Universal Atonement Disproved From The Covenant of Grace
by Monty L. Collier
PART ONE
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul."
(Jeremiah 32:40-42)
Arminians and Papists, as well as many others today, argue for universal atonement, which is the idea that Jesus Christ died for each individual man, not with the intention of actually redeeming them, but merely to make salvation possible upon the sinner fulfilling the condition to believe by using his so-called free will. Note: for the advocates of universal atonement, the death of Christ was not effectual, nor was it definite, and it carries with it the idea that, because men must use their will to do the work of believing and meeting the required condition for salvation, because their salvation depends ultimately upon their own willpower (not the omnipotent will of God alone), it was possible that Christ may fail to save anyone—in fact, since some are lost, it follows necessarily that Christ did fail to achieve His intention to save some. According to the advocates of this universal atonement, man is not totally depraved, not entirely inclined to hate God and do only evil, but his will is still free and capable of doing the good work of believing the Gospel. In this scheme of universal atonement, both man and God contribute a part of the work required to save the sinner. This is called synergism, and it asserts that Jesus is but half a savior, while man is the other savior. This synergist scheme asserts that salvation is by grace and works, that justification is by faith and works, and that justification is a process of sanctification, which depends upon the obedience and achievements of sinners. Behind this universal atonement is the belief that God loves the reprobates and decretally desires their salvation. This synergist package comes complete with a categorical denial of the following Bible-doctrines: the Omnipotence and Omniscience of God, the Immutability of God, the Sovereign Absolute Predestination of God in All Things, Unconditional Election, Original Sin, Total Depravity, the Justice of God in Justifying His Elect, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Monergism, Justification by Faith Alone, Salvation by Grace Alone, The Suretyship of Christ Alone, Inward Sanctification by Grace alone, the Perseverance and Preservation of the Saints, and the Scriptural teaching that All Glory Is to God Alone.
However, by contrast, the Bible teaches that God absolutely predestinates all things from eternity, that all things happen necessarily according to His eternal purposes, and due to Jehovah's omniscience and omnipotence, none of His decretal desires can fail to be accomplished. This means that men and angels have never had free will, for God alone has free will. The thoughts and choices of God's rational creatures are all determined by Jehovah, and no creature can choose to do something other than what God has ordained. Part of God's predestination was the decree for Adam to break the Covenant of Works and plunge the human race into death, sin, and misery. As the appointed representative for all his natural descendants, when Adam sinned against the terms of this first Covenant, his guilt was not only charged to his account, but to all of his natural posterity. This made natural man liable for Adam's guilt, as well as all their own personal sins that would follow—and follow they did, for Adam's natural descendants are not only born guilty, but they each inherit his wicked nature. They spring into the world at emnity with God, hating God, and their wills are entirely inclined to do evil. They are incapable of doing any good thing. Left to themselves, they are spiritually dead in their sins and doomed under the condemnation of God's Law.
But, as our lead text teaches, there is a second covenant—a better covenant with better promises. This unilateral covenant was also predestinated from everlasting for the purpose of glorifying God in His Son Jesus Christ by predestinating unto life a definite and peculiar people unto salvation—a people predestinated in Christ. Those God eternally purposed to save are called His elect. Their predestination unto life is based on His eternal love for them and His attribute of unmerited kindness and favor (by grace alone). These elect people were given to the Son to be His bride and church. The Son was sent by the Father to be their Surety and Mediator, to work and merit all the things Adam failed to achieve in the Covenant of Works. The Son and Surety of the Covenant of Grace was predestinated in this covenant to come down from heaven, to take human nature and become like us in all things (sin excepted), to be born in a state of humility, having our guilt charged to him from the moment of His arrival, so Jesus, our Emmanuel, can suffer for our sins as He lives a life of perfect obedience, fulfilling all manner of righteousness in our stead, being Himself perfect and without the slightest sin. The Son of God in this Covenant of Works agreed to come as our substitute, expiate our sins (pay and endure the punishment we deserve for our sins), propitiate the infinite wrath of God (endure God's full fury turned away from us and poured onto Him at the cross), and so covering us from the condemnation of the Law. As our Surety, Jesus not only satisfied the penalty for our sins, but He also provided an active obedience by performing all the good deeds Adam and us should have done. This passive and active obedience provided by our Mediator completely satisfies the totality of the