LIMITED ATONEMENT: Did Jesus Die For Everyone? (Calvinism Series: Part 4) | ask Theocast

Did Jesus die for everyone? That means if you simply believe, then you can be saved because Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.

Or, did Jesus only die for some people or the elect? It's a pretty interesting debate.

Let's get into it. Hi, I'm John Moffitt.

I'm the pastor of Grace Reformed Church and host of Theocast. This is Ask Theocast where we answer your questions from a

Reformed and pastoral perspective. And if you find this video helpful, go ahead and hit that like button for us, and subscribe, and hit the notification bell.

That'll let you know when the next video comes out. And this is part four of our series on Calvinism.

We've done an introduction, and then we started to cover Tulip. And so today is probably the most complicated and heavily debated subject of, for whom did

Jesus die for? And to be clear, this is not a simple conversation.

I'm gonna do my best to give you an overview and the biblical arguments why historically the

Reformed have held to this perspective, but this will not be an exhaustive study.

There is much that has been said and written to which I will include in the notes below. But let's begin by answering really the debate.

Like, what happened on the cross and who did Jesus die for? Traditionally, historically speaking, this debate was birthed out of what

I had mentioned in the first video, that Arminians, who are the Remonstrants, who came and said, no, we don't believe

Jesus just died for the elect, just for some people, but we believe he died for all. And then the response came, which is when they used limited atonement, and it sounds weird, right?

Like, why would you use that word? And there are different ways people have tried to explain this.

Particular atonement, meaning that he died for a particular set of people, a group of people, his sheep, or the church is one way of saying it, or that the atonement was efficacious, meaning it was actually effectual, it did something.

So we'll look at it that, but the one question I want you to think about is, believe it or not, it doesn't matter where you fall,

Calvinist or Arminian, you limit the atonement. Everybody limits the atonement. So to say that one side limits it and the other one doesn't isn't actually true.

Let me explain to you what I mean. Unless you're a universalist, meaning that every single human being that's ever been born will go to heaven.

Unless you're universalist, you have to limit the atonement, right? So if you're an Arminian, you have to limit to those who believe that God's blood shed is only going to apply in the end to those who will believe.

Or if you're a Calvinist, you're saying that God's purpose in death, and whom he actually died for and accomplished it, is limited to those sheep that are his.

So either side is limiting it, so to say that one side isn't or the other, it's not actually accurate.

So let's jump into this, for whom did Christ die? We're gonna look at some passages, we're gonna talk about what does the

Bible say about its intentions for Christ's death, and then talk about the nature of the atonement in the end.

So if you've got this far, I want you to hear this. This is really a conversation that's going to help you wrestle with God's sovereignty and your salvation.

Like where at the end of the day are you resting in the fact that I know I'm saved, not only do I know

I'm saved, I'm safe, I'm secure, that my sins cannot be placed upon me,

I cannot be condemned. How do I know that? That's the question in the end we're going to answer, which really ultimately is being answered in this discussion of limited atonement.

So for whom did Christ die? Let me start with the end of the book, Revelation chapter 5 verse 9, this is a description, it says,

And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll, and to open its seals.

For you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

So to understand atonement, it means to ransom, or to buy back.

The cost of buying people from death, enslaved,

I sin was Christ's blood, and that's why he was saying you ransomed people by your blood.

In other words, you gave your blood to purchase people back. Similarly, in Romans chapter 8 verse 32, it says,

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, he will not also, sorry, how will he not also with grace, with him graciously give all things.

So the argument is being made here that not only did he ransom us with his blood, but those to whom he ransomed, he bought back, he purchased back to whom now he owns, he is giving the blessings.

This becomes an important argument which we're going to make for the rest of our time here, is that those who have received the forgiveness of sins, or I would say those whose sins have been paid for by Christ, always have the blessings of Christ.

So you cannot have redemption if you don't receive the blessings. Revelation 1 5 says, to whom, sorry, to whom, to him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.

So in the beginning, we're gonna start with the language of blood being spilt, that is the payment, and he's saying in all of these passages, so Revelation 5,

Romans 8, and Revelation 1, you're hearing a for us language. Ransomed for us, benefits to us, and those who have been ransomed received those benefits.

The Bible has a lot to say about this. I'm just gonna read through some of these passages so you can hear the language.

This is a common language as it's relating to Christ's death on the cross for us.

So Matthew 20 28, the Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many.

John 10 11, the Good Shepherd lays his life down for the sheep. So we're talking about to whom did

Jesus die for, right? John 17 19, for the sake, for their sake, I consecrate myself, or I sacrifice myself.

