,

he takes her,

lays her upon his shoulder,

and brings her home rejoicing.

Not one would be lost.

Of course,

one more passage

we must mention.

Ephesians 5,

25.

Christ loved the church

and gave himself up

for her.

The special love

where a loving bridegroom

gives himself

for his bride.

So,

you see,

while the scripture

speaks about Christ's death

for the entire world,

it also speaks of Christ's death

for a people.

And scripture

cannot contradict scripture.

And when rightly understood,

this opens a door

to an ocean of love

that you'll swim in

your whole life

into eternity.

You know,

we might get a small taste now,

but you cannot exhaust

the depth of it.

The greatness

and majesty

of this great love.

As if you're a small guppy

swimming in an ocean

of God's love,

you're never going to get

to the bottom of it.

There's always

more to discover.

Christ has a love

for you uniquely.

Second reason.

Salvation is secured.

The scripture tells us

that salvation

has been secured.

Christ says,

Even so,

it is not the will

of my Father

who is in heaven

that one of these

little ones should perish.

All that the Father

gives me

will come to me.

And whoever comes to me

I will never cast out.

John 6.

My sheep hear my voice.

I give them eternal life

and they will never perish.

And no one will snatch

you out of his hand.

No power of hell

can pluck you

from his hand.

That is a promise.

Christ will give an account

to his Father

for each one of his sheep

that the Father

had given him.

Not one of them

would be lost.

None of the language

in the New Testament

refers to something potential.

You know,

a mere possibility.

I think you and I

should have that same conviction

in our ministries.

whether it be at home

or at work

or in the church.

You know,

our confidence

is not in good marketing.

You know,

maximizing the psychological pressure

to get people

to make a decision

for Christ.

You know,

the music,

the lights,

try to get people

to make a decision,

walk the aisle,

embrace pragmatism.

We judge our ministry method

by the whether it produces

immediate decisions.

Show me the cash value

of decisions.

No,

none of that.

Like Jesus,

our confidence

is in the Father,

drawing his people.

And friend,

that fuels missions.

That's what empowered

evangelism for

a young man

who's known as

the father of modern missions,

William Carey.

It empowered

John Patton

in the South Sea Islands,

George Leal

in Jamaica,

the first African-American

missionary from America,

but maybe even the first

missionary at all

going from America,

George Leal.

Now,

Christ will have the prize

for which he died,

an inheritance of people

out of every nation,

tribe,

and nation,

and tongue.

When Jesus makes you

a fisher of men and women,

he doesn't send you out

with potentiality.

When we hold up

the gospel of grace,

there are fish

who will bite

the bait of the gospel.

His death and resurrection

guarantee it.

Not a mere possibility.

That was Paul's confidence.

God says,

I have many people

appointed in this city.

Go on preaching.

Go on teaching.

Every one of God's elect

and every dunghill

will be found.

Not one

will be lost.

And the apostles

learned from Jesus

how they were to understand

salvation is death

on the cross.

The apostles used images

to convey the reality

to us.

Jesus as a sacrifice,

a reconciliation,

a military victory,

and redemption.

And each image

conveys the reality

that salvation

is something

that was secured.

It accomplished

its ends.

Listen to Colossians 1,

Colossians 1:20

verse 20.

Speaking of Jesus,

Paul writes this,

For through him

to reconcile

to himself

all things

whether on heaven

or on earth,

making peace

by the blood

of his cross.

How can we say

that God and sinners

are reconciled

if these reconciled

sinners

are then cast

into hell?

Is that a true

reconciliation?

reconciliation?

What kind of redemption

would it be

if the hostages

aren't set free?

In fact,

Revelation 5,

Revelation 5:9

verse 9,

Jesus redeemed

or ransomed

people for God

from every tribe,

tongue,

people,

and nation.

Christ secures

their salvation.

Ambrose of Milan,

one great teacher

who produced

another great teacher

in the church,

Augustine,

Ambrose wrote this,

Can he damn

you

whom he has

redeemed from death?

For whom he

offered himself?

Whose life

he knows

is the reward

of his own death?

The answer is,

no,

of course not.

He has died

for you.

You are an object

of special love,

a daughter,

a son of love,

a special love.

He will not

cast you away.

He did not die.

Not one drop

of his blood

was in vain.

Christ secures

the salvation

of his people.

