solus christus and the doctrines of grace | chapter 2

8/14/2019 Solus Christus and the Doctrines of Grace | Chapter 2

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Solus Christus & The Doctrines of Grace

Chapter Two

solus Christus&

DEFINITE ATONEMENT

REDEEMEDIN CHRIST

For it was the entirely free plan and very gracious will and intention of God the Father thatthe enlivening and saving effectiveness of his Sons costly death should work itself out in allhis chosen ones, in order that he might grant justifying faith to them only and thereby leadthem without fail to salvation. In other words, it was Gods will that Christ through theblood of the cross (by which he confirmed the new covenant) should effectively redeemfrom every people, tribe, nation, and language all those and only those who were chosen

from eternity to salvation and given to him by the Father; that he should grant them faith(which, like the Holy Spirits other saving gifts, he acquired for them by his death); that heshould cleanse them by his blood from all their sins, both original and actual, whethercommitted before or after their coming to faith; that he should faithfully preserve them tothe very end; and that he should finally present them to himself, a glorious people, withoutspot or wrinkle.

Canons of Dordt, II. Article 81

1Canons of Dordt 1987, CRC Publications, Grand Rapids MI.www.crcna.org.URL:http://www.ligonier.org/about_community_creedsandconfessions_canonsofdordt.php

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Solus Christus & Definite Atonement

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches

of His grace 1:8 which He lavished on us.

Ephesians 1:7-8

We come now to what is the most controversial, most hated, and most understood points of

Reformed theology: Limited atonement. Youll notice, however, that I have used another term: Definite

atonement. Another term for this point of Reformed theology is also particular redemption. Well

discuss these terms and see how they together form a biblical doctrine of the atonement. As Joel R. Beeke

observes, the atonement is central to the Christian message:

The Christian church always has recognized that the atonement, which Christ accomplished at

the cross, is the central theme of the Christian message. To atone is to make at one. Through

Christs atoning blood, a holy God and sinful men and women are reconciled. The atonement

brings unity and fellowship between God the Holy One and man the sinner. This is the

central doctrine of Christianity because Christianity is preeminently a religion of redemption.2

The atonement is as essential to the gospel as is election. The atonement speaks of the role of Christ asthe Mediator between a holy God and sinful human beings. It is because of the atonement that Paul can

write In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. It is because of

the atonement that God is both just and the Justifier of the ungodly (Rom. 3:23f).

2 Joel R. Beeke,Living for Gods Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism. (Mary Lake, Florida: Reformation Trust), 2008. 75

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As with election, several different views or theories of the atonement have been advanced. Here

we will not produce a survey of all these theories; rather we are concerned here to understand the purpose

and extent of the atonement, as this is the issue between the Reformed and non-Reformed views. Beeke

observes that There are at least four views of the extent of Christs atonement.3 These are the unlimited

universal redemption, limited universal redemption, hypothetical universalism, and limited or particular redemption.

Between the four views, only two posit an unlimited or universal atonement, while the other two posit a

limited atonement. The first is the universalist view - everyone will be saved. The second is the modern

Arminian position - not everyone will be saved even though Christ paid for the sins of everyone. The

third view is named Amyraldianism after the theologian who first advance this position - Christ died for

everyone hypothetically, but only the elect will believe. Lastly, the fourth view is the historic

Reformed/Calvinist position - Christ only died for the elect.

Related to the extent of the atonement is the design of the atonement. In other words, the extent

of the atonement must be discussed in terms of what the atonement was designed or intended to do and

how. The questions that must be asked are: what did Christ accomplish in His atoning work? Does

Christs sacrifice accomplish redemption for those on whose behalf He died? Does Christs death save

sinners or merely make sinners salvable? The bottom-line question is this: Is Christ a real Savior or

merely a potential Savior?4

Limited Atonement

While universalists and Arminians may have a peculiar distain for using terms like particular or limited

to describe redemption, the fact of the matter is the language of redemption in Scripture is everywhere

particular. Any biblical view of atonement is going to be limited in some aspect. Only the universalist

who believes everyone will be saved need put up any resistance to terms of particularity.

The modern Arminian view of the atonement is itself limited; perhaps more so than the Reformed

view. Christ died for every single individual, says the Arminian. Christs death atones universally. Yet, not

everyone receives the full benefits of that atonement unless, by the power of their own unregeneratewill,they choose the accept Christ and His sacrifice on their behalf. In other words, not only is the atonement

limited in its extent (only those who believe will be saved by it) but also in its efficacy; it does not provide

for regeneration whereby the will is freed so that it can and does choose Christ. Thus, not only is the

3 Ibid. 76

4 R.C. Sproul, What is Reformed Theology? (Grand Rapids: Baker), 1997. 164

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Arminian view of atonement limited, it is also indefinite. Christs atonement does not guarantee the

redemption of those for whom it was made; otherwise, since Christ is said to have died for all, everyone

would be saved.

