Limited Atonement vs Universalism - Part 2

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. So to the question, when Paul says that Christ died for all, what does he mean? All of who? All who believe?

Every human being who has ever lived? That's the question. What is the intent of the apostle Paul? Well, first off, and you know, when you ask a question, an answer usually pops into someone's mind. Well, I think this, I believe this.

Okay, well, why do you believe that? Have you been taught that? Have you come to your own conclusion through the study of scripture? So this statement, he died for all. I think it's important to remember who Paul is, his background, and who he is writing to.

Right. Paul was a former Pharisee. Do you remember the Pharisees and most of the Jews at that time? They believed that God only cared about them. Right. The Pharisees thought that God only cares about the Jews.

But now Paul is writing to the church, which is a mixed group of Jew and Gentile. Also, considering the subject of the atonement in the Old Testament, what happened on the day of atonement? And what is atonement?

Christ providing a covering for our sins, cleansing of our sin. But consider in the Old Testament, when the high priest applied the blood on the mercy seat on the day of atonement, it was on behalf. I don't think anybody questions this.

The atonement was on behalf of those who were in the covenant. The day of atonement in the Old Testament was for God's people. When atonement was made by the Jewish high priest, it was not made on behalf of the king of the Philistines.

The atonement was not made on behalf of the Babylonians. The atonement, in other words, was limited for the children of Israel. So with that in mind, what does Paul mean that Christ died for all? All of who?

Well, let's look at the context. What do we do when we look at the context? We read the verses before, we read the verses after, and we compare Scripture with Scripture. So let's look at the context. Verse 15 starts out with the statement, Christ died for all.

And again, I say amen. But the verse prior says this, 2 Corinthians 5 .14, For the love of Christ compels us. Who's the us? For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died.

Now, if you would turn to Romans chapter 6, turn to Romans chapter 6. This statement is the key. All right. And the statement is also what a lot of people might miss. Yes, Paul says that Christ died for all.

But just before that, he said, if one died for all, then what? Then all died. What does that mean? This group that he has died for, he says, they've all died. Who died? Well, the answer is in the text.

OK, the answer is in the text, and we'll see it in 2 Corinthians 5. But it is very clear in Romans chapter 6, starting in verse 1. Who is this who has died? Paul says, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death.

So, it is clearly believers who have died. Spiritually speaking, we have died in Christ. Christians have been baptized, immersed into his death. And Paul continues that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

And if you just want to make a note of this, if you compare Romans, you say, well what's the connection between this and 2 Corinthians 5? Well, if you compare Romans 6 verse 4 to 2 Corinthians 5 verse 15, Paul is saying the same thing.

And he is addressing the same subject matter in both passages. Also, 2 Corinthians 5, a lot of universal language. Romans chapter 5, which leads into chapter 6. Again, universal sounding language. So, Christ died for us and we have died in him.

The old man, the old nature is reckoned dead. And just as Christ was raised and lives forevermore, we who are in Christ, we shall live also. This is what Paul is saying in Romans 6. Romans chapter 6 verse 5, he says, For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection.

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, and that's why we're a new creation, by the way, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Now, if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. All right, so remember that as you go back to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. But clearly you see that this group that has died are believers that have died in Christ.

I think that's plainly obvious. So, if one died for all, you're going back to 2 Corinthians 5. If one died for all, then all died. Paul is clearly referring to believers there. People that have been baptized into Christ's death.

So, here's the thing. If you study it and you consider the context, this whole thing is pretty straightforward. It's really not that hard to see what Paul is saying. So, why then the controversy? Well, there's a lot of things that could be said.

But mainly, I think it comes from a misunderstanding of the word all. And later, the word world. That God has reconciled the world to himself. A while back, I heard a sermon from an individual who was teaching universalism.

And again, that's the idea that everybody goes to heaven. And you might be wondering, well, what would he base that on? These people that teach everyone goes to heaven, where do they get that from the Bible?

Well, they get it from passages like this in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. They are misinterpreting it. But this individual, he was preaching universalism based on Colossians chapter 1. And you know what Colossians chapter 1 says?

It says that in Christ, God will reconcile all things to himself. And some people have even gone as far as to say, well, that means Satan too. Even Satan and the demons will be reconciled to God because it's all things, and all means all.

Have you heard this statement? You probably say, I've said it, all means all. Well, listen, of course all means all. What else would it mean? All absolutely means all. But what's the context? What's the context?

All right, so our last hymn this morning will be when we all get to heaven. When you sing that, are you thinking in your mind that we're singing about how Judas Iscariot's going to get to heaven and Adolf Hitler's going to get to heaven and all religions, we all get to heaven.

All religions get to heaven. You don't think that. You've never thought that because you understand the context of the song. Christians singing about when we all get to heaven, right? And even then, we understand there could be false converts singing that song around the world.

But the refrain, when we all get to heaven, there is a context there. Well, who's the Apostle Paul writing to? He's writing to Christians. So words like all and world, yes, this is universal sounding language.

That is true, but it can be easily misunderstood. Now, some of you, I know some of you are not convinced yet. Well, let me try to convince you, okay?

I think you're paying attention.

That's good.

And listen, if anyone hears anything or you can go back and listen to the sermon and say, okay, pastor, at minute eight, eight minutes, 30 seconds, you said this, and the Bible says this. I invite that, okay?

So that's fine. But if you're not convinced, Paul is operating in a specific context. Just go back to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10. To me, this settles it. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10. What does he say? For we must, what?

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Now, who's Paul referring to there? Remember, there's a difference between the Bema judgment, the judgment seat of Christ, which is for Christians receiving their rewards and the great white throne judgment.

Who stands before Christ at the judgment seat?

Believers.

And what does Paul say? We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Why on earth would we assume that the context has changed four verses later? What in the text suggests the context has changed?

I don't think anything suggests that. Now, I don't want to belabor the point, all right? It's just one more thing. Just how we use language and how we just understand context. Now, when you're taught the opposite or you've had it in your mind another way for decades, it's kind of hard to get around that, and that's understandable.

But we use this type of language all the time. If I say, all right, we're all here this morning, do I mean that every human being on earth is here? Every human being who has ever lived is here? I said we're all here.

No, I mean we're all here who we expect to be here. Everyone who's coming is here. That's what we mean, and you all get it. Or if I say, I ate all the M &Ms,.

You don't say, he ate all the M &Ms in the world.

No one would think that. That'd be silly, and it's a silly illustration, I understand. But I got a laugh out of you. Second Corinthians 5 .14, for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died.

Pastor and theologian, Dr. John MacArthur, says this about Second 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 gonna say, Jesus died for me, well, then you should be living for him. Second 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.