Two more reasons.

Third,

assurance is grounded

in definite atonement.

It's grounded

in definite atonement.

And this is the

rock solid assurance

in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

It's not based

on a potential salvation,

but a definite one.

Verse 32,

He who did not

spare his own son,

but gave him up

for us all,

how will he not

also with him

graciously give us

all things?

If he died for us,

everything else

follows,

brothers and sisters.

He has done

greater things for us,

will he not do less?

If he gave us

the greatest thing,

his son,

he will give us

all things.

Will he give you

faith and repentance?

Of course,

those are a gift.

Perseverance?

Yes.

Nothing can separate us

from the love of God.

Will he condemn

those whom he died for?

No.

Who will bring any

charge against God's elect?

Will they be defeated?

No.

In all these things,

we are more than conquerors

through him who loved us.

This all flows

from the cross,

brothers and sisters.

If he has done

the greatest thing,

will he send someone

to tell you about it?

John Owen makes

this point.

What if God died

for everyone,

but doesn't bother

to send someone

to tell you about it?

Is it wise of God

to send Christ

to die for men

that they might be saved

and never cause

these men to hear

of any such thing?

What wise man

would pay a ransom

for the delivery

of those captives,

which he is sure

shall never come

to the knowledge

of such payment made?

And so never be better

for it.

Was this the mind

and will,

the design and purpose

of our merciful high priest?

I don't think so.

We have a merciful high priest,

one who never sleeps

nor slumbers.

He daily watches

over his people,

provides for them

with unfailing care.

Jesus is able

to save to the uttermost

who come unto God

by him

because he has ever lived

to make intercession

for them.

Christ's intercessory work,

he's interceding for us

because of the right hand

of God.

Let's turn to his last,

the last point,

his intercessory work.

And this is the strongest

argument, I think,

for this.

We could talk about

the previous ones I made,

but this one's

the strongest argument.

Referring to Jesus

as the high priest.

Recall we said

in the beginning

how Jesus,

as the high priest,

would be,

he would offer the sacrifice

and he would represent

the people.

And recall his

high priestly prayer

in John 17,

the longest recorded

prayer of Jesus

in the Bible.

right before God's wrath

comes crashing down,

his arrest,

his trial,

his crucifixion,

only hours away,

Jesus begins to pray.

And in his office

of priests,

he represents the people.

And Jesus in the

high priestly prayer

intercedes for the world,

right?

No.

Verse 9,

Jesus says,

I am not praying

for the world,

but for those

whom you have given me,

for they are yours.

And the focus

in verse 9

extends to his disciples.

He later extends that

to all who believe

through the witness

of the disciples

in verse 20.

So,

in his office

of high priest,

if Jesus had indeed

died for all,

why is he now

only interceding

for some?

Why is he not

praying for everyone

in the world?

Why pray only

for those

whom the Father

had given him?

John Bunyan,

the author

of Pilgrim's Progress,

one book I love.

How many thousands

are there

for whom Christ

doth not

so much

as open his mouth,

but leaves them

to the accusations

of Satan

and to Ahab's judgment

and Ahab's

because there is none

to plead their cause.

And why does he not

concern himself

with them?

It would seem

pretty odd

if he was going

to die for them,

not even to pray

for them

before he goes

to the cross.

But remember,

in the Old Testament,

in the office

of priests,

he would offer

the sacrifice

on behalf

of God's people,

not the Moabites,

not the Malachites,

but a particular

people for Israel.

And this same pattern

seems to apply

to the high priestly

prayer.

The Son

gives eternal life

to those

whom the Father

had given him.

The Father

had not given him

the world,

but only those

sheep whom the Father

had given to the Son.

Jesus continues,

for their sake,

his disciples,

those sheep,

I consecrate myself.

Jesus died

to accomplish

a definite,

full,

irreversible

atonement

for his people.

So, friend,

this is the depths

of Christ's love

for you.

Because we know

the meaning of his death,

we can know

the meaning

and the depths

of his great love

for us.

So,

my prayer

is that

you would know

that God

has had

an eternal love

for you.

It's eternal.

It had no beginning

and it will have

no end.

And for those

whom Christ loves,

he loves

until the very end.

Okay.

Well,

let's have a hearty

discussion

about this

topic.

Next week,

just so we're

put the path

markers out.

