Prayer Service 5-1-24

Intercession and Supplication

Case Beasley (age 20): Colon Cancer

Leuna Angell (Kay’s Sister): Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Iva Lee

Pam Rogers: Ongoing Recovery from Respiratory Illness

Kathleen Icenhower: Heart Trouble

Jim Tierney (Trey’s Uncle): Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

Tammy Orr (Ashlyn’s Grandma): Colon Cancer

Luke Thacker: Second Cancer Diagnosis

Becky Morris: Significant health concerns.

Hope Sanders (Jason): Liver Disease

Ty Benton and Familial Caretakers

Amber Benton: Ongoing Recovery and Transitions

Thanksgiving:

Good report for Amber

Keith Rogers is Home

Pam Rogers

Those affected by flooding in Kenya

Sawyers and other Laborers in Sekenani.

Doctrines of Grace

1. Total Depravity (Total Inability)

2. Unconditional Election

3. Limited (Definite) Atonement/Particular Redemption

Definitions:

ATONEMENT:

A theological concept that refers to the reconciliation or reparation of a broken relationship between God and humanity, often through sacrificial or redemptive means.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Old Testament Background)

The Hebrew word for atone (כָּפַר, kaphar) conveys the idea of covering, both in the sense of covering to hide and also covering for someone (i.e., not charging someone with an offense or penalty)

That being said...

The debate (once again) is NOT...

Did Christ make atonement for sinners...

But, what was the SCOPE of that atonement that he made?

Was it Universal or Particular?

Was it Indefinite or Definite?

Was the scope (not power) Unlimited or Limited?

John Owen gives famously gave these...

…as the only possible options to consider:

Either Christ died for:

1. All of the sins of all people (Universalism) 2. Some of the sins of all people (Modern Evangelical View) 3. All of the sins of some people (Definite Atonement)

Here’s how Owen fleshes that out:

1. If Christ underwent punishment for all of the sins of all people, then no one will be in Hell.

2. Some people will be in Hell.

Therefore 3. Christ did not undergo punishment for all of the sins of all people.

1. If Christ underwent punishment for only some of the sins of all people, then all people will be in Hell. 2. Not all people will be in Hell. Therefore 3. Christ did not undergo punishment for some of the sins of all people.

1. If some people will not be in Hell, then Christ underwent punishment for all of the sins of some people. 2. Some people will not be in Hell. Therefore 3. Christ underwent punishment for all of the sins of some people.

Then he adds:

1. Christ underwent punishment for all sins (of some people) 2. Unbelief is a sin

Therefore 3. Christ underwent punishment for the sin of unbelief

Finally, we looked at this:

Since not all men will be saved as the result of Christ’s redeeming work, a limitation must be admitted.

Either the atonement was limited in that it was designed to secure salvation for certain sinners, but not for others...

…or it was limited in that it was not intended to secure salvation for any, but was designed only to make it possible for God to pardon sinners on the condition that they believe.

In other words, one must limit its design either in extent (it was not intended for all) or in effectiveness (it did not secure salvation for any). — Steele, Thomas, and Quinn

Here too, we plan to study it categorically:

Jesus Actually Saves

1. The Scriptures teach that Christ came, not to enable men to save themselves, but to save sinners.

For Example, we looked at:

Matthew 1:21 (ESV)

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

We had to skip over:

John 6:37–39 (ESV)

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

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.

That’s a very definite scope for the atoning work of Christ!

He won’t fail to save even ONE...

…that the Father sent him to redeem.

2. The Scriptures declare that, as the result of what Christ did and suffered, His people are reconciled to God, justified, and given the Holy Spirit, who regenerates and sanctifies them. All these blessings were secured by Christ Himself for His people.

a. Christ, by His redeeming work, secured reconciliation for His people

Romans 5:10–11 (ESV)

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

There’s an aspect of both/and to the gospel.

And, both can only be true...

…if all that Christ died for...

…eventually find salvation through faith.

Look at:

2 Corinthians 5:17–6:2 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Do you see the both/and in that?

God HAS accomplished our reconciliation...

And yet, the gospel call is...

Be reconciled to God...

Through faith in Jesus Christ.

That doesn’t work with any scope of atonement...

…other than definite or particular.

If it was All of the sins of all men...

Then everyone would be the righteousness of God

If it was some of the sins of all men...

Then no one would become the righteousness of God

Ephesians 2:11–18 (ESV)

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

The Cross accomplished something!

Was every single person brought near?

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Did he accomplish this peace...

…for those who will end up in hell?

If so, why will they be in hell?

Colossians 1:19–23 (ESV)

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard...

Here’s what we need to understand...

...about the expansive language of the gospel:

John 10:14–16 (ESV)

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

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.