John 10:11, 14-15: For Whom Did Christ Die? The Good News of Definite Atonement

Scripture Reading

John 19:16–18, 28-30 They took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them….After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Intro

Our passage today comes from John chapter 10 verses 11, 14 and 15.

John 10:11, 14-15 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And from this passage I want to ask a very…simple…question.

For whom did Christ die?

For whom…did He lay down His life as a sacrifice?

Whose sins did He pay for up on that cross?

Now, I think that most Christians and most pastors would automatically say, “Well, everyone!”

God so loved the world…God loves everyone and Christ died for everyone’s sins on the cross.

But if that’s true, then why isn’t everyone saved?

Was His sacrifice insufficient?

Did it actually pay for sins or only potentially pay for sins?

Did Christ to to save sinners or to merely open the door to salvation without actually…definitively…and effectively saving anyone in particular?

Did Christ make an actual atonement for sins or just a potential atonement for sin?

Limited Atonement

These are the questions that deal with the doctrine most often referred to as Limited Atonement.

Now that’s a terrible name.

About the only benefit it has is fitting nicely in the acronym we have for the Doctrines of Grace, commonly known as TULIP or the five-points of Calvinism:

Total Depravity

Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement

Irresistible Grace

And the Perseverance of the Saints.

And the difficulty comes in with the way we normally use and understand the word Limited in our day and age.

When people hear the word Limited Atonement, they assume that Christ’s death is somehow limited or insufficient.

That God really would have liked to save the whole world, but He only had so much blood to go around.

This is why you’ll hear people describe themselves as “4-point Calvinists.”

The L is usually the one they are objecting to…Christ died for all.

But when we talk about the Doctrine of Limited Atonement we are not at all implying any deficiency in the Work of Christ.

He is the infinitely glorious Son of God incarnate in Human Flesh.

Just one drop of His infinitely precious blood is infinitely sufficient to pay for all the sins of infinite worlds.

No…what we mean by Limited Atonement is all those Christ died for, Christ saves.

That when Christ went to the cross, He did so on behalf of the elect…all those chosen by God and predestined before the foundation of the world.

That Christ did not die generally for the sins of all men, but died particularly for the sins of His Elect.

It is for this reason it is better to call this Doctrine the Doctrine of Definite Atonement or Particular Redemption to highlight the idea that Christ died for those who would actually be saved.

That Christ died to actually atone for sins and satisfy wrath of God once and for all, and not just potentially atone for them.

Disclaimer

This is why the Doctrine of Definite Atonement is one of the most offensive doctrines…and one of the most contested doctrines of our faith even amongst Christians.

So let me give a disclaimer right at the outset of this sermon.

This sermon is going to be very theological, and so you’re going to have to put your thinking cap on.

Having said that in studying for this sermon I have been made acutely aware of just how weak and insufficient I am to communicate this glorious truth.

And so I pray that God would give me the grace to handle the Word of God rightly ultimately for your edification and benefit…and not your confusion or offense.

That said…I know for many of you, your head will be spinning.

Especially if this is the first time you’ve ever been exposed to this doctrine, you will probably have a lot of questions.

We will not be able to answer them all today.

What does this mean for evangelism?

What about this passage or that passage?

There’s no way I can get to them all today.

So you need to think of this sermon as an introduction.

If you want more information there are several books I would suggest to you.

Books like, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen…

RC Sproul’s What is Reformed Theology?

Or Joel Beeke’s Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism.

Other good resources would be sermons by RC Sproul, John MacArthur or Steven Lawson you can find just by typing in Definite Atonement or Particular Redemption.

I would also say, I don’t expect everyone to agree with me especially if this is new for you.

My hope is to make a compelling case, but I also don’t want to unnecessarily offend you in what I say.

And If I do or if you feel like I mischaracterize or misrepresent your personal view that’s not my intent.

I would happily encourage you to examine the Scriptures to see if these things are so.