We're going

to talk about

assurance

and Christ's love

until the very end.

Richard.

I've heard

it said that

in this respect,

with respect

to a definite

atonement,

even John Calvin

wasn't a Calvinist.

He doesn't

reject a definite

atonement outright,

but he does

not affirm it

either.

Yeah,

certainly I don't

know specifically

his view.

And if he didn't,

I'm not going

based on a teacher.

I'm trying to stick

to what I believe

the Word of God

teaches.

Well,

from an Armenian.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I don't know

what Calvin

believed on that.

I didn't consult

Calvin when I was

preparing for this.

He's dead.

He's dead.

Jesus is alive.

Yeah.

Certainly Ambrose

and Augustine,

Aquinas,

many of the

Reformers

believe this,

but it would be

anachronistic

to say they

used the term

unlimited atonement

before the Reformation.

But I think

if you look

in the writings

of someone

like Augustine,

you'll see

the special love

that Christ

had for his people.

I'm sure

that didn't

escape Calvin's

notice.

Yeah.

I'll ask

just for

simplifying,

you mentioned

Whitfield

and

Wesley.

Who else

in the beginning

and which

who's in which

camp?

Oh,

yeah.

So John Whitfield

was firmly

in this camp

and John Wesley,

Wesleyanism

was in another camp.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Any thoughts,

questions?

Just that

when I

first learned

about this,

it was surprising

to me,

but

the

kind of

the conclusion

that it gave

me was

kind of

this security

in God's love

as well.

Not

that

Christ's love

is just

kind of

scattered

liberally

and all

be

gathered up

in heaven

whether or

not he

feels any

particular

kind of

way about

me,

right?

Like sometimes

I get this

idea of

being the

last in the

game.

Jesus is

there with

his arms

cross-line.

Yeah,

I guess you

can do it.

It's like,

no,

no.

It's like,

none of us

deserve this.

Yeah.

So the fact

that he chose

any of us

is

staggering.

And

that means

he was

intentional,

he purposed

it.

He said,

I choose

you.

And I'm

like,

why?

He's

like,

no reason.

I just

wanted to.

You know,

like,

there's

nothing you

can claim.

That's what

I ask

every day.

How could

you?

I'm just

so worthless.

He gives

me just the

opposite.

He gives

me the,

you know,

not,

but we'll get

to that next

week with

the assurance.

Yeah,

we'll talk

about that.

Yeah,

I think

you're right,

Josh,

that I think

Christians walk

around and

they think,

you know,

God,

yeah,

he loves me.

He's kind of

merely tolerating

me.

He hasn't

really delighted

me at all.

But I think

if you realize

that if God

knew the worst

about you

and died for

you specifically

on the cross,

of course he

loves you.

of course he's

going to give

you everything.

And I think

that's...

If his son's

record of

perfection has

been imputed

to me,

that's when

God looks at

me,

he sees

nothing but

delight.

He's delighted

because he

sees perfection.

He sees it.

That the son

gave him.

Yeah,

amen.

It's like...

Beth.

How do you

guide and

respond to

people who

hear this and

they kind of

produces survivor

guilt?

Can you

explain survivor

guilt?

That God

might choose

them and

grant them

saving faith

over someone

else when

there's no

reason.

Yeah,

that's a

great question.

It's certainly,

I think we

should follow the

Apostle Paul's

example in

Romans chapter

Romans 9 · chapter mention

9 where he

is just broken

over the sin

of the unbelief

of Israel.

He's like,

I myself

wish myself

if I could

be accursed

if they

could come

in.

There should

be just a

brokenness

that everyone

comes to

know this

great love.

But I

never,

I don't

think that

the scripture

gives us

warrant to

ask the

question,

who are

God's chosen

ones when

we present

the gospel

to other

people?

people.

I think

Christ

holds out

his hands,

nail-scarred

hands and

said,

all who

come to

me,

I will

never

cast

out.

And so

that's the

message we

give to

people.

It's not,

am I part

of the chosen

ones?

Did he die

for me?

it's like,

if you

come to

me,

I will

never

cast you

out.

Yeah,

but if

you're dead

in your sins

and trespasses,

you can't

come to

him.

So he

has to

throw you

a lifeline.

And then

he pulls

you in.

But he

does all

the work.

He does.