The difficulty with the Arminian view as is widely held at present is that modern Arminians have

adopted the Calvinistic view that Christs death pays for our sins. In other words, Arminians today (and I

write as a former Arminian) hold to a substitutionary view of the atonement as opposed to the historic

Arminian position (i.e. the governmental theory). One Arminian scholar observes,

A spillover from Calvinism into Arminianism has occurred in recent decades. Thus many

Arminians whose theology is not very precise say that Christ paid the penalty for our sins. Yet

such a view is foreign to Arminianism, which teaches instead that Christ suffered for us.

Arminians teach that what Christ did could not have been to pay the penalty, since no one

would then even go into eternal perdition. Arminianism teaches that Christ suffered for

everyone so that the Father could forgive the ones who repent and believe; his death is such that

all will see forgiveness is costly and will strive to cease from anarchy in the world God governs.

This view is called the governmental theory of the atonement.5

For Arminians today to hold to a substitutionary view of the atonement presents a bit of a dilemma. If

Christ did pay the penalty for our sins, as modern Arminians believe (and as I believed as an Arminian),and if Christ died for all men universally and without exception, then why does anyone go into eternal

perdition. That is to say, if modern Arminians are to be consistent on the atonement, they must either

revert to the historic Arminian theory or accept universalism. If Christ paid the penalty for our sins, and if

He died for every single person, then everyone would be saved. Otherwise, many people are going into

perdition whose punishment has already been taken by Christ.

The Reformed view of the atonement is unashamedly particular and absolutely definite. Calvinists

believe that Jesus Christ is an actual Savior, or in the words of James White, a powerful Savior.6 Christs

death, which was of infinite value, did pay the penalty for sin, and it does secure the redemption of His

5 J. Kenneth Grider, Arminianism inEvangelical Dictionary of Theology, Walter Elwell, ed., (Grand Rapids: Baker),1984. 80. Quoted in James R. White, The Potters Freedom, (Amityville, NY: Calvary Press), 2000. 233-34

6 James White vs. George Bryson. Who Controls Salvation? In his closing statement for the debate, White lamented, I

am tired of seeing Jesus presented as a weak beggar. He is a powerful Savior and the gospel is not a suggestion, it is a

command.

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people. Jesus own name signifies this purpose. To Joseph an angel told, [Mary] will bear a Son; and you

shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21; emphasis mine) Calvinists

believe, according to Scripture, that everyone for whom Christ died will be saved and that no one for

whom Christ died will go down to perdition.

As we survey the biblical doctrine of the atonement we will see that. as asserted before, the

language of redemption in Scripture is everywhere particular - even in places where the language would

appear universal (e.g. 2 Cor. 5:14-15 one died for allHe died for all), a careful reading of the text

shows otherwise.7

The Language of Redemption

When Paul writes to the Ephesians In Him we have redemption through His blood we should notice

three things. First, redemption is located in Him, that is, in Christ. Second is the term redemption itself.

Finally the phrase through His blood. Lets look at a passage that parallels what Paul said in Ephesian

1:7.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace

through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 3:25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation

in His blood through faith. This wasto demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance

of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 3:26 for the demonstration, I say, of His

righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has

faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:23-26

In this passage we see two more important terms, justified and propitiation. How are these related to

redemption and through His blood. The term redemption, in both passages, translates the Greek

word apolutrsis, which means to redeem one by paying a price. This term carries with it the idea ofdeliverance or ransoming as well as acquittal. While biblical redemption certainly involves a purchase of a

people (Rev. 5:10), Pauls use in these two passages seem to place emphasis on acquittal. In Eph. 1:7,

having redemption through Christs blood is connect to the forgiveness of sins. In Rom. 3:24

7 We will deal specifically with passages like these in Appendix B.

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redemption is connected with being justified. Believers are justified freely, as a gift of His grace

through the redemption that is in Christ. That is, through that redemption believers have been acquitted

and their sins forgiven on the basis of His blood by which He purchased our freedom from sin and our

acquittal.

The blood of Christ, in Rom. 3:25, is said to be a propitiation. The underlying Greek term,

hilastrion, can mean either propitiation (meaning appeasement) or expiation (to atone or make amends).

