Did Christ die to make salvation POSSIBLE for all men who ever lived OR will live, or did He die to make salvation SURE and CERTAIN for many? The Bible teaches an atonement for sin that really atones, and a salvation which is infallibly certain for all for whom it was intended: MATTHEW 1 v.21; JOHN 6 v.39; 10 v.11. If Christ intended by His death on Calvary to save every single human being in history then He has failed in His intention. If He shed His blood to infallibly secure heaven for all men without exception then He shed His blood in vain for those who end up in Hell. If he paid the price, the ransom, the sin-debt for everyone who ever lived then how can God demand the payment again from those who are everlastingly punished? Would a just God punish His Son for their sins and then punish them in Hell for the same sins? Did Jesus do nothing more for the believers who go to Heaven than He did for those unbelievers who go to Hell? And for how many of their sins did Jesus die? Our opponents will argue that such are lost because of their unbelief and NOT because Jesus did not pay for their sins. I reply: Then He did NOT die for all their sins at all, because they are in hell for the sin of unbelief!! The atonement of Christ is limited by the Arminian-types, because it does not save all for whom it was made. I believe in an Atonement which is unlimited in its power, but only limited in its extent. After all, Christ did NOT die for the Devil. He did NOT die for the angels that sinned and who were cast down to hell. So, the Atonement is limited already in its extent - it is limited to sinful men. The question comes down to this: If God had intended to save every one of His creatures would Christ's atonement have secured that end? Absolutely, yes! But is THAT what God intended? No! He COULD have damned ALL men without exception - for they were ALL wilful rebels, and obstinate sinners against Him. Yet, out of that mass of doomed humanity He chose to "save some":i.e.His people whom He foreknew; His sheep; His elect; His own. He chose them, Christ died for them, The Holy Spirit regenerates them, and every one of them will be in glory forever - and all to the praise of His glory! This is the "simple" truth.
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=21291NNU |
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