LIMITED ATONEMENT FROM THE REFORMED CHURCH VIEWPOINT

The doctrine of Limited Atonement should be, just as all doc­trines of theology, viewed solely in accordance with Gospel ” truth and void of any and all personal thoughts and personal­ities that lie outside of the Holy Bible. The question should be; “What does the Reformed Confession say about this doctrine, and what does scripture, upon which the Reformed Church Confessions are based say about it. That is the only issue, it is not one of various theological opinions nor is it a question of what is popular, because the Reformed truth is not very popular today. We do not want to worry about whether or not what we hold to be truth is popular in the preaching or the mission field of the social world church, or if the truth interferes with popular belief. One of the main things that will be noticed is that when studying the doctrine of Limited Atonement, the fact and truth of "Sovereign Unconditional Election" comes sharply into focus. Our atonement comes from the Cross of Christ, and the Cross is the object­ive realization and revelation of God’s predestinating purpose. Even tho­ugh God’s Sovereign Predestination in the Cross is displayed throughout history, upon the background of mans total depravity and hopelessly lost estate by nature, we will also see in that same Cross the focal point of the whole truth of Salvation by Grace as far as the irresistable calling and the preservation and glorification of the saints are concerned. We Christians who are the Elect in Christ recognize in the Cross, our Atonement. In the Cross of Christ we see the truth of the salvation of all of God’s people, His Elect. In the Atonement we find the certain guarantee of the most high calling and understand that salvation by grace is closed to any work and boasting by man. It is the full realization of that which is set forth in Romans 8:29-30, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He may be the firstborn of many brethern. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified." Hallelu-Yah!

Atonement is taken from the Hebrew word, Kaphar, which means to cover, expiate or condone, to cancel or placate; to appease or make clean, to disannul, pardon, purge or put off, to reconcile or make reconciliation; from #3722, Strongs exhaustive concordance. Also from the Greek, #2643­Katallage, meaning restore to divine favor or reconciliation and #2644 ­Katallasso, to change mutually , to reconcile.

As we begin this study we must understand that we are not going to be discussing something that remains to be accomplished or that remains to be completed, but an act which was done to its fullest almost 2,000-years ago. The subject of Atonement concerns the suffering and death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which was made for us. The Atonement is not simply a historic fact, it is something that is objectively real. In our study of the Atonement we must distinguish between the work of Christ for us as it was accomplished at the Cross and the work of Christ in us, in the hearts and lives of God’s Elect people and how it is realized and applied for the benefit of our salvation.

Our question in this study is not merely whether Christ suffered and died, but we need to ask, “What is the significance of that death of theChrist. That Christ died is a fact upon which all Christians agree, yet the many different denominations of the church world give various answers as to what was accomplished by that suffering and death of our Christ. Some say that it was merely an example, but an example of what cannot be agreed upon by very many! Some church denominations offer the governmental theory  “that it was a demonstration of God’s just government of the uni­verse, designed to bring all men to repentance and thus save them"..(how in the world could anyone calling themselves a Christian believe this since it makes God to be weak and impotent since all men do not repent and all men are not saved). The TRUTH of the matter is revealed to us on the basis of scripture; “the death of Christ was Atonement, payment for sin (I Cor 6:20 & 7:23, I Cor 15:3, II Cor 5:20-21, Gal 3:13,, Titus 2:13-14, I Peter 2:21-25 & 3:18).  In saying that Christ died for us we are saying that the Atonement was a vicarious or substitutionary death. Going even further and staying on the truth of scripture we say thet the death of Christ on the Cross was a limited Vicarious atonement. Yes, Christ atoned as a substitute, not for all and every man, but for His elect  alone!! You need but read in John 17: 6-9 and see that Jesus Christ did not include all men among the Elect.          Jesus Christ did not offer up prayer here for all men, just those whom God had given him and no others. Thus we say without fear of contradiction that the Atonement made by Jesus Christ was and is a “Limited Atonement.”

The exact term, Limited, can not be found in the scripture, but it is a term used in Christian Dogmatics to describe a Confessional concept. The term atonement covers such confessional terms as redeem, purchase, satis­fy, and propitiatory, and such scriptural terms as reconciliation, ransom and purchase. Most denominational bodies agree with everything about the atone­ment except the word limited. They criticize it as meaning that it seems to imply a defect or a shortage or limitation in the death of Christ. They offer substitute terms such as definite or particular, which from a prac­tical point of view do not really change that much from the use of limited. That definite or particular atonement made by Christ still means the same thing when you go to the Holy Bible, “Christ died and atoned for the Elect of God in Christ from before the foundation of the world and for them only.” And, "If you can not be found numbered in the elect, you still owe servitude to the Creator".