Salvation

is from

the Lord.

Yeah,

I mean,

Paul says

we seek

to persuade,

right?

And we...

You don't

turn to

God.

No,

we pray,

we pray,

like,

you know,

before,

every time I,

before I teach

or I preach,

every step

in the Trinity

and the

sanctuary,

I say to

myself,

I believe

in the Holy

Spirit.

I believe

in the Holy

Spirit.

I believe

in the Holy

Spirit.

Because I

know what

you're saying,

Raul,

like,

I could

speak and

make a lot

of noise,

but the Holy

Spirit's not

in operation

in this room.

Like,

all of it's

for nothing.

I cannot

raise people

from death

to life.

But I think

it just gives

us a warrant

to pray.

And,

you know,

certainly

there's,

you know,

the most

unlikely person

is God

delights to

save those

who are

alone in

the world.

So,

I think

rather than

feeling guilty,

just feeling

gratitude

would be

the right

response.

Okay.

Last questions?

All right,

well,

next week

we'll talk

about

Christ's

love for us

until the

end,

and then

John will

conclude our

journey the

week afterward.

All right,

friends,

go in peace.

do you

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

What I need is either the motivation and the time to...

Okay, just sit down.

They'll naturally drop.

Gravity will take care of it.

Okay.

So, if we have that...

Let's see if when we turn it over if that will drop to hold it to place.

No, there's something wrong with this.

Yeah, let's maybe not use this one.

Yeah.

Golly.

Yeah, let's see if we can get another one out of it.

And we should mark it too.

Yeah, look at that.

It's not all...

Yeah.

So...

So it's supposed to...

Be straight.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

So when we turn it over, that ought to drop.

There we go.

There we go.

Yeah.

Oh.

Thank you for the lovely...

Good admin this year.

Great.

Great.

Great.

Great.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you for the lovely...

Thank you for the admin this year.

Great.

Thank you.

Thank you for the lovely...

Thank you for the admin this year.

Great.

Great.

So, only two...

And this one goes for the door.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you for the lovely...

Thank you for the lovely...

Oh.

Thank you for the lovely...

Oh.

I'm an admin this year.

Great.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So, only two...

And this one goes for the door.

Yeah.

So this one's turned...

A little bothered.

No.

No.

All we need is...

One more in the hallway.

Yeah.

But all we need is two...

Four and six.

All we need is six.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

like advent calendar like toys have been the thing.

Yeah, and so we're enjoying.

We didn't start the puzzle.

Jeff has something for you guys.

Oh, and congratulations.

Not that we aren't a rude flavor here.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Now, if we need to do a certain thing in my head.

I was very good.

I was actually thinking of a movie.

I was thinking of a movie when they got that text.

That's great for him.

That is great.

That's great to think.

It came to ruin.

Yes, we are happy.

And now it's time for me to learn my way around.

I've not learned my way around because I keep thinking,

there's so much to me.

Yeah.

I don't know.

I don't know.

So I used my GPS to get everywhere.

And now I think I need to learn.

It's time.

It's time.

No, they're all up on that.

I was here.

I was here.

I was there.

Well, when you can't.

Other places are not like this.

Or at least not to me.

Savannah is Savannah.

All of it is Savannah.

Yeah.

But Milford is Milford.

And if you need the thing in orange, you have to go to a home in that little town.

Or to Westport, whatever.

It just feels completely disconnected to me.

Yeah.

That's not what I'm used to do.

But like, just saying, we are looking up in the summers.

And they would want to go get ice cream.

And we would drive to the road to this ice cream place and have a lot of help.

We really had to get on the highway to go through.

To get ice cream.

And you get all ice cream here.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Wow.

But they don't.

That's just what you do.

It's just.

So, whatever.

Anyway.

You just have to do it.

Well, you have to learn your way around.

Here.

By learning how.

I'm not going to take a different thing.

This is how I want to get some of these.

These are the things.

I like to go through the ice cream.

I like.

Like, now that you're kind of like learning where you're going around, I'm going to say,

like, this is a bonus thing.

Did you guys go out to your team?

These are like, fine.

I always realized that when I'm family from out of town.

And I, one, I think.

Well, sorry guys.

We were out.

I got to go out there.

I'm like, I'm on the phone for this.

We could walk and eat food.

But if you come see us.

But that might go away.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on.