Series: Fourth Friday
Title: Limited Atonement
Text: Isaiah 53: 10-12
Date: November 30 2018
Place: SGBC, NJ
This is our third session for our young
people as we study the doctrine of grace commonly known by the acronym
T.U.L.I.P.
This time our subject is “Limited Atonement.”
Limited atonement (particular redemption) teaches
that by Christ’s obedience unto the death of the cross, he accomplished
redemption, made atonement, only for God’s elect.
By laying down his life—the Just for the
unjust—Christ accomplished the eternal redemption of his people. Christ honored and established God’s holy law
for his people by giving the law perfect righteousness and satisfying the
justice of God for us. Christ justified
his people from our sins and made us the righteousness of God in him. He redeemed his particular people so that we
are his purchased possession. The result
is, all for whom Christ died must and shall be regenerated to faith in Christ. God’s satisfied-justice demands it. Therefore, all who Christ redeemed shall be
brought irresistibly by God’s grace to believe on Christ and none shall be
lost.
In the term “limited atonement” the word “limited”
means Christ died only for the elect. “Atonement”
means Christ made God and his people “at-one.”
The other name for this doctrine is “particular redemption.” “Particular” means the same as “limited” and “redemption”
means by Christ’s blood he purchased his
people from the curse and condemnation of the law.
Satan attacks this doctrine more than any. It is the heart of the gospel because it is
how the righteousness of God is manifest, which is the very purpose for which
God sent his Son. Satan’s preachers deny
limited atonement. Most people under the
umbrella of Christianity believe universal atonement. They are commonly called Arminians after
Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609). Sometimes
they are referred to as Wesleyans after John Wesley. (1703-1791)
Though they may differ slightly in the
following points, most who believe universal atonement teach that Christ died
for all sinners. They say by God’s grace
a sinner is regenerated but they say he then has a freewill to accept or reject
Christ. Those who accept Christ, make his
blood effectual for them; those who reject Christ perish. They make Christ’s blood to have been shed in
vain for them.
The doctrine of universal atonement takes the
offense out of the cross because it exalts the sinner making man the cause of
his salvation. Also, it makes Christ’s death
vanity by saying some for whom Christ died shall perish in hell. It is not simply error; it is blasphemy
against God and heresy which denies Christ.
Scripture declares Christ shall not
fail! (Is 42: 4) By Christ’s obedience
unto the death of the cross, he accomplished redemption, made atonement, only for
God’s elect so that none shall be lost. This is the message of Limited
Atonement/Particular Redemption. This is
the gospel!
Isaiah 53:10: Yet it pleased the LORD to
bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand. 11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12:
Therefore will I divide him a portion
with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath
poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and
he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
YET IT PLEASED THE LORD TO BRUISE HIM
The wicked
hands of men nailed our Savior to the cross.
But they only did what God purposed from eternity. (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28)
Acts 2: 23: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Acts 4: 27: For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus,
whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and
the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28: For to do whatsoever thy hand
and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Since God
chose his Son to be the Savior of his people from eternity, it means God loves
his people with an everlasting love. (Jer 31: 3) Before his people fell into
sin, God had provided his Son to be our Savior. Christ had entered covenant, before we fell,
to be the Surety of his people, saying, “Whatever they owe you, put that on my
account.”
Proverbs 8: 23: I was set up from everlasting, from the
beginning, or ever the earth was.
Remember,
there are no accidents with God. God is
in full control of all things: the things that come to pass in time were
ordained by God from eternity.
WHEN THOU SHALT MAKE HIS SOUL AN OFFERING FOR
SIN
John Gill
correctly said this applies “not to his soul only but his body also, even his
whole human nature, in union with his divine Person: for it was he himself that
was offered up in the room and stead of his people, to make atonement and
satisfaction for their sins.” Notice, it
was “himself” in entirety that was the sacrifice for sin.
Hebrews
9:26…now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of himself.
Hebrews 10: 1: For the law having a shadow of good things
to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect…5:
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou
wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. 6: In burnt offerings and
sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7: Then said I, Lo, I come (in
the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 10: By the
which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once.
God is
righteous so his law must be honored.
Justice must be executed upon on all who sin against God. When Moses saw his glory, the LORD said that
he is merciful but that he will not spare the guilty.
Exodus 34:6: The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, AND that will by no means clear the guilty;
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s
children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Oh the love and mercy of God! He made
his Son to be the sin-offering for his people to declare his righteousness.