John Stott observes that Many Christian people are embarrassed and even shocked by this wordbecause

to propitiate somebody means to placate his or her anger, and it seems to them an unworthy concept of

God (more heathen than Christian) to suppose that he gets angry and needs to be appeased. 8 James

White similarly notes that some object to the translation propitiation because this word refers to a

sacrifice that both takes away the guilt of sin and that assuages wrath. Contemporary liberal theology has

no place for wrath, only love.9 Stott argues for that propitiation is the meaning in view on grounds of

the context. In these verses Paul is describing Gods solution to the human predicament, which is not

only sin but Gods wrath upon sin [see Rom. 1:18; 2:5; 3:5]. And where there is divine wrath, there is need

to avert it.10 Stott also argues well that the propitiation Paul is speaking of is different from the pagan

concept of propitiation and summarizes,

It would be hard to exaggerate the differences between the pagan and the Christian views of

propitiation. In the pagan perspective, human beings try to placate their bad-tempered deitieswith their own paltry offerings. According to the Christian revelation, Gods own great love

propitiated his own holy wrath through the gift of his own dear Son, who took our place, bore

our sin and died our death. Thus God himself gave himself to save us from himself.11

The blood of Christ offered on behalf of believe both expiated (atoned for, took away) sin and assuaged

the holy wrath of God. Thus Paul can go on to say in Romans 5, having been justified by faith, we have

peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and Much more then, having now been justified by His

blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.(5:1, 9) And moreover, Therefore there is

now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

8 Stott, The Message of Romans. 113

9 James R. White, The God Who Justifies, (Minneapolis: Bethany House), 2001. 194

10 Stott, The Message of Romans. 114

11 Ibid. 115

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has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through

the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He

condemned sin in the flesh. (Rom. 8:1-3) Believers are no longer under the condemnation of Gods

wrath because of sin - for Christs blood has satisfied both the debt that sin held against them as well as

Gods wrath against their sin.

We now come to discuss what Paul means when He says This was to demonstrate His

righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the

demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of

the one who has faith in Jesus. (Rom. 3:25b-26) It is easy enough to see how a causual reading of this

passage might support the governmental theory of the atonement; the language of that theory is certainly

present, demonstrate His righteousness specifically, and in v. 25a God displayed publicly. However, a

more careful reading shows that this is not the case. James White summarizes the apostles argument well:

The apostle goes on to assert the righteousness of God in having entered into relationship with

men (such as Abraham) who had faith in Him even before the sacrifice of Christ. God passed

over the sins previously committed, not simply dismissing them, but by exercising forbearance

in light of the certainty of the sacrifice of Christ. The public display of the propitiatory death of

Christ, then, becomes a demonstration that God has been righteous to forbear His

punishment of the sins of those who lived before Christ and had faith in the promises of God.12

The atoning sacrifice of Christ is to demonstrate that God is just and the justifier of those who have faith

in Jesus. It is God who justifies and does so by means of His grace. Many today have the misconception

that by doing good deeds or just being penitent for ones sins is enough to make one right before God; that

because of these things God will (or even must) grant forgiveness. Some live with the mistaken

assumption that God is just all-loving and will just forgive them. This is not at all the case! God is holy

and righteous and just. No one can just come to God as they are. If anyone comes to God it must be

through Christ, for redemption is itself in Christ. Redemption is located in Christ JesusThe concept of

redemption existing outside of Christ is foreign to Christianity. There is no room for the idea of pluralism,

many roads to heaven, for those who flee to Christ for redemption.13

12 White, The God Who Justifies. 197

13 Ibid. 193

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While there is certainly a foresic or legal aspect to redemption, there is still a very personal aspect as

well. Christs sacrifice did not simple purchase an acquittal, but His sacrifice also purchased those for

whom sin was atoned. John Stott comments of the use of the Greek term apolutrsis, It is a commercial

term borrowed from the marketplaceIn the Old Testament it was used of slaves, who were purchased in

order to be set free.14 The psalmist Asaph wrote, Remember Your congregation, which You have

purchased of old, Which You have redeemed to be the tribe or Your inheritance. (Ps. 74:2) Paul in his

warning to the elders in Ephesus said, Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which

the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own

blood. (Acts 20:28) He writes to the Corinthians that they were bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23)

To Titus he wrote that Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify

for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14) In Revelation the four

living creatures and twenty-four elders sing in worship of Christ, Worthy are You to take the book and

break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and

tongue and people and nation. (Rev. 5:9) In purchasing a people, God has in Christ delivered them from

slavery to sin, for as Christ said, everyone who commits a sin is the slave of sin. This is the state of

every person, for all sin. Only through the redemption that is in Christ alone can anyone be free from sin.

Freedom from sin, however, does not make us free agents. We have been freed from sin if we are

redeemed, but we now belong to Christ. We are His possession.

In Ephesians 1:13-14 Paul writes, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who isgiven as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's ownpossession, to the praise

of His glory. (Eph. 1:13-14) That is, in Christ believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge

guaranteeing that they with Christ will inherit the promises of God, and that with a view the redemption

of Gods own possession. While believers are in fact redeemed there is a day of redemption. Believers

are sealed by the Spirit as a pledge that when that day comes their redemption will be fully realized. Paul

states this another way in Romans 8.