The Arminian says that Jesus Christ was the Saviour of the world and died for all men and for every man, so that He has obtained for them all, by His death on the Cross, reconciliation and the forgiveness of sins; yet that no one shall enjoy this forgiveness of sins except the believer, and then they quote for you John 3:16. This is saying that the atonement of Christ obtained reconciliation and forgiveness of sins for all men, yet it is effectual only in believers. This is a general atonement that is based on, or dependent strictly upon faith or that the will of the indivi­dual is greater than the will of God. This is saying that God wants to save all men, yet He is rejected by some. This is teaching a Universal Atone­ment but rejecting a Universal Salvation, thus denying the whole idea of Atonement. The Arminian needs to understand that John 3:16 says “World, or from the Greek

#2889, Kosmos” which means orderly arrangement, deco­ration or the world in either a wide or narrow sense; so what John is saying here is “For God so loved His created earth and the family He placed in it, He sent His only begotten Son, begotten not created Son, to redeem that which is His,from the bondage of sin and death, and those who did or would believe in Him would be those whom the Father had given Him in Eternity.”  We have to understand that "Jesus Christ did not come to save all of man-kind, if he had, all of man-kind would accept him and be saved."

The attempt has been made by the Arminian teachers to subvert the fact of the atonement and give it to every creature of creation and pro-crea­tion. They appeal to all who will listen, that the atonement of Christ for His people is really a basic issue of “Human Rights”, which is a well worn slogan of those wrapped up in secular humanism. As we can see, there is little or no difference between the Universalists and the Arminian, it only depends on which one is talking and how long he talks. The Universal­ist says “Christ died for all men, therefore all men are, or, will be saved.” “The Arminian says Christ procured potential salvation for all men, but His work does not become effectual until man makes a decision for Christ and is thereby saved.” Both are blasphemous statements and must be exposed as such.

A key element of the Atonement to the Christian and the Reformed Church is “satisfaction,” We quote from the Canons of Dordrecht, Second Head of Doctrine-Of the death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men thereby: Arti­cle-1, “God is not only supremely merciful, but also supremely just. And His justice requires (as He hath revealed Himself in His Word), that our sins committed against His infinite Majesty should be punished, not only with temporal, but with eternal punishment, both in body and soul; which we cannot escape, unless satisfaction be made to the justice of God.” I submit to you that that satisfaction has been made in the work of the Atonement made by Christ Jesus at the Cross, and that that satisfaction was made to the justice of God, for those He called His Elect. Sin, in relation to the justice of God is guilt and debt, and before a debt can be resolved a price must be paid, and when the price is paid all guilt on the part of the debtor is covered. From the moment that satisfaction has been made, that debt is removed. The atonement means that God Himself, for the sake of His own justice and righteousness cannot hold that debt again­st those for whom the debt satisfaction has been made. If that satisfaction embraces all men, then the debt of all men is removed.

Remember that we said that we will not find the term satisfaction in the Bible, but that it is the key idea in all of the scriptural terms that apply to the Atonement made for us in the death of Christ. Romans 3:25, “(Jesus Christ), Whom God set forth to be a propitation through faith in His blood, to declare righteousness for the remission of sins that are past (God’s Righteousness).” The fundamental idea here is that propitation is satisfaction. The same is true of the scriptural term, Ransom, satisfaction is the basic idea of Ransom. Matthew 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many,” the idea here is that He makes satisfaction. (We need to point out here a reference to “Limited Atonement” when it says that He came “to give His life a ransom for many”.. for many, not for all men or for who so ever wiil may come. This points to a cer­tain people, not all people). Matthew tells us here that Christ satisfies the just demand of the One Who sets the ransom price!

Then we read in II Cor 5:19 of the term “Reconciliation.. .God was in Christ, reconciling the world (Kosmos) unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconcilia­tion.” Doubters would ask,”How is it possible that God can reconcile the world unto Himself and not reckon their sins unto them?” The answer is, “SATISFACTION”, the demands of God’s justice and His Righteousness have been fully met in the Atonement.

Another key element in the atonement is that word “Substitution.” The necessity for that substitution made for us is the fact that we are unable to make satisfaction for ourselves, because we are hopelessly lost. We have all sinned in Adam, when he fell we fell in him..Rom 3:23, Isa 53:6, I John l:8, Romans 5:12-14.We can never deliver ourselves, therefore we are in need of a substitute. Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us". Christ became a curse for us and died in our stead, that He might make satisfaction to Divine Justice on our behalf. This is the doctrine of the “Vicarious or Substi­tutionary Atonement.” It cannot be stated any more plainly than we just have, the language cannot be improved upon; “Our saviour, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, stood in our stead, in the place of those for whom He died. Before the bar of God’s Justice He represented those of the Elect from Adam’s Race who were sinners,one and all. It has to be said, He was our legal substitute.”