I don’t apologize for what I believe, or what has been the dominant teaching of the true, spiritual church throughout History, but I am sympathetic if this is all new for you.

I wrestled with the Doctrines of Grace and Calvinism for eight years…not ever denying it mind you…I would say I’ve always been Calvinist…but struggling to see how it all fit and how to make it all work.

And even there sometimes people even get offended just using the word Calvinist, thinking its too much like the Corinthians saying “I follow Paul!” or “I follow Cephas.”

Calvinism is just theological shorthand for a theological worldview.

Its a one word way to describe what someone believes about God’s Sovereignty and the Doctrines of Grace.

Arminianism on the other hand, exalts and emphasizes the human will and its role in salvation.

So no….You don’t have to call yourself a Calvinist…I would prefer just to call myself biblical…but I don’t want to be mean.

See…I told you you can’t get offended.

But throughout the sermon I’ll be using terms like Calvinist and Arminian to describe these theological worldviews as summaries of how these two different schools of thought understand biblical truth concerning salvation.

Ultimate Goal

And here’s what I ultimately want to do.

What so often happens when you talk about the doctrine of Definite Atonement is that you usually end up defending it from a negative point of view.

Jesus did not die for all men generally, but only specifically for His elect.

In other words, He did not die for everyone…He did only for His sheep.

But as we often do with the Doctrines of Grace, I want to emphasize the Good News of Definite Atonement.

What are we saying positively about this Doctrine?

And its this…

In His death, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice of propitiation to actually accomplish our salvation and make a full and complete atonement for all of our sins once and for all.

I told you it was going to be theological.

Let me explain some of these terms.

And you’re going to need to remember these because they are going to come up again and again.

Propitiation

First, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice of propitiation.

A propitiation is a sacrifice that satisfies and turns away the wrath of God for our sins.

So when Jesus died on the cross, He actually paid for all our sins by suffering the full weight and wrath our sins deserved.

Atonement

And in offering His life as a sacrifice of propitiation Jesus made a full and complete atonement for all our sins.

You can think of Atonement as “At-One-Ment.”

We were spiritually dead in our sins…alienated from God…hostile in mind…enemies of God…

Under God’s righteous condemnation and wrath.

But Christ made atonement in His death on the cross.

He reconciled us to God.

As the Mediator He laid a hand on us both making peace by the blood of His cross.

And according to the Doctrine of Definite Atonement, Christ actually accomplished this on the cross.

Its definite not just in that it is limited to a defined, and particular group of people…

But in that it actually accomplishes salvation on our behalf.

It is a full and perfect and complete atonement for all whom Christ died…not just a potential one.

Meaning everyone for whom Christ died will ultimately be saved.

It was a victorious atonement that actually accomplished what God sent Christ to the cross to do…save all who were given to Him before the foundation of the world.

Arminian Position

But the position that is dominate in American Evangelicalism today is what we would call Arminian…as opposed to Calvinistic…Theology.

The dominate view…even though it has not been dominate throughout church History…is that Christ died for all…Christ died for the world…

That He went to the cross to pay for the sins for the world and make salvation possible for anyone who would believe.

Here’s the basic idea…

From eternity past…God determined to save as many people as He possibly could from the fallen human race.

And so God sent His Son into the world to die for the sins of world…to give His life for the sins of all people.

To open the door of salvation for anyone who would believe.

So Christ died not for any particular sin or anyone particularly, but died for all men generally.

To make salvation possible depending on whether a man would believe in Christ or reject Christ of His own free will.

So Christ’s atonement on the cross was not an actual atonement but a potential one.

One that made salvation possible, but in itself did not actually save anyone.

We might say, Christ did not purchase sinners, but purchased the opportunity for sinners to be saved.

The important thing here is that the design and purpose of the cross was not to save anyone particularly, but to open the door of salvation for all men generally.

This is a position that we would call Unlimited or Universal Atonement.

