Limited Atonement vs Universalism - Part 3

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. 2 Corinthians 5 .14, for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died.

Christ Died for All Who Died in Him

Pastor and theologian, Dr. John MacArthur says this about 2 Corinthians 5 .14. He says, everyone who died in Christ receives the benefits of His substitutionary death. We believe that. In other words, however, he says Paul is essentially saying Christ died for all who died in Him.

So, what is the result of this? Moving on. Some of you are thankful for that, I'm sure. Moving on, if Christ died for you, you should be living for Him. If you're going to say, Jesus died for me, well, then you should be living for Him.

2 Corinthians 5 .15, and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them. In Rose again, there's a lot of people who say, Jesus died for me. They're not living for Him.

They have no intentions to live for Him. So, what is Paul trying to get across? Christ died for us, that we may live for Him. Verse 16, therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

I don't even think the Apostle Paul is trying to teach on limited atonement or union. I don't even think those things are in his mind. I could be wrong, but I don't think that is his intent. He says, therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.

Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. So, remember, we are to reckon our flesh dead. Paul said, I crucify the flesh. He said, I die daily. That's what we should do.

Verse 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Verse 17 is a great verse. It's a verse that many people memorize. It's a verse that I think everyone here should memorize.

You should memorize. Here's the thing about quoting Bible verses. When you start to memorize Bible verses, then you're out and about and you think of something and you start quoting verses. Sometimes when we do that, I mean, you are taking it out of the context to quote.

It doesn't mean you're misapplying it. But just consider something. When we quote 2 Corinthians 5, 17, look at the first word in the verse. What does it say? Therefore. And how many of you know what I'm going to say next?

Yeah. Yeah. When you see the word, therefore, what do you do? You see what it is there for. So, if anyone is in Christ, he is what? A new creation. Why? Because if one died for all, then all died. So, because Christ died, we have died in Him.

And just as Christ was risen, we are risen in Him. Therefore, we are a new creation. And Paul writes, old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Well, have all things become new?

Do you have a new body? Is the temptation all gone? And this is where some people say, well, wait a minute. I still struggle with temptation and sin. If all things have become new, how come I still struggle?

Well, that's easy because we're still in the flesh. I mean, we still have our flesh. We're still in this sinful world. But the good news is that the old man, through sanctification, the old man is dying.

If you're saved, your old man or old woman is dying. And he or she will die. And what will remain? The new man. The new you. And you will receive a new, risen, glorified body where you will be like Christ.

This is a great hope that we have. It's a great promise that we're given. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. You're already that now, spiritually, but it's the sinful flesh that weighs us down.

That has to go, and it will. So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now, all things are of God. Are all things of God? Is sin of God?

You said all things are of God. No, right? You take the word all in context. All things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

So we, referring to Christians, obviously, we have been given this ministry. This service. The ministry of reconciliation. That Jesus died for us, so that we would live for him. And that we would serve him.

And part of that is that we are to spread the ministry of reconciliation. We are to spread the good news. We are to spread the gospel that Jesus died and rose again, so that men might be saved from the penalty of sin, which is physical death and also spiritual death.

So God has given us this ministry of reconciliation. Verse 19. What is this ministry? Verse 19 says, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us. He says, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

And that last verse is so important. God the Father made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us. Again, this is the substitutionary atonement. That the sinless Son of God took our place. He died for us.

God imputed our sin to his account. And exchanged by faith, we receive all his righteousness. This is the greatest deal in the history of creation. Christ took all of our sin. He gives us all of his righteousness.

And to prove that this sacrifice was accepted by God, what did the Lord do? He raised him from the dead. Now, at the beginning of the message, I had said that the final point that we're going to look at, and we're almost done, is God's work of reconciling the world to himself.

Again, this is universal sounding language, right? The world. That's everybody and everything. So, it's universal sounding language. And this has led some people to embrace false conclusions. The most dangerous of all false conclusions is the belief in the teaching of universalism.

I mean it sounds so good to people. But is that what the Bible teaches? Universalism, the idea that Jesus died and atoned for the sin of every human being who has ever lived. Therefore, everybody is saved.

Everybody goes to Heaven. Again, where do they get that idea from the scripture? They would point to verse 19 right here. That is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. And the Greek word for world, what is it?

Ok, so cosmos. It can refer to many different things. Cosmos can refer to the world, the planet Earth. It can refer to the universe, the world system. It can refer to mankind in general. But here's what it does not mean.

Are you listening? Say amen if you're listening. Ok, you're still with me, good. Been doing good this morning. This term world is not so specific to mean every human being who ever lived. That is simply not what it means.

And you say, Pastor, are you sure? I'm 100 sure. Not 95, not 99, I'm 100 sure. World does not mean literally every human being who has ever lived. Well, let's test that. You say, well I think that's what it means.

I think you're wrong. Ok, let's test that. Imagine this is what Paul is saying. That God was in Christ reconciling every human being who has ever lived unto himself. Not counting their trespasses to them.

You see the problem with that? Or when John the Baptist saw Jesus, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of every human being who has ever lived. You understand the consequences of that interpretation of the term world.

So what does it mean then? He's saying that God so loved humanity. God so loved the people of this world. Christ has died for, we can say, Christ died for everybody. He has died for the people of this world.

In Revelation chapter 7, it speaks of a great multitude in heaven which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues. Jesus died for all men. But you can't take the word all to some extreme conclusion.

So be sure you know this. Universalism is not true. Universalism is not true. If you interpret world to mean every human being who has ever lived, you have to be a universalist. But that is clearly not what the Bible teaches.

Universalism is not true. What does it do? Not only is it not true, it does violence to the gospel. The gospel that whosoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life. If everyone goes to heaven, there's no point in preaching the gospel.

If everyone goes to heaven anyway, what's the point of any of it? It would be unnecessary to be born again. Because everyone is going to make it eventually. And you know you'd be shocked about how many pastors, teachers, televangelists believe this.

No, if everyone goes to heaven anyway, you know the most significant thing of all is that it would mean that Jesus was not telling the truth. Because Jesus said in Matthew 25, that when he returns, he will divide the sheep from the goats.

And to the sheep on his right hand, he will say, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. But to the goats on his left hand, what will he say?

Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. You can't believe Jesus and believe everybody goes to heaven. So because of this, the people of this world, they need the good news.

They need Christ. They need the gospel. The people of this world need the ministry that has been given to us. The ministry of reconciliation. And what is reconciliation? You know, built into the word, reconciliation is the concept of estrangement.

Right? That human beings in their natural state, they don't want anything to do with God. But God has reconciled the world to himself. And the only one that can bridge that gap of estrangement, to bring man back to God, is the God-man, Jesus Christ.

The Ministry of Reconciliation and the Call to Be Reconciled

And we will close with this. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 20. Now then, we, speaking of believers, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Let's close in prayer. Lord, you said in your word, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. You also said, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Lord, we thank you that your love extended beyond the borders of Israel into the whole world. And we give you the glory that you are saving a people for yourself from every nation, tribe, and tongue. As the Apostle John testified, that Christ is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

And we thank you for it. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Coronet Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscoronetchurch .com.

We'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.