This relationship between the one who has made the atonement and those for whom it was made is a very exact relationship. If you put the two to­gether, satisfaction and substitution, the result is very exact. It is the same as if a man went into the bank and chose 1,000-debtors out of 10,000, and paid their debt off in full. He has satisfied the debt of the one-thousand, but the debt of the 9-thousand remains outstanding. It was the same with the atonement that was made by Christ at the Cross, in who so evers place He stood before the bar of God’s justice and satisfied, their debt is paid. Remember that Matthew 20:28 said He, Jesus, gave His life for many.. .not “ALL.” If all men were in Him, the debt for all men would be paid. There are two terms in the New Testament writings that suggest substitution and that is the one  found in Matthew 20:28. The second is found in II Cor 5:21, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we may be made the righteousness of God in him."  This says that Jesus was made to be sin on our be­half, while not knowing sin on His part, AT AL!!. This is substitutionary on the part of the interceding Saviour.

Another element of the atonement is that one of its infinite value,  which in no way refers to the finite number of those it reaches. It is not a measure of quantity, but of quality or intrinsic worth. The truth of the infinite value of the atonement answers the following questions;"How could the death of one cover many sinners"? "How is it that when Christ atoned, He did not simply atone one for one, but one for many"? "How could sin, which is against the infinite majesty of Yahweh and which calls down infinite divine wrath and requires everlasting punishment.. .how could that sin be atoned for in a moment in the suffering and death of one, our Saviour Jesus Christ"? All of the divine wrath of God was concentrated in that moment when the cry was pressed out of the very soul of Jesus, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me"? How could we be raised out of our totally lost estate and not placed back into the state of being that was in Adam originally, but provided instead with an everlasting inheritance of righteousness and the right to eternal life? The answer? “It was the Son of God, the eternal and infinite God Himself, in the likeness of sinful flesh, but as a perfect and righteous man, who brought satisfaction. Article 3 of canons II agrees with scripture when it says “The death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sin; and is of infinite worth and value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world. This in no way means that Christ intended on dying for the whole world which is conceived of as all men. The article does not say  that Christ made satisfaction for the whole world. The whole idea of the statement is that in and of itself, the death of Christ is so precious that it would be sufficient for the whole world. If God had wanted to save the whole world, head for head and soul for soul, He would have needed no other sacrifice. The death of the Son of God is of intrinsic value, there is no end to its worth.

Next we want to look at the efficacy of the atonement. The term effi­cacious simply goes to emphasize the reality or the accomplished factu­ality of the preceeding elements. Article 8 of Canons II speaks very well of the efficacy of the atonement: For this was the Sovereign Counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and efficacy

of the most precious death of His Son should extend to all the Elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, there­by, to bring them infallibly to Salvation: that is, it was the Will of God that Christ by the blood of the Cross, whereby He confirmed the New Co­venant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation and language, all those, and only those, who were from eternity chosen to Salvation, and given Him by the Father; that He should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, He purchased for them by His death, should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in His own presence forever.” The main subject here is not one of efficacious Grace or Calling or irrestible Grace, but is one of the efficacy or power to accomplish something that is in the death of Christ itself. Such efficacy is implied in the atonement by satisfaction, substitution and infinite value. When we say that man is totally depraved we are saying that there is no such thing as a half-rotten man, and when we say the atonement was efficacious we are saying that it was fully efficient to save all for whom it was intended. The value of the atonement was fully satisfactory to cover all for whom Christ substituted on the Cross. The blessing of Salvation of the Elect, which was God’s Sovereign Purpose, were once and for all time purchased, merited and obtained on the Cross. They belong to Christ and all who were in Christ at the Cross and to no one else. ThisArticle 8 of Canons II in the Dordrecht Canons as pertains to the BelgicConfession and the Heidelberg Cateshism should be adopted into the Articles of Faith of each and every Christian Church in the world.

We now want to look at the Limited Nature of the Atonement, and it is not surprising that the preceding Article-8 which we discussed teaches Limited Atonement when it says... “all those and those only, who were from eternity chosen to Salvation...” The fact that the Atonement is limited is inseperable from the truth of efficacious atonement. We know that the atonement is satisfaction in the true sense of the word and the atonement is also substitutionary satisfaction in the real sense of that term; and if therefore the atonement is efficacious so that those included in it had their debt removed and have eternal righteousness and life merited for them so that having been redeemed, ransomed, reconciled, they are saved and will become the possessors of Salvation.., this all being true, the matter of limited atonement is simple. “Those included in the atonement are surely saved. But all men are not saved, hence, not all men were in­cluded in the atonement".