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 8:15 For you have not

received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons

by which we cry out, Abba! Father! 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are

children of God, 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed

14 Stott. The Message of Romans. 113

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we suffer with Himso that we may also be glorified with HimAnd not only this, but also we

ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting

eagerly for ouradoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 8:24 For in hope we have been saved,

but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he alreadysees? 8:25 But if we hope for

what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Romans 8:14-17, 23-25

The biblical picture of redemption is this: All of humanity is a slave of sin (which we will look at in depth

in the next chapter) because our federal head, Adam the first man, disobeyed the first commandment. We

all are held captive to depravity, a depravity that affects every part of us. Christ has paid the ransom with

His blood and thereby purchased many from slavery. Those who have been freed from slavery to sin no

longer belong to sin. These now belong to Christ - given to Him by God the Father - and He seals them

by the Spirit as a pledge. This seal is a seal of ownership; they are His possession. Yet their relationship to

Him is not that of slaves, though they live to serve Him. The Holy Spirit not only acts as a seal of

owneship, He is also called the Spirit of sonship or the Spirit of adoption. The redeemed are no

longer slaves, but are now children of God. God has purchased them with the blood of Christ and, rather

than leaving them to their lonesome, takes them in as His own beloved children.

Particular Redemption

It was earlier asserted that the language of redemption in Scripture is everywhere particular. Now we come

to demonstrate that this is so. In this next section we want to explore not only the particularity of

redemption but also the definitness of the atonement, as the two concepts are inexorably linked.

Everyone Believing

In the debate over limited atonement those who oppose this point of Reformed theology will inevitably

quote one of the most familiar and misquoted verses in the Bible. For God so loved the world that He

gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoeverbelieves in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John

3:16) This is something like how it is usually quoted, with emphasis on the whosoever, as if that

somehow disproves particularity. However this verse truly smacks of particularity. The underlying Greek

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phrase translated variously as whosoever believeth (KJV, GNV), whoever believes (NKJV, NIV,

NASB, RSV, ESV), and everyone who believes (CSB, NET, YLT, NRSV, NLT, NJB) is pas ho pisteun,

literally, every one believing or every believing one. There is particularity in that. The Son was not

given so that every single person would have eternal life - but so that only those - and all of those - who

believe in Him will have eternal life. Even if we grant that is possible for anyone to come spontaneously,

without being drawn by the Father, it is still only the ones believing in the Son who will inherit eternal life.

The Greek termpisteun(lit. believing) is the participle form (nominative case, present tense, active

voice, indicative mood, masculine) of the verbpisteu(to believe). This form is used 24 times in the Greek

NT and 15 of those occurrances are in Johns Gospel. Jesus says in John 5:24, Truly, truly, I say to you, he

who hears My word, and believes [pisteun] Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into

judgment, but has passed out of death into life. In John 6:35 He says, I am the bread of life; he who

comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes [pisteun] in Me will never thirst. And further in 6:40,

For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes [pisteun] in Him will

have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. The significance of the use of this form is

that this form indicates a continuous action. Contrast this with what John says in 8:30-33. As He spoke

these things, many came to believe [episteusan] in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed

[pepisteukotas ] Him, If you continue in My word, thenyou are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know

the truth, and the truth will make you free. They answered Him, We are Abraham's descendants and have

never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, You will become free? First note thedifferent forms ofpisteuindicated in brackets, episteusanandpepisteukotas. These forms are in the aorist and

perfect tenses, respectively. The aorist indicates a simple past action, while the perfect indicates a

completed past action. This particular group of Jews Jesus was address had come to believe, but when

Jesus started telling them If you continue in My wordyou will know the truth, and the truth will set you

free these same Jews who came to believe made a complete 180 degree turn and demonstated that their

faith was not true saving faith. For these Jews faith went from they believed to they had believed so

that Jesus would say to them, Why do you not understand what I am saying? It isbecause you cannot hear

My word. You are ofyour father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a

murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever

he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the

truth, you do not believe Me. (John 8:43-45) These Jews went from believing His words to wanting to kill

Him because of His words in mere minutes. They were not children of God, but were children of the

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devil - the father of lies.