Universalism

Now to be clear, this does not mean that Arminians believe everyone will be saved.

That’s universalism.

And no one who takes the Scripture seriously actually believes that.

Its obvious that not everyone is save…there is a Hell and people will be there.

Its universal and unlimited in that they believe Christ died for everyone.

But that’s just the point.

Its an inconsistent position.

Either Christ paid for the sins of the world…or He did not.

Either Christ actually propitiated the wrath of the Father…or He did not.

Either Christ made atonement or He did not.

Otherwise no one would be in Hell.

I would think consistency would say…if Christ died for the sins of the world, then everyone in the world would be saved.

But that’s obviously not true.

So the way Arminians try to get around this is by saying Jesus really did die for the sins of the whole world, but to make the atonement effective they need to repent and believe.

Now there’s a few problems with this.

Limits Power

Number 1…this limits the power and value of Christ’s death on the cross.

What I want you to understand is everyone believes in a Limited Atonement…not just Calvinists.

Even the Arminian limits the Atonement to those who believe.

To do otherwise would be to become a universalist.

But the problem for the Arminian is that they put a double limitation on the Atonement.

Not only is it limited in number to those who believe similar to the Calvinist, but but its also limited in power Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t actually save everyone it was intended to save.

Christ died and paid for the sins of men who will never experience the blessing and benefit of His salvation.

In this way, His atonement for them would be unrealized…He tried, but it wasn’t enough.

Christ failed…

But if Christ really is God, then how could He fail to do anything?

Not to mention…its hard to see how for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2) or how out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11) if a great number of the people Christ died for aren’t actually saved.

If Christ only opened the door or the possibility for salvation, then His death didn’t actually save anyone.

And theoretically because whether or not a person is saved dependent on their own free will to believe or reject Christ…it was possible that no one would be saved and Christ would have died completely in vain saving absolutely no one.

And even so with this view, at least some of Christ’s blood was shed in vain because everyone Christ died for isn’t ultimately saved.

Its hard to see how this would be God plan and design for the atonement…the sacrifice of the Beloved and Eternal Son of God.

So unless you believe everyone is saved…everyone believes in a Limited Atonement at least in some way.

And the irony for the Arminian position is that it puts a double limitation on the Atonement.

Christ’s sacrifice is only effective for those who believe.

And its limited in power because Christ’s sacrifice doesn’t save everyone it was intended to save.

The Calvinist on the other hand, limits the atonement to the elect…just like everyone else.

But says it is unlimited and absolutely perfect in power and effectiveness because all Christ died for will finally…and ultimately…and actually be saved.

Not one will fail to inherit salvation Christ purchased for them.

The Arminian tries to get around this saying, “No it is effective…they just have to believe.”

Unbelief

But let me ask you this…is unbelief a sin?

It is a sin!

So if Christ died for all the sins for all men…why didn’t He die for that sin?

Why isn’t the sin of unbelief paid for or forgiven on the cross?

And then…what other sins might there be that Christ did not die for or cover with His blood?

If Christ really did die for all the sins of all men, then He must have died for the sin of unbelief too, and we are right back again at the universalist problem where everyone must be saved.

The Will

The other problem is, this makes salvation dependent on the will.

And if God sent Christ to die for the sins of everyone…then God’s plan…and will…and intention…can be frustrated and overcome by the fallen will of sinful man.

God really wanted to save people…but we just wouldn’t let Him.

Does that sound like an Almighty God who can do all His holy will?

Total depravity

Also, if salvation really was dependent on the will…on choosing to believe…this would deny everything that the Bible says about man in our sinful condition.

It denies the doctrine of Total Depravity.

We are dead in our trespasses and sins.

Blind.

Hostile to God.

Unable and unwilling to come to Him or move even one inch towards God.

We cannot will ourselves to salvation…the only way to be saved is a sovereign work of God’s grace.

John 1:12–13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Nor the will of man.