Romans 3:21 But
now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by
the law and the prophets; 22 Even the
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ…25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of
sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus.
Christ
voluntarily gave himself to be bruised in place of his people. He said, “no man takes my life, I lay it down
of myself.”
Psalm 40: 6: Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou
opened…
Isaiah 50:5: The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was
not rebellious, neither turned away back. 6: I gave my back to the smiters, and
my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and
spitting.
The bruising
of divine justice which Christ bore on the cross was by the hand of God his
Father upon Christ in the place of God’s elect because he made his soul an
offering for sin. He cried from the
cross, “My God, my God why hast thou
forsaken me…but thou art holy!”
As the righteous
and holy servant of God, the spotless Lamb of God, laid down his life “the Just for the unjust that he might bring
us to God.” He who knew no sin, the
LORD made to be sin for us. The LORD
laid on him the iniquity of his people and then poured out divine justice on
him the place of God’s people
Isaiah 53: 4: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5:
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6: All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all…8:…for the transgression of my
people was he stricken.
Psalms 85:10: Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
With the two goats on the Day of Atonement, the
Lord’s Goat – Truth—was slain to make atonement for the sin of Israel. The Scapegoat – Mercy—carried the sins away
so that none remains on his people.
Christ is represented by both.
HE SHALL SEE HIS SEED
Who are
his seed? He said in verse 8 they are God’s people, “for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” God saw Christ his seed. Since Christ made atonement, accomplished
redemption, he shall see his people justified, regenerated, sanctified and glorified!
HE SHALL PROLONG DAYS
God raised his Son from the grave to his
right hand and raised his people in him.
God regenerates all for whom Christ died to faith in Christ.
Ephesisns 2: 5
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus: 7: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his
grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
AND THE PLEASURE OF THE LORD SHALL PROSPER IN HIS HAND
Here are verses of scripture where we see
what pleased the LORD. As you read each
of these, understand, that all this pleasure of the LORD shall be accomplished
by the hand of Christ Jesus, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior.
1 Samuel 12: 22: For the LORD will not forsake his people
for his great name’s sake: because it hath PLEASED the LORD to make you his
people.
Colossians 1: 18…in all things he might have the
preeminence. 19: For it PLEASED the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.
1 Corinthians 1: 21:…it PLEASED God… by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe.
Galatians 1: 15: But when it PLEASED God, who separated
me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me.
Hebrews 11: 6: But without faith it is impossible to PLEASE
him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Ephesians 1: 9: Having made known unto us the mystery of
his will, according to his good PLEASURE which he hath purposed in himself: 10:
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in
one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;
even in him.
Luke 12: 32: Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father’s good PLEASURE to give you the kingdom.
HE SHALL SEE OF THE TRAVAIL OF HIS SOUL, AND
SHALL BE SATISFIED: BY HIS KNOWLEDGE SHALL MY RIGHTEOUS SERVANT JUSTIFY MANY:
FOR HE SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES
Christ’s people are the travail of his soul. My
wife travailed in pain until our children were born. But when they were laid in her arms she was
satisfied. The Son of God shall be
satisfied with his ransomed people who he travailed to save.
·
Satsified when he brings us all to exalt his
knowledge in saving us—"by his knowledge.”
·
Satisfied when he brings them all to give him
the glorify as their righteousness—"my righteous servant”
·
Satisfied when he brings them all to praise
him for justifying them—"he justified many”
·
Satisfied when he brings them all to exalt
him for establishing the law in perfect righteousness for us—"for he shall
bear their iniquities”
·
Satisfied when he presents them all to himself
—"a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but
that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5: 27)
Isaiah 62:5: For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall
thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall
thy God rejoice over thee.
THEREFORE WILL I DIVIDE HIM A PORTION WITH
THE GREAT AND HE SHALL DIVIDE THE SPOIL WITH THE STRONG
God will give Christ all his people and all
honor and glory as promised in the covenant.
And Christ shall share his inheritance with all his people. Here is
why?
·
Because he hath poured out his soul unto
death
·
And he was numbered with the transgressors
·
And he bare the sins of many
·
And he made intercession for the
transgressors
Men who preach limited atonement say that it
takes the sinner to make Christ’s blood effectual. God says that his Son alone accomplished the atonement
of his people. Thanks be to God, “He
shall not fail!” (Is 42: 4)
Amen!