The phrasepas ho pisteunis itself used a few other places besides John 3. In John 12:46 Jesus says,

I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes [pas ho pisteun ] in Me would not

remain in darkness. (CSB) In Acts 13 Paul preached the gospel in a synogogue at Pisidian Antioch and

said, Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being

proclaimed to you, and everyone who believes [pas ho pisteun] in Him is justified from everything, which

you could not be justified from through the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39 CSB) A variant of this phrase

occurs in Romans 1:16, where Paul says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power

for salvation to everyone who believes [ panti t pisteuonti - this is the same phrase in the dative case;

salvation (Gk. strian; accusative) is the direct object and everyone who believes is the indirect object],

first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. (CSB) In Romans 10 Paul writes, With the heart one believes,

resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. Now the Scripture says,

No one who believes [pas ho pisteun -literallyeveryone believing on Him will not be put to shame] on Him will be

put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all

who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom. 10:10-13 CSB)

John in his first letter writes, Everyone who believes [pas ho pisteun] that Jesus is the Messiah has been born

of God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves his child. This is how we know that we love God's

children when we love God and obey His commands. (1 John 5:1-2 CSB)

Unless the Father Draws Them

The words of Jesus in passages like John 6:26ff and John 10:1-30 bear great biblical testimony to the

particularity (and the certainty) of the atonement.

John 6

In John 6:1-14 we read of the account where Jesus miraculously feeds a crowd of about five thousand with

only five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus withdrew to a mountain, perceiving that the crowd was aboutto come and take him by force to make him king. (v. 15 ESV) In John 6:16-21 we have the account of

Jesus walking on water to meet His disciples as they made their way to Capernaum across the Sea of

Galilee. After arriving in Capernaum, the crowd Jesus had fed the day soon followed. Jesus says to them,

Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of

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the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the

Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. (John 6:26-27 ESV) This leads

into a discourse which reaches a critical point when Jesus says,

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall

never thirst. 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 6:37 All that the

Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 6:38 For I have

come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 6:39 And this

is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it

up on the last day. 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and

believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:35-40 ESV

The crowd was looking for bread from heaven which they expected Jesus to give them like God had

given the Israelites manna in the days of the Exodus. Jesus asserted that it was not Moses who gave you

the bread from heaven, but my Father gives the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is him who

comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. (6:32-33 ESV) Jesus exhorted them to seek this

bread and not the bread that perishes. Jesus goes on to explain in the passage above that He is the truebread from heaven - He is the bread of God. To work for that bread, to eat of that bread means to

come and believe in Him, so He says literally, the one coming to Me will not hunger, and the one believing in Me will

not ever thirst. But what does He say to them? But I say to you that even as you have seen Me, yet you do not

believe. Why does He say this? What Jesus asserts next is that All that the Father gives me will come to

me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. What Jesus is telling them is that anyone who

believes in Him will be filled and never be thirsty - they will have eternal life - nor will He ever cast them

out. This is because these are given to Jesus by the Father, who has given the Son charge to gather them

and to keep them and to raise them up at the last day. Jesus says to them, you dont believe in Me because

the Father has not given you to Me. If you were of the Father then you would believe and I would receive

you and you would have eternal life.

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John 10

Weve looked at what John 10 says regarding the personal nature of Gods election, how Jesus knows His

sheep - His people - by name and knows them intimately as He knows the Father. John 6 is a vivid

demonstration of this truth - Jesus knew that those in the crowd (or many of them) we not His, and their

unbelief was evidence of that. In His discourse on the good shepherd and His sheep, Jesus also gives clear

testimony to the particularity of His atoning work.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 10:15 just as the Father knows

me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 10:16 And I have other sheep

that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be

one flock, one shepherd. 10:17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life

that I may take it up again. 10:18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I

have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have

received from my Father.

John 10:14-18 ESV

Jesus as the good shepherd knows who His sheep are and of them He says, I place my life in behalf of the

sheep. He lays down His life and takes it up again on behalf of the sheep. Recall the discussion in the last

chapter about the union of the elect with Christ. They were crucified with Christ and made alive together with

Christ, risen together with Christ, and seated together with Christ. To see the fuller picture lets bring in another

section.

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If

you are the Christ, tell us plainly. 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe.

The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 10:26 but you do not believe

because you are not part of my flock. 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they

follow me. 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them

out of my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is

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able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 10:30 I and the Father are one.

John 10:24-30 ESV

Recall that Jesus had said, I am the door. If anyone enters by me [that is, if anyone believes in Me], he will be

saved and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9 ESV) Jesus was telling these Jews that He was

the Christ. If you are the Christ, just tells us already! they were saying. Christ replied (in paraphrase), I

am telling you! The reason you dont hear what Im saying is that you are not of my flock. You are not my

sheep! If you were you would hear what I am saying and you would believe. My sheep know who I am

and hear My voice; I am going to die for their sins and they will follow Me. The Father has chosen them

and has given them to Me. He has changed Me with the task of laying down my life for them and giving

them eternal life. He has given them to Me and I will not fail in gathering them and no one can take them

from Me.