This is why there is no such thing as a 4-point Calvinist.

All the Doctrines of Grace go together…you can’t have one without the other.

Why are you saved?

Because God the Father elected you before the foundation of the world.

Christ purchased you in His death on the cross.

And the Holy Spirit, by His sovereign grace, takes what was purchased by Christ and applies it to you.

He makes you born again effectually and irresistibly drawing you to Christ.

Given what Scripture says about sinful man and our fallen condition in our Total Depravity and sin…

None would come to Christ if left to ourselves.

And that means if Christ died only for the potential or possibility of salvation then not just hypothetically like we said earlier, but actually and biblically, no one would be saved.

As slaves to sin, none would come to Christ.

And Christ would have died for all men generally but no one in particular and Christ would have died in vain.

Double Jeopardy

Still another problem for the Arminian view is that it assaults God’s justice.

If Christ paid for the sins of everyone and satisfied God’s wrath justice on the cross, then how can God punish still be just and punish anyone for their sin?

Its the problem of Double Jeopardy.

God punishes the same sin twice and one way or another one of those punishments is poured out on an innocent victim.

Either Christ on the cross, or the sinner in hell.

Someone is suffering for either a sin they didn’t commit, or one that was already paid for.

That would make God unjust.

And consider this!

If we really are to believe that Jesus died for all men equally and in the same way to open the opportunity for salvation, then that would mean Jesus laid down His life and died in the same way and just as much for Judas…as He did for Peter.

And that there are sinners in Hell who had the exact same thing accomplished for them on the cross as the saints who are in Heaven.

Now if that sounds strange to you…it is.

Are we really saying that Jesus died for the sins of people in Hell, but they still end up there?

The Arminian position would have to say yes.

Faith as a Work

And this also begs the question…

If Christ death paid for the sins of all men and merely opened the door for salvation depending on whether or not they choose to believe of their own free will…

Wouldn’t that choice, in effect, make faith a meritorious work and give us a reason to boast?

If the benefits of Christ’s death ultimately depend on our will to make it effective or bring it to completion…

Wouldn’t that say that our salvation ultimately depends on something in us that we do for ourselves and not wholly on the grace of God alone?

That we contribute something to it?…That choosing or will to believe?

And if we contribute anything…wouldn’t that make that faith a work?

Now make no mistake…we do choose to believe.

But biblically regeneration precedes faith.

Our faith is not something we work or muster up within ourselves to will ourselves to believe…

It the working out of God’s sovereign and powerful grace at work within us in applying what was already purchased and accomplished for us on the cross.

After all, left to ourselves…we are dead.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

And Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Trinity

Finally, I think the most compelling reason we have to believe in the doctrine of Definite Atonement is in the unity of God Himself…

Its in the unity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit…all three persons of the Trinity…working together in one mission, one purpose, one mind…to save sinners.

Let me show you what I mean.

John 6:37–39 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 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.

Those Christ came to save are those whom God has given Him…those whom God has chosen…predestined…elected…in eternity past.

We know this does not include the whole world because not everyone is saved.

It is a definite and finite number.

And so if Christ came to offer His life as a sacrifice for all men then He is out of sync with the Father.

He is offering His life for more than the Father has predestined to save.

This very idea would have been abhorrent to Jesus who said in verse 38 For I have come…not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.

And in our passage, John 10:30 I and the Father are one.

Not one person…that’s heresy.

One in mission, will, and purpose.

When Christ laid down His life, He was doing so for those the Father had given Him to save.

Likewise, if Jesus really had offered His life for all, then He and the Spirit are out of sync as well.

Not everyone is born again.

So the Holy Spirit is not regenerating and applying Christ’s saving work to all that Christ died for.

Jesus died for everyone, but the Holy Spirit is only saving some.

The unity of the GodHead requires Definite Atonement.

Otherwise you would have one person of the Trinity trying to save one group of people and the other two persons of the Trinity trying to save another group of people where everyone is pulling a different direction completely tearing the unity of the Trinity apart.