The question that really needs answering is,"Who were included in the Atonement"? The one and only answer for this is, “Christ died only for the Elect, or, for those whom God has chosen from eternity and gave to Christ. God elected an entire Church and all of the individual members of that Church; and He gave that Church and its members to Christ. It is Christ who is their representitive-head. In the judgement of God He represents them, takes the place of them, and of them only at the Cross. This is the truth of Limited (definite/particular) Atonement". It is not a complicated dictrine. There is atonement, and therefore removal of guilt and forgiveness of sins, righteousness and all the benefits of Salvation and eternal life, for the elect only in the Cross. For all, Christ did not die for them, He did not represent them and He did not take their place, and it is doubtful that He ever will for Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ,the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

We must also look at the Limited or definite atonement in this light also, it is a personal atonement. The sheer beauty is that Christ did not die indefinitely to provide salvation for a certain number of men, whoever they might be. But He did die for all of the elect and for each one personally. God chose them individually from eternity and called them by by name and all of these elect, God gave personally to Christ. Christ knew them all, even as they had been given to Him by the Father, and He laid down His life for them and for them only. All of the elect were in Christ some 2,000 years ago at the Cross. Thus we must say that the Cross is the revelation of God’s love for His people... “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”...I John 4:10! I John 4:19 says basically the same thing, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” The thing we need to learn from this, aside from the fact of God’s love for us is, the “us” spoken of here is not all man-kind, it is the Elect in Christ and them alone.

We read in John 10:14-15 of the love of Christ and also of those for whom it was intended, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” The sheep are those whom the Father gave to Christ as is related to us in John 17:6-26, they are the elect. In John 10:29 we read of these sheep which were given to Christ as He says, “My Father which gave them me, is greater than all..” Then in verse 26 we recall the words of Christ as He had said to the unbelieving Jews who always were in opposition to Him, “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I have said unto you.”  The Pastors, Preachers and others in the Social World Church need to understand this powerful verse of scripture, Jesus did not tell the Jews  “Ye are not my sheep because ye believe not” He said,  “Ye believe not because Ye are not of my sheep.”  It is impossible for a reprobate, Caananite Jew to be anything other than what he is.. .Jeremiah 13:23 is not theory, it is fact. As you read these powerful verses of scripture from John-10, you see conclusively that a sharp line is drawn between the sheep and those outside of the fold. In defining this truth we come to no other end but that this is election and the origin of it was in eternity with Yahweh and His christ.

When we examine more closely these references from John we find that they don’t simply speak of election alone, we also find the warm and vi­brant knowledge of Divine love from eternity. “I know mine own. Christ knew the whole Church and every member of that Church by name when He laid down His life. Each and every member from Adam until the last day are known to Him. That is why Paul can speak of the personal aspect of that definite or limited atonement as he does in Galatians 2:20,”I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Even though Paul did not know Christ who went to the Cross in 33A.D. Christ knew him and loved him and died for him. The same is true for us as God’s people today. Thus we are given the personal confession of faith,”Christ died for me.” This does not become true when we believe in Christ, for according to the counsel of God, it was so from eternity. We who are called will come to a conscious faith-union with Christ and confess, “Christ died for me!” Read Isaiah 53:10, John 17: Acts 20:28, Romans 8:32 & Ephesians 1:3-12.

For the third and final aspect of the atonement we must look to the im­portance of maintaining this truth in the sense of it being a.”Limited Atonement.” This is important, not only to us as individuals, but to the whole of Christianity and we must remember that a Christ for all is really a Christ for none. We must teach and believe a “vicarious and limited atonement which is real and distinguish between it and a general atonement which actually is no atonement. We must hold to the truth that Christ did not die to save all men, for all men are not saved. The Arminian teaching that the atonement is for all men makes God a defeated God because His offer of salvation is rejected by some. When man is given the will to reject a Saviour who is offered he makes the work of that saviour of none effect, thus he is no saviour at all.

It does sound sweet and humane to proclaim a Christ for all and a love of God for all, and it is the most popular doctrine in the church world today. The social world church claims that it is next to impossible to preach and do mission work without a gospel and a salvation based on gen­eralities and they are right  The thing is, Yahweh God and Christ are not generalities, thet are realaties.

We must, as the elect of God in Christ, remember that the Gospel cannot be made any wider in scope and reach than the objective satisfaction and justification of the Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. God became man in order that He might reconcile His people, man cannot become God in order to change that which God has decreed. The world outside of Christ stands in condemnation. The veil is rent, and only those who are covered by the atonement of Christ will see the Kingdom of God. To that end we must preach the Gospel of Sovereign Grace and Limited Atonement revealed in Christ Crucified.

Pastor Rick Giesenschlag

Christ’s Church Militant