Limited Atonement, True or False? Part 1

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NOT A LIMITED ATONEMENT

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Tim 2:5, 6

Our text declares a great fact, which most believer’s generally ignore that is if they don’t outright deny it, and that is the fact that our Lord Jesus’ death was a ransom price whose scope covers and includes the entire family of Adam. The fact that the scriptures do speak of a specially elect class which is being gathered out of the world during this gospel age, and which is promised joint heir-ship with Christ in His coming millennial kingdom the fact also that the great mass of mankind at the present time and throughout the 6,000 years of the past have been “without God and without hope in the world,” because without a “knowledge of the only name given under heaven and among men whereby we must be saved” these facts have led many to the erroneous conclusion that our Lord’s death has not been and never will be a ransom price or offset price for the cancellation of the sins of mankind in general.

Their reasoning has indeed certain logical features; for if the world in general has not received and if it never will in future receive a blessing at the Lord’s hands it seems the logical conclusion must be that justice did not receive and will never receive a ransom price for the world’s share in original sin (Adam’s sin). In seeming harmony with this erroneous thought is the fact that only a comparatively small proportion of humanity has been specially favored of the Lord with an opening of the eyes of their understanding, and the privilege, through faith, of coming back into harmony with their Creator. Seemingly supporting this view also are the scriptural statements respecting the present narrow way and straight gate which “few” find, and the many references to the “elect” as constituting only a “little flock.”

Building upon this erroneous foundation of A LIMITED ATONEMENT for original sin, the fathers of the dark ages and since have proceeded to give various explanations of the eternal torture of the world of mankind the non-elect those not favored by the Almighty with a knowledge of the only name given under heaven and among men whereby we must be saved. These false doctrines built upon the “traditions of the elders” have had a nauseating effect upon intelligent minds; they contradict the scriptural declaration that God is just, loving, wise and all powerful. What we need to correct the nausea, to refresh the hearts, to inspire love and zeal for the Lord and His word is to see with clearness what the true doctrines of the scriptures are respecting these matters.

The scriptures declare that our Lord Jesus “by the grace of God tasted death for every man.” They show conclusively that His death was a “propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins (the church’s sins); and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

But to appreciate these statements to see how they can be and are true, it is necessary to know that the scriptures nowhere declare that the present gospel age is the only period of divine favor, the only period for the forgiveness of sins, the only period of reconciliation with God, the only period of opportunity for being taught of God and of obtaining His blessing and favor, lost through original sin in Eden.

As soon as we grasp this great fact our eyes begin to open to other facts.

(1) That prior to this gospel age, during the Jewish age and previously, all the world except that one little nation, were aliens, strangers, and foreigners from God and His promises, “without God and without hope of the world” (Eph. 2:12); and

(2) That the scriptures clearly indicate a “world to come,” a future epoch (or age), in connection with the affairs of this world, under new and better conditions than now prevail.

(3) That future age is called the “day of Christ,” “the day of the Lord." It is indeed the millennial day, the thousand years of Christ’s reign for the very purpose of blessing and uplifting the world of mankind, for whose sins His death was the atonement price and who are to be healed by His stripes.

(4) We find that every invitation and injunction of the gospel age are with a view to the selection of an elect class, who shall be joint heirs with Christ during that millennial age, to share with Him in the great work of general human uplift.

Continued with next post.

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