Everyone believing in Christ will be saved. This is something upon which both particularists and

generalists agree. Only univeralist would say everyone will be saved. The question that creates

contention between those who accept particular redemption verses a universal atonement is whether

Christs death only atones for those who believe. The question is, did Jesus come to lay His life down on

behalf of those who are not His sheep? Did Christ lay His life down to give eternal life to those Jews who

did not believe. The Arminian would say He did. The Calvinist says, no, He laid His life down on behalfof His flock, for all the ones the Father has given Him. The real contention between the two is not the

particularity of the effect of the atonement, but over the particularity of the intent of the atonement as

well as the real efficacy of the atonement in securing the salvation of those for whom Christ died. Does

the atonement actually save those for whom it was made or does it merely make them savable? That is the

question we consider next.

Substitutionary Atonement

For whom did Christ die? That is the question. What did Christs death accomplish? That is the other

question. Evangelicals - both of Calvinist and non-Calvinist persuasions - have historically affirmed the

substitutionary nature of Christs atonement. John Stott frames the issue of substition this way:

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How then could God express his holiness in judgment and his love in pardon? Only by

providing a divine substitue for the sinner so that the substitute would receive the judgment and

the sinner the pardon. We sinners still of course have to suffer some of the personal,

psychological and social consequences of our sins, but the penal consequence, the deserved

penalty of alienation from God, has been borne by Another in our place, so that we may be

spared of it.15

Christ is the One who has borne the penal consequence and deserved penalty in the place of

undeserving sinners so that by grace they may receive pardon as Christ has received their just punishment.

Christ plainly took the punishment for sin, which as we observed earlier is a concept foreign to the historic

Arminian view of atonement where Christ only died for humanity as a demonstration of the costliness of

forgiveness. It is the Calvinist view of definite, substitutionary atonement that says Christ died in the place

of sinners in order to secure forgivenss of their sins.

He Bore Our Iniquities

Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament. Christ is the suffering

Servant depicted in this oracle. This portion of Isaiah also speaks to the issue at hand. Listen carefully to

the words of God spoken by the prophet:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten

by God, and afflicted. 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our

iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are

healed. 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and

the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet

he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its

shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken

away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the

living, stricken for the transgression of my people53:10Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush

him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring;

15 John R.W. Stott, The Cross of Christ. 20th Anniversary Edition. (Downers Grove: IVP), 1986, 2006. 134

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he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 53:11 Out of the anguish

of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:4-8, 10-11 ESV

Christ, the righteous one, my servant, shall bear their iniquities. He was wounded for our

transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. He chastised to bring us peace. By His suffering our

spiritual infirmity is healed. The sheep have scattered, each on turning aside and going his own way; yet

He took on the just punishment for their iniquity. Thus He was oppressed and afflicted, and this willingly

so as to be as the Passover lamb to be slaughtered as a sin offering. Listen carefully to these words, when

his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspringby his knowledge shall the righteous one,

my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

These words speak plainly about the substitutionary suffering and death of Christ as well as the

definite nature of the atonement. The straying of the sheep and the turn of everyone to his own way is

the iniquity - the immorality of His people. Yet while they are astray and afar off, while they are helpless to

return, Christ bears the just punishment of their wickedness and so suffers the due penalty in their place.

He bears the iniquity upon Himself. Christ does indeed suffer and die for the sins of His sheep. This is

what Christ means when in John 10 He says that He lays down His life on behalf of the sheep - His sheep.These are His offspring, the children God has given to Christ, and so he shall see his offspring. His

work on their behalf will not fail to save them; for He has taken the penalty of their transgressions in their

place, so they are at peace with God when they believe. Propitiation has been made in His chastisement

and this will not fail to be applied to His own.

Christ the Great High Priest

Christs role as high priest of the new covenant is vitally important for us to understand for a number of

reasons. Here we consider what the writer of Hebrews says of the work Christ has done as high priest.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the

greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 9:12 he entered

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once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of

his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and

the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the

flesh, 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered

himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living

God. 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may

receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the

transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 9:11-15 ESV

Christs priestly work was not done in Herods temple in Jerusalem, but was done in the greater and more

perfect tent, that is, in heaven. Christ entered once for all [i.e. for all time] into the holy places. He did

not offer the blood of goats and calves but rather offered His own blood, thus securing an eternal

redemption. The writer brings out the force of this statement by contrasting the efficacy of the blood of

goats and bulls with that of the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself with

blemish to God. If the of the blood of animals and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer upon defiled

persons sanctified them, how much more will the blood of Christ purify the consciences of those for

whom it was offered? F.F. Bruce comments, The blood of slaughtered animals under the old order didpossess a certain efficacy, but it was an outward efficacy for the removal of ceremonial pollutionBut it is

no mere ceremonial cleansing that is effected by the sacrifice of ChristThose earlier rituals might effect

external purification, but the blood of Christ - his offering up of himself to God - cleanses the

conscience.16 Bruce further observes, Those earlier sacrifices were but token sacrifices; the sacrifice of