And not only that but to say that the Son does not work in perfect conformity to the will of the Father threatens the gospel itself because the only reason we are saved is because Jesus is the perfectly obedient Son who by His obedience was able to offer His life as a pure and spotless sacrifice to atone for all our sin.

Unlimited or Universal Atonement when examined biblically…functionally denies the Trinity and tears apart the unity the GodHead.

Summary

What I hope I’ve done is theologically show you is that the mainstream understanding of the atonement today is an unbiblical position.

First of all, everyone believes in some form of definite or limited atonement or else everyone would be saved.

What we are saying in the Doctrine of Definite Atonement is that the purpose and design of the cross was to actually save sinners and not just open the door or possibility for salvation.

But that Christ actually made atonement on the cross.

That He actually propitiated the wrath of the Father and bore our sins in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

That He laid down His life to save the Elect and He actually saved them…He actually purchased them…He actually reconciled us to God.

Two Ways

For us, the Atonement is Definite in two ways.

Its Definite in number…Christ died for the Elect.

And its Definite in power or accomplishment in that in that all those that Christ died for are actually saved.

Bible

And so for the last few minutes of our time together, I want to look at this doctrine biblically.

Where do we see this doctrine taught in Scripture beyond what we’ve already seen already.

And while I would love to go to the Old Testament where the sacrifices of the Day of Atonement were only for Israel and not the world at large…

Or Isaiah 53 where He has surely borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities and upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace…

Or Romans 8 where Paul says God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all and then defines who the “us all” is as God’s elect (Romans 8:32-34)…

Or Ephesians 5 where Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for...her…

For the rest of our time today…I want to focus on the Gospel of John going back to our passage…

John 10

John 10:11, 14-15 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Jesus clearly and explicitly says He lays down His life for the sheep.

Not the world. Not all people in general.

But for the Sheep.

Jesus defines the Sheep He lays down His life for as those who follow Him (John 10:4).

They are those He calls and knows by name (John 10:3).

He even knows their number…particular redemption…because He says I have other sheep who are not of this fold (John 10:16).

In verse 29 they are those the Father has given to Him speaking of divine election (John 10:29).

And remembering our conversation earlier…

Christ lays down His life for His sheep…

His sheep are those that the Father has given Him…elected before the foundation of the world…

In perfect unity and submission to the fill of the Father Jesus Himself says I lay down my life for the elect.

Verse 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).

All who Christ dies for has eternal life.

And they will never perish.

This eliminates any idea that Jesus laid down His life for all men because whoever does not believe in Christ ultimately will perish in Hell completely contradicting Christ’s promise that whoever He dies for will never perish at all and no one will snatch them out of His hand.

And in the wider context of the passage, how could the good shepherd be good if any of the sheep He lays down His life for does not receive life and receive abundantly…verse 10.

And in verse 26 Jesus tells the Pharisees You do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

So there at least some standing right there, Jesus did not lay down His life for.

And the Arminian might say but that’s because they don’t believe then.

If they believed they would become a part of His sheep.

Ok…granted..but even if I give you that you have to at least admit that in Christ’s own words there are at least some people that Christ did not die for.

If He did they would have eternal life.

John 1:29

Go to John 1:29.

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is a good opportunity to talk about how to deal with passages that seem to talk about Christ’s death as universal in scope saying that Jesus died for the world or Jesus died for all because I’m not going to get the opportunity to do some of those passages as much as I would like to.

Typically the Arminian would read this verse say, “See! Christ takes away the sin of the world!”

This is similar to 1 John 2:2 where it says He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

How can you not say Jesus died for the sins of the world?

World

Because you have to look at words like world and all and how they are used in their wider contexts.

In the writings of John alone the word world has several different meanings…Steven Lawson identifies as many as 10.

It can mean the whole created world…The world was made through him (John 1:10).

