Sunday School | 1689 Lesson 5

From Last Week

Raised and Ascended

​ CSBFor if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Why is the hypostatic union necessary? [Unless Jesus was God, He could not finally bear the weight of sin. Unless Jesus was man, He could not keep the Covenant in our place]

What is Jesus doing in Heaven right now?

Making a place for us, Interceding (Think , )

Full Satisfaction

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century VIII. Christ the Mediator

The Lord Jesus has fully satisfied the justice of God, obtained reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those given to Him by the Father.32 He has accomplished these things by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself, which He once for all offered up to God through the eternal Spirit.

Who are those given to Him by the Father?

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century VIII. Christ the Mediator

The price of redemption was not actually paid by Christ till after His incarnation. Yet the virtue, efficacy and benefit of it was imparted to the elect in every age since the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices that revealed Him and pointed to Him as the seed that would bruise the serpent’s head34 and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.35 He is the same yesterday and today and forever.36

1 Peter 1:10–11 CSB

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

1 peter

Particular Redemption

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century VIII. Christ the Mediator

To all those for whom Christ has obtained eternal redemption, He certainly and effectually applies and imparts it. He intercedes for them,38 unites them to Himself by His Spirit, and reveals to them in and by His Word the mystery of salvation. p 26 He persuades them to believe and obey39 and governs their hearts by His Word and Spirit.40 He overcomes all their enemies by His almighty power and wisdom,41 using methods and ways that are perfectly consistent with His wonderful and unsearchable governance. All these things are by free and absolute grace, apart from any condition for obtaining it that is foreseen in them.42

Three Passages and a Conclusion

John 16:8–9 CSB

When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in me;

Hebrews 3:12 CSB

Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Revelation 21:8 CSB

But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Is Unbelief a sin?

Ok, so with that affirmed, let’s go to one of my favorite logical exercises ever. In the 17th century there was a man named John Owen. He taught particular redemption.

What other name does Particular Redemption go by? What does it mean?

So this is deep stuff, but Owen used a very effective method of questions and answers. It might seem overwhelming, but we’ll build it out and see if it makes sense.

Here is the ultimate question.

For what did Jesus die?

While technically there are five answers to this question, only three, and really two, are worth considering.

Either He died for:

All the sins of all people, or

All the sins of some people, or

Some of the sins of all people.

Technically there is “some of the sins of some people” and “no sins”, but those aren’t really worth considering here. It is just really these three.

Let’s look at them.

The third option is Some of the sins of all people. Now, if that is the case, and Jesus died for some of everyone’s sins, then that means that everyone has committed sins for which Jesus did not die. Everyone then would have at least some of the wrath of God on them. If this is the case, how many people will be saved?

The third option isn’t really held by many, unless you count Roman Catholicism. The more popular view is the first one, that Jesus died for all of the sins of all people.

It sounds good, but Owen’s question is: If that is so, why then are not all people free from punishment for sin? If Jesus died for all sins of all people, then all people should be in Heaven, something Scripture clearly denounces.

The answer that is given, of course, is that their unbelief prohibits them from salvation. If only they would believe, then they would be saved. Jesus died for them, but unless they believe, they cannot be saved.

Owen’s response is: Is unbelief a sin, or it is not? We have already seen that it is a sin.

So if unbelief is a sin, then either Christ died for it, or He didn’t. If He did die for that sin, why would that sin keep them from salvation any differently than other sins? In other words, if murder and unbelief are both sins deserving of condemnation, why does murder not keep one from eternal life, but unbelief does?

Perhaps to evade this question you say, Well, Jesus died for all other sins, but not the sin of unbelief. If that’s the case, then Jesus didn’t die for all of their sins! And if you still push this, then I certainly hope you never waver in your belief, because if you have a moment of unbelief, which is a sin, and Jesus didn’t die for the sin of unbelief, then you can’t be saved.

So if Jesus didn’t die for some of the sins of all people, and He didn’t die for all the sins of all people, then the last option is that Jesus died for all of the sins of some people.

Those who hold to the other view, that Jesus died for all sins of all people, they