Christ was a real self-sacrifice, accomplished on the moral and spiritual planeBehind our authors

thinking lies the portrayal of the Isaianic Servant of the Lord, who yields up his life to God as a guilt

offering for many, bearing their sin and procuring their justification.17 In his prologue the writer had

already said, Himself having made purification for sins He sat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb. 1:3c)

He will further say,

16 F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews. (NICNT) 216

17 Ibid. 217

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And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can

never take away sins. 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he

sat down at the right hand of God, 10:13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made

a footstool for his feet. 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are

being sanctified. 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 10:16 This is

the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws

on their hearts, and write them on their minds, 10:17 then he adds, I will remember their sins

and their lawless deeds no more. 10:18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer

any offering for sin.

Hebrews 10:11-18 ESV

Here the writer contrasts the work of the former priesthood, which stood daily at his service, offering

repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. Christ, however, offered Himself once for

all time and sat down at Gods right hand. That single offering of Himself, has perfected for all time

those who are being sanctified. Those who are called and those who are being sanctified are one and

the same group. These are the ones for who purification was made, for whom eternal redemption was

secured by Christs self-sacrifice. They are the many who are accounted righteous by virtue of the

Isaianic Servant of the Lord and His bearing of their transgressions and iniquities. Bruce comments onHeb. 9:27-28, Men and woman die once, by divine appointment, and in their case death is followed by

judgement. Christ died once, by divine appointment, and his death is followed by salvation for all his

people. This is so because in his death he bore the sins of many, offering up his life to God as an

atonement on their behalf.18

The efficacy of Christs atonement is not only in that He made such a sacrifice on behalf of His

people, but that He continually intercedes for them. The former priests were many in number, because

they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because

he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God

through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:23-25 ESV) There is in the

intercession of Christ the great high priest a certainty. Bruce comments, our Lords life in heaven is the

life of one who has been brought back from the death which he endured when he gave himself as a

18 Ibid. 231-232

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sacrifice for his peoples sinsThe appearance in Gods presence of the Crucified One constitutes his

perpetual and prevalent intercession. His one-completed self-offering is utterly acceptable and efficacious;

his contact with the Father is immediate and unbroken; his priestly ministry on his peoples behalf is never

ending, and therefore the salvation which he secures to them is absolute. 19 This is so that Paul can write

to the Romans, Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to

condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of

God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Rom. 8:33-34 ESV) Paul asks a rhetorical question - who can

bring a charge against the elect? No one can, for It is God who justifies the elect. No one can condemn

them. Why? Because in their place Christ died and was risen and seated at Gods right hand - and the elect

together with Him. Christ, who is the representative of His people intercedes for them.

We would be remiss if in considering the intercessory work of Christ we did not look at John 17,

of which Bruce observes is well called (after David Chytraeus) his high priestly prayer, anda careful

study of John 17 will help us considerably to understand what is intended here when our Lord is described

as making intercession for those who come to God through him.20 The high priestly prayer of Jesus

begins thus,

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, Father, the hour has come;

glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 17:2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh,

that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.17:3

This is eternal life, that theymay know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 17:4 I glorified You on

the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 17:5 Now, Father, glorify

Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

John 17:1-5

The Father give the Son authority over all flesh in order thatHe may give eternal life to all whom the

Father gives Him. This is language Jesus has used elsewhere in Johns Gospel, where in John 6 He stated

that all that Father give to Him will come to Him, that He would not lose any of them, and that He would

raise them on the last day. And, in John 10, Jesus is charged by the Father to gather His sheep, to call

them, to give His life for them, and that He should not lose any of them. That is, there are those whom

19 Ibid. 175

20 Ibid. 174

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that Father has given to the Son out of the world and to these the Son has been given authority to give

eternal life. These are the elect, the ones whom the Father draws to the Son, the sheep the good shepherd

call by name and for whom He lays down His life. It is for these that the Son, as the great high priest, lives

to intercede before the Father.

I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours

and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 17:7 Now they have come to know that

everything You have given Me is from You; 17:8 the words which You gave Me I have given to them;

and they received themand truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that

You sent Me. 17:9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom

You have given Me; for they are Yours; 17:10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are

Mine; and I have been glorified in them.