Galatians 2 20, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 5 25, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 1st

Peter 2 24, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and to live to righteousness.

So you can hear the intentions of the writer, the gospel writers, Paul and the epistles, and Peter, that the intentions of Christ's death have a focal point, they have a purpose, not a general for all, but you hear this language that it's pointed towards a selected group.

You can, there's even language that I'm gonna read to you, it's what we call the for us language. These statements are in the

New Testament where it's describing Jesus' death has a focus and it's for us.

Romans 5 8, God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.

Galatians 3 13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

Ephesians 5 2, Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 Thessalonians 5 10, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Titus 2 14, he gave himself for us to redeem us from our lawlessness.

So this isn't an isolated passage. So as we have done in the other videos we're going to do now, when you have to interpret a topic, a subject, when we would say systematic theology, when you have to systematize something, in other words what does all of the

Bible have to say about this topic, you have to take all the verses and lay them out and say where are they most clearly spoken about and what do they all say, what do they all mean, and then that's how we make our conclusions.

So this is what we're doing now. We're talking about the purpose of the Atonement. What did

Jesus come to accomplish? And in these verses so far he is speaking about not a general population that all sins are covered, but he's talking about a specific group of people, and even in here relating to us when

Paul's writing from the perspective of the believer, he's saying Christ died for us.

The debate that we're going to get into now is between, yes there are passages

John that say for us, but there are also passages that talk about the whole world.

John Owen spelled out this conundrum very famously when he was writing on this particular subject, and he gave us three options when we're dealing with passages in the

Bible that talk about a particular group or everyone, and so here are the options that you were left with when you take all the verses and you throw them on the table and say, what do they all mean?

He says this, either Christ died for all sins, I'm sorry, all the sins of all men, in which case all will be saved.

When we go back and read these verses that I just read, when it says Christ died for them, there was an actual effect that happens.

They were saved. It wasn't that he died and they were potentially saved, that's not how the words are described.

They were saved. So he's saying if you believe that Jesus died for the sins of everyone, then everyone is saved.

Option two, or he died for some of the sins of all men, in which case none can ever be saved.

So he's saying he died for some of the sins, but didn't die for all of the sins. Or lastly, he died for all the sins of some men, in which case they will be saved, which is the particular option that he himself held and the

Reformers hold that we think is biblical. And I think this is precisely

Paul's reasoning, say in Romans 8 32, when he says, 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?

The point of it is that he pointedly gave his son for the sheep, which we're going to read here in a moment.

We've already read John 10, I give my life for the sheep. And then he says, not only do

I give my life, but I give them the blessings that go along with it, the gracious blessings that go with it.

So to help us now look at, okay, there are the passages that say for all, and there are these passages that say for some, and for us, let's look at the nature of what actually happened on the cross, and then we can put these all into balance and say how do we understand these in light of everything?

So now we're gonna look about on the cross, what is it that Jesus did? Okay, we know he paid for sin, but let's get real theological here and specific.

It says that Jesus actually accomplished, he actually did something.

So I'm gonna be as plain as I can right here. You have two options. You either believe that on the cross

Jesus made salvation potential, right? He said, here is the options

I'm making available to you. Or you have an actual or effectual, it actually affected something.

Jesus, when he said it is finished, he meant it is paid for, I ransomed.

So here are the verses that we're gonna use to help us explain this. Matthew 20, 28 says, and the Son of Man gave his life as a ransom for many.

So going back and quoting this verse, he isn't saying a potential, he's saying I gave as a payment for these people.

Not as a setup, not as a potential. Acts 20, 28, the church of God which he obtained with his own blood, which he obtained, okay?

Jesus purchased it, he owns it, not a potential, but an actual. Romans 5, 9, we have been justified by his blood.

It's not a potential, he isn't saying because of our faith in Christ, and we met Jesus halfway, then the blood was applied.

He says, no, we have been justified by his blood. So the connotations is that it's efficacious, it works.

Romans 8, 32, Christ's death actually secured all, and then saving benefits that go along with it, which you already mentioned.

And then one other verse here, it says this, and this is one that's often used, and I think it's confused, but let me explain it to you.

So it's 2 Corinthians 5, 14 through 15, and it says, for the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all died.

And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him, for their sake, died and was raised.

A lot of times people would say this, see, he died for all. Well again, here's our problem. If Christ died for all, then that word all there means that all would receive the benefits of resurrection.

They would receive the benefits. So in the context of all, who is he talking to? If you believe he is talking about all sinners, you would also have to conclude from that same passage that all would mean universal.

We can't do that. Again, this is why we use all the scripture to help us conclude this. There's two more verses for you I think that will help, that are helpful.

