The Scope and nature of the Atonement
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Last week we covered Hebrews 2:5-9. We spoke of Christ incarnation and exaltation and the world that is to come that is already and not yet. I want to pause for a moment in verse 9 and cover a very important topic which is addressed in the book of Hebrews, and that is the scope and nature of the atonement.
Most of us when we think of salvation we think of the decision that we made to put our faith and trust in Christ. We don’t typically spend a lot of time thinking about how grace came to us and really digging deep into what Christ actually accomplished on the cross.
when someone asks about our car unless it is some fancy or really special car we usually say something like it gets me where I need to go. Putting your faith in Christ is like getting into the car, but lets say you have a muscle car, you don’t just want to get in and drive it, you prop up the hood and listen to it purr, you rev up the engine and figure out everything about it that makes it go. That is what we are going to be doing today. We are going to be taking a look under the hood of our salvation to see just how this great salvation as 2:3 call is come to us.
I want to share with you my heart in this message. It is first and foremost my desire and intention to speak and say what the scriptures say, to not say more or less. Second it is my desire to give some who may have never given consideration to these things room to wrestle with them. The Lord knows that it took me years to come to grasp with some of the ideas that we are going to talk about this morning. And so I want to give all room for grace and permission to wrestle with these things, and I hope that we all do. Thirdly I want us to see that these are not issues of salvation, in others words we might disagree in some areas and still feel call one another brothers and sisters and not do harm to our fellowship with each other.
Now that I have gotten your attention lets dive in.
Hebrews 2:9 (ESV) so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Does everyone mean everyone? All means all
Does everyone mean everyone? All means all
Before we can positively speak of the scope and nature of the atonement is we must say what it cannot be. It cannot be that Christ died for everyone, because not every one is saved. It cannot be universalism. We all believe and the scriptures clearly teach that not all men will be saved. There is such a place as hell and it will be full of those who reject Christ.
So when we think of limited atonement it is an unfortunate term which many misunderstand to think that Christ death or atonement for sin is some how deficient. His blood that was shed for sinners in of infinite value and not lacking in any way. It is capable and sufficient to cover the sins of the entire world and infinite other sinners is there were such beings.
We still however not gotten to the heart of the issue. The issue is this: What was the intent of the Father in sending His Son? What was the intention of the Son in dying? Unless we are universalists, every one limits the effect of the atonement, either man limits the atonement by His rejection of Christ, or God limit who he died for.
The atonement has been likened to building a bridge. A bridge that is narrow but goes all the way across to the other side is much more effective than a bridge that is wide but only goes part of the way across.
“Unless we believe in the final restoration of all mankind we cannot have an unlimited atonement. On the premise that some perish eternally we are shut up to one of two alternatives — a limited efficacy or a limited extent; there is no such thing as an unlimited atonement.” John Murray
In Hebrews we can be certain that the author does not allow us to take a truly universal approach to the atonement because in the very next verse that is verse 10 he says “in bringing many sons to glory.”
We know that many means great multitude of people, but it does not mean everyone. Revelation speaks of the multitudes in heaven singing the praise of God.
With this said it is perhaps more helpful for us to use the term or terms particular redemption or definite atonement. Christ died for a particular people and his atonement has a definite purpose and goal, a goal to which God, Christ and the Holy Spirit will see its end.
From start to finish, Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith.
“The saving power of the cross does not depend on faith being added to it, its saving power is such that faith flows from it.” J.I. Packer
Christ did not just come into the world to make men savable, He actually saved them. The cross was effective in that Christ actually paid a penalty for sinners. This is sometimes called “penal substitutionary atonement. The cross was not just hypothetical, not just a potential death, but an actual one. Spurgeon argues that this view would mean that Christ did not actually secure the salvation of anyone.
“We say Christ so died that He infallibly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number, who through Christ’s death not only may be saved, but are saved, must be saved, and cannot by any possibility run the hazard of being anything but saved.” Charles Spurgeon
“The certainty of the application of the benefits of Christ’s work is found in the fact that the elect are known personally to God due to His decree: therefore, Christ substitutes for them personally in His death, assuring the application of the benefits of His death in the life of each individual who has received God’s sovereign grace in the past.”
he entered 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.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
How can God be glorified when His salvation is reduced to a mere possibility? You see when we fully understand the purpose and intent and what the cross actually did in saving a people, then we are on our way to displaying the full glory of God and the highest praise.
Surely the ones that Jesus calls brothers are the same ones that Christ died for, and it not all men without exclusion. Also if we think of the context of the surrounding verses who are the ones placed under the feet of Christ? Who are His enemies? Further more who are the ones reigning with Him? Surely not His enemies but rather the ones for whom He died.
Another argument for particular redemption is this? If Christ died for the everyone and some suffer in hell for all of eternity, then for what do they suffer. Did Christ pay the penalty for them or not. Its called double Jeopardy. Christ died for them but they also must suffer for the same sins? Some may say that they suffer because of their unbelief, because they have rejected Christ. But this is not the testimony of scripture, they suffer for and store up God’s wrath by their sin and disobedience. Jesus says that man will give an account for every idle word that He speaks. Besides this is not man’s unbelief a sin? And if Christ died for all the sins of the world then did he not die also for man’s unbelief? If so then why is He condemened?
Revelation 5:9 (ESV)
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
The author of Hebrews says in verse 13 “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
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 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.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
How will He raise him on the last day? How does He know that? If He did not die and secure their salvation then he can’t truly say that.
We also see in verse 16 that the author of Hebrews tells us that it is the “offspring of Abraham” that He helps. Notice that he does not say the offspring of Adam, which would include “every man” but the children of Abraham are the children of promise, they are children of the covenant.
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