John 17:6-10

The men whom the Father had given the Son - here specifically referring to the disciples of Jesus - were

the Fathers and they kept His word, the words which the Father gave the Son, which the Son in turn gave

to them, which they received. They understood that Jesus came from the Father and believed that the

Father sent Him. Their reception and belief of Jesus and His message demonstrated that they were the

Fathers, that they were chosen. Belief in Jesus and His message is not what makes one of God, rather it isa sign that one is of God that one believes (as we will consider in a later chapter, faith is itself a gift from

God). It is on behalf of these - the ones whom the Father gives to the Son out of the world - that the

Son now intercedes in this prayer. Later Jesus will pray, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for

those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, arein Me

and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:20-21)

Jesus is not interceding only for the disciples, but also on behalf of all that will believe in Him. The people

of God are certainly not limited to those original disciples of Christ, nor to their fellow Jews, rather Gods

people are scattered abroad among all peoples of the world.

Jesus is not interceding for the whole world in a universal sense. He is interceding for all those

whom the Father gives Him from out of all the world - not merely the disciples and not merely out of

nation Israel. When Jesus says I do not ask on behalf of the world and later prays that the world may

believe that You sent Me He is certainly not contradicting Himself or speaking with a forked tongue!

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When He prays that the world may believe, He is still praying on behalf of those whom the Father gives

Him out of the world. He is still interceding for His people.

Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him. Why? Because

He always lives to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:25 ESV) Who does Jesus intercede for? Those

who draw near to God through Him. Who draws near to God? Jesus Himself answered this question in

John 6, where He states, No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will

raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44) If one must draw near to God through Christ (cf. John 14:6) then

it follows that the one who draws near to the Father through Christ is the one whom the Father Himself

draws to Christ. That is to say, those who draw near through Christ - those for whom He intercedes and

whom He saves completely - were themselves drawn to Christ by the Father. These are the ones whom the

Father has given to the Son and for whom He prayed in His high-priestly prayer in John 17.

Christ the Perfect Savior

For whom did Christ die? Hear Spurgeons plea to the sinner, And, oh, dear friends, you that are not

saved, take care that you receive this message. Believe it. Go to God with this on your tongue - Lord save

me, for Christ died for the ungodly, and I am of them. Fling yourself right on to this as a man commits

himself to his lifebelt amid the surging billows.21 And in another sermon, itself on the topic of particular

redemption, Spurgeon says,

Leaving controversy, however, I will now answer a question. Tell me, then, sir, whom did Christ die

for? Will you answer me a question or two, and I will tell you whether He died for you. Do you

want a Saviour? Do you feel that you need a Saviour? Are you this morning conscious of sin? Has

the Holy Spirit taught you that you are lost? Then Christ died for you and you will be saved. Are

you this morning conscious that you have no hope in the world but Christ? Do you feel that you of

yourself cannot offer an atonement that can satisfy God's justice? Have you given up all confidence

in yourselves? And can you say upon your bended knees, Lord, save, or I perish? Christ died foryou. If you are saying this morning, I am as good as I ought to be; I can get to Heaven by my own

good works, then, remember, the Scripture says of Jesus, I came not to call the righteous, but

sinners to repentance. So long as you are in that state I have no atonement to preach to you. But

21 Charles H. Spurgeon, For Whom Did Christ Die? Sermon 1191. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Sept. 6, 1874 URL:

http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1191.htm

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if this morning you feel guilty, wretched, conscious of your guilt, and are ready to take Christ to be

your only Saviour, I can not only say to you that you may be saved, but what is better still, that you

will be saved.22

Is this a denial of particular redemption? Certainly not. Spurgeon understood what Jesus said in John 6

and John 10, that all those whom the Father gives and draws to Christ will come to Him and that Christs

sheep - the ungodly for whom He laid down His life, atoning for their sins - know and hear His voice

when He calls. Spurgeon also understood that Christ calls His own through the foolishness of the

preaching of the gospel. Spurgeon also understood that God commands all men everywhere to repent

(Acts 17:30).

Like Spurgeon we put the controversy aside and conclude this: That if anyone is redeemed, if

anyone receives forgiveness of sin, if anyone draws near to God and has peace with God who was once

the enemy of God it is through Christ alone. Christ alone as made atonement for sin, Christ alone has

satisfied the holy wrath of God, Christ alone lives always to make intercession for those who draw near

through Him. Christ is the only Mediator - the Mediator of the new covenant. There is no other way for

anyone to be saved who will be saved. Yet they will be saved, because not only is Christ the only Savior,

but He is a perfect Savior, able to save to the uttermost. We are powerless; we are helpless, we are slaves,

we are dead; we are sinners. Yet He is mighty to save, He helps us in our weakness, He sets us free, and He

raises us to life; in Him we are counted righteous. In Him these things are certain because it is God whojustifies and it is Christ who died in the place of His people.

22 Spurgeon, Particular Redemption. Sermon 181.New Park Street Pulpit. Feb. 28, 1857. (Music Hall, Royal Surrey

Gardens) URL: http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0181.htm

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