It can mean the world as in fallen humanity in rebellion against God under the dominion of Satan…Do not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15).

It can mean humanity in general in the pitiful misery of their sin…For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son (John 3:16).

But even in that verse it does not mean all people without exception because John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

God loving the world does not teach universalism.

Not to mention there’s obviously different uses of the word world if John tells us not to love the world but God does.

I think in most instances the word world in these universal sounding texts refers to mankind in general in the misery of their sin or world as in all men both Jew and Gentiles which is how I think it is used here.

He is the propitiation for our sins (Jews, John a Jew writing to Jews) and not ours only but the whole world (Gentiles everywhere).

So when you read the words world or all, you need to look at them in context…all in referring to the Atonement is usually qualified as either all men in general as in all men with out distinction...For their is neither Jew nor Greek, slave, nor free (Galatians 3:28)

Or all as in terms of all the elect.

Either way, its obvious world in John 1:29 is not teaching that Jesus dies for and takes away the sin of all people everywhere because He is the Lamb of God who actually takes away His sins.

Remember how we talk about Definite Atonement as actually accomplishing salvation not just potentially.

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is in the context of Christ being the sacrificial lamb of the New Covenant.

The Lamb who would remove our sin as far as east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

And who in ratifying the New Covenant with His blood God promises I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).

Christ is the Lamb of God who actually takes away our sins.

If God remembers our sins then He did not actually take them away.

So this verse teaches that Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world…Jew and Gentile…and not just potentially takes away the sin of all men in general that God may or may not remember.

One more passage.

John 17

John 17 is Jesus’ High Priestly prayer…hours before He goes to the cross to lay down His life He prays to the Father.

John 17:9, 19, 24 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours…

This again is referring to the elect.

And as our High Priest, Christ specifically says he is not praying for the world but only for those the Father had given Him.

So as our High Priest, Christ intercedes not on behalf of the world but for the elect only.

Verse 19…

And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth…

In other words, Christ sets Himself apart.

He’s talking about laying down His life for His Sheep.

For their sake…who’s their sake?

All you have given me…the elect.

So in verse 9, Jesus prays on behalf of His elect and in verse 19 He sets Himself apart to lay down His life for the elect.

Those He intercedes for in prayer are the very same ones He intercedes for in His death on the cross…

And the very same ones He intercedes for today at the right hand of the Father.

Definite Atonement.

His work as our High Priest is a harmonious whole.

Its ludicrous to think that Christ would die for everyone, but only pray and intercede for some.

And what is the result of His intercession…what is the fruit of His prayer and sacrifice…

Verse 24…

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Christ is praying that all whom you have given me…all the sheep…all the ones for whom Christ died and laid down His life…

Would be with me where I am.

With God the Father.

Reconciled to God…worshiping God around His throne forever and ever.

What Jesus was praying for as our Great High Priest was that everyone for whom He died for would ultimately be saved and have eternal life.

A Definite Atonement where not a single one would be lost or fail to receive salvation.

An Unlimited or Universal Atonement would say that God did not hear this prayer…

He did not answer His Son because Jesus would have died for a great number of people that would ultimately never be saved.

And once again, put a division between the Father and Son and tear the Trinity asunder.

But a Definite Atonement says Christ’s prayer was heard…

That God did answer Him.

That Christ propitiated the wrath of God made full atonement for our sin…

And all that the Father had given Him…all for whom He died will not perish but have eternal life.

Conclusion

In His death, Jesus made a full and complete atonement for all our sin.

He offered Himself on the cross as a sacrifice of propitiation to actually accomplish our salvation and pay for all our sins once and for all.

There’s no time for a proper conclusion.

So what’s the Big Idea? Why does this Doctrine matter?

Because on the cross, Jesus Christ really did pay for all your sins.

He actually atoned for each one particularly and individually.

All of your sin has been forgiven.

And the Good News of Definite Atonement is that there truly is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1).

Let’s Pray