
Time for another Throwback Thursday edition of my Jesus Paid It All Series
Allow me to preface this with the statement that I understand not all agree with this position on this topic. The truth is, several thoughts on this seem to be quite well supported Biblically, and we simply have to conclude that no one can lay claim to their position being proven absolutely by God’s Word. It does, however, represent what I believe to be true based on my reading and hopefully correct illumination by the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus paid it all, He paid it for all of us. Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to cover the sin of every human past, present and future. Before readers get alarmed, please understand I am not saying that everyone from the past was saved, nor am I saying that all will be saved now or in the future. In fact, the majority of people from the past, people now and those who live in the future will not be saved and enter Heaven. The sad truth is the majority of humankind will spend eternity separated from God in a place of torment called Hell. So, please do not misunderstand; I am not espousing some form of Universalism, where everybody ends up in Heaven.
What am I saying then? I am simply saying that the quality of Jesus’ sacrifice and payment on the Cross was enough for all humanity to escape the penalty of their sins. Jesus’ payment was not just for an elect group of people whom God the Father has preselected in eternity past to be eternally with Him in Heaven. Not everyone will agree with that statement, of course, but this is what the Bible teaches.
God’s gift of salvation through the death of His Son Jesus Christ is available to all, but not all will accept it. Even though it is a free gift, there are terms under which we must accept. What are the terms? Repentance toward God for our sin and belief in His Son Jesus Christ. We must agree with God that our sin is wrong; we have to understand what we deserved as punishment for those sins. That covers repentance toward God. Then we must believe that God, in the form of the man Jesus Christ, came to Earth to pay on our behalf. Not only that He died, but He rose after three days dead thereby conquering sin and death. If we do that and call on the name of the Lord, we will be saved as we clearly learn in Romans 10:13.
How can we know that this salvation is available to all, and that our failure to have it is not because God denied it to us but because we refused it?
To understand this, we have to start at the very beginning. Because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve, we are all sinners by nature and choice. It is never a question of if we sin, but only a question of when. The Calvinists have it right on this point, really; we are so totally depraved that we are not even capable on our own of wanting to be saved from our sin. The sinful state we are born into is made clear in Romans 5:12 and 5:13, which teach us that sin and death entered into the world by one man, Adam.
We do not want to be saved, as we love our sin more. Left to our own devices, we would never seek God. Romans 3:10 and 13 tell us that not only is no one righteous, but none of us seek God. Romans 8:7 is yet more dire, teaching us that not only are we the enemies of God, but we are not even capable of accepting the things of God. In John 6:44, Jesus taught that no one would come to Him unless the Father drew them.
So even though we are not desiring or capable of seeking God, God has made provisions for us in order that we may overcome our inability. In Matthew Chapter 19 after the rich young ruler left disappointed, Jesus pointed out to His disciples how difficult it was for a man to be saved. When asked who could be saved, Jesus replied that with men it is not possible, but with “God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25,26) So, we see that we would only respond to God if He draws us. The good news is that we hear Jesus say in John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” God also draws all men unto Himself through the light of Jesus Christ; John 1:9 teaches us this light lights all men.
Atonement is not limited. It is available to all men. Scholars get around this clear teaching of Scripture by spinning what the Bible says when it says “all.” Of course any word can have more than one meaning including that one. But nothing in the context of any of the verses below suggest that “all” is limited in any way.
Hebrews 2:9, Jesus did “taste death for every man”
Hebrews 10:10 teaches Jesus body was offered “for all.”
John 12:47, Jesus came to save the World
Romans 5:8, Jesus died for sinners
Romans 5:18, Jesus free gift is offered to “all men”
Romans 8:32, Jesus was delivered up for “us all”
Isaiah 53:6, he bore the iniquities of “all”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Jesus died for “all”
2 Peter 2:1, Jesus even died for false teachers and liars doomed for Hell.
So, there you have it. It’s available to everyone. No one is denied it. Repentance toward God and belief in The Lord Jesus Christ and it’s yours.
July 14, 2016 at 12:25
Wally,
You may have given me an idea for my next series after the Christian Torah is completed. Who Are the Elect??? I have previously thought that they were those that God foreknew would accept the message of Yeshua and salvation would certainly be for all who do. Food for thought on a Throwback Thursday for a non-Calvinist.
Don
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July 14, 2016 at 13:27
Good luck with that series Don. That is way above my pay grade. I probably in many ways have Calvinist leanings but fall away very much on the subject of limited atonement.I absolutely believe the offer of salvation is made to all.
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July 14, 2016 at 14:08
Gentleman…this debate will never be resolved this side of heaven… Yes we must repent and turn from our sins with godly sorrow… We must seek Christ to become our personal Lord and Savior… But God gives us the will and understanding to realize we cannot save ourselves… It is the work of the Holy Spirit; and finally God must draw us in, before we can have the heart to love the Lord with everything we have…
There are two parts to salvation… They seem at odds with each other, because they are… Both are correct, and thus the mystery of God’s grace will continue…
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July 14, 2016 at 14:16
Well said Bruce, well said.
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July 14, 2016 at 18:43
Limited atonement is unbiblical not because I don’t like it but because of what the Bible clearly says:
1 Timothy 4:10 (NASB)
For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
I personally say that as a Christian it is not good to read reformers because one can easily rely to much on their interpretation which by the way they are not infallible. We should only read scripture and rely heavily on the interpretation of the Holy Spirit through prayer. I don’t consider myself either a Calvinist or Arminian. I don’t believe that one can lose their salvation base on John 10:28 but I do believe in free will and predestination. The question is how do both work we don’t have the full answer because God didn’t reveal it in scripture but it is clear that the Bible teaches both. When a person chooses one over the other is because he is eisegesis the text instead of exegesis. When reading a specific subject we must read it as a whole not pick and choose verses. Wally, like you say just giving my two cents.
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July 14, 2016 at 19:41
Well that is a great two cents and I happen to agree with you entirely in what you say
🙂
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July 14, 2016 at 19:59
Great post….gives people a platform for discussion.
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July 14, 2016 at 20:04
I hope so and if people discuss I hope they can stay civil as folks get real worked up about this
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July 15, 2016 at 07:11
Your statement that the majority of people will be condemned to Hell is true if you consider only those who are able to make a choice but what about babies who die before they are mature enough to choose? God chooses to save some by taking them out of this life before they are able to sin. When you consider the fact that the infant mortality rate was much higher in the past than it is today I think it is likely that the majority of the human race will be saved.
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July 15, 2016 at 07:15
Hi Clyde
Well, first, I totally agree with your premise that those who are not able or ready to understand their sinful state do in fact enter Heaven when they die. I think that seems pretty clear. So, yes, I suppose many will be in heaven based on that.
So, in the sense of fairness, I will gladly amend the thought to reflect the eternal status of those who have attained, “the age of accountability.” (whatever that happens to be for person.). If we do that, the sad truth remains that more people will reject Jesus than accept Him.
How’s that?
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July 15, 2016 at 07:36
I agree with you completely.
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July 31, 2016 at 05:24
great explanation wally, reblog on http://theunfetteredpreacher.com
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July 31, 2016 at 05:44
Thanks for sharing Bill!
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