Hebrews 7, 22, Jesus, the guarantor or surety of a better covenant.

A guarantor or surety is one who puts himself in the place of another, right? So you are substituted.

You were supposed to receive the payment. Jesus ransomed you with his blood by substituting or becoming in that place.

So it isn't he potentially will take your place, it's that he took your place. Hebrews 9, 12, he entered once for all into the holy place, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus, not potentially securing, it says, thus securing on eternal redemption.

So the statement here is that Jesus' work actually did something. When we take this and we start comparing this to the universal statements that we hear in scripture, now we can take all of these passages, for instance, like John 1, 29, when

John the Baptist says, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We have to ask ourselves, are we universalist?

Does Jesus take away and pay the ransom and all the benefits of salvation, being raised into life, into Christ?

Does that apply to everyone? Is that what John the Baptist meant? We can say, well, if we look at all the scripture, he is saying in general, he isn't coming to save the

Jews because John is specifically writing to a Jewish culture. He is saying, no, not just Jews, but Jesus is going to save, and we've seen these passages even in Thessalonians and Peter, all mankind, all kinds of men, all kinds of...but

going back to Revelation chapter 5, tribe, tongue, and nation. So we aren't universalists, and so we would have to understand world there to be an exclusive, meaning there is a general idea of world, but obviously it's narrowed down.

John 3, 16 is also a famous one that is used here, I think falls into this. John 12, 32, 33, when he says, and I am lifted up,

I will draw all men unto myself. Well, is he saving every single human being, or is this in a general meaning all kinds of men?

Again, if you take John 12, 32 to 33, and when Jesus is lifted up on the cross, he draws all men to himself, and he says, those to whom

I draw, I lose none. This is John 6. You're a universalist at that moment. Or the last one that's probably famously used, 1

John 2, 1 through 2, my little children, I'm writing these things so that you may not sin, but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the

Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

So we have to look at that in light of what we know of the atonement, what is it that Jesus is accomplishing, what we know of all of Scripture, put that all on the table, and then interpret that all together, and we can conclude what he means is it's not just you to whom

I'm writing to, but it's those who are outside of this realm. Jesus literally says,

I have sheep that are not of this fold, meaning of those who are in front of him. In John chapter 10 when he talks about,

I lay my life down for the sheep. So coming down to the end and thinking about the conclusion of this, we can say without a doubt when

Jesus Christ died on the cross, he said it was finished, he raised, he was raised from the dead, he ascended on high, he sat down, according to Hebrews, at the right hand of the

Father, and accomplished the redemption of sinners. We can say that when he did that, it wasn't a potential, but it was an actual.

And the way it sometimes is presented is that Jesus wipes the slate clean for those who come and grab it.

Or Jesus' blood will be applied once you believe. Once you believe, then the actual effectual work of Christ is then applied to you.

And the problem with that is when we even look at Romans 8, those to whom he foreknew, he also predestined to what?

Transform them. And you can't be transformed unless you have what? You have the ransom of Christ upon you, being the propitiation, the transfer, right?

The substitute that happens. So that what this doctrine does, the limited atonement, or I would say the particular atonement, knowing that Christ really died for my sins, is that once I conclude with faith that I believe that I can be assured that if Christ is the one who purchased me,

I can't be unpurchased. He's not going to let me go. My sins cannot be put upon me once again. Paul says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Why? All judgment fell on Jesus. Well, John, if you really believe this, would this prevent you from witnessing?

I mean, if God has already decided who he's gonna die for, then why is it you go out and evangelize? Well, there's two reasons we go out and evangelize, and I do so myself.

I do not know to whom Christ died. All I know is that the power of the gospel is what transforms people from life, from death to life.

And it is not my responsibility to determine whom that Christ died for. He didn't tell me to do that. He told the disciples to go out into all the world and preach the gospel.

Even though Christ knew who his sheep were, the disciples do not know. And how is it that we, as proclaimers, know who the sheep of God are?

When those who come to life, their eyes are opened, they see the gospel, and they believe, it is at that moment we give them the sign of baptism, introducing them into the sheep of God.

The sign of baptism, which is the washing away, the symbol of washing away sin, the substitute, they are in sign recognizing what is in reality in their life.

So yes, we evangelize, because we are sent to find the lost sheep of God. We do not know who they are.

It does not squash it. It only gives me more confidence in knowing it is not my job to convince people to come to Christ.

That is the job of the Spirit. My job is to proclaim the power of the gospel. Hopefully that was helpful for you. If you have any questions, which

I'm sure you will, and you can ask those down below, thank you for taking the time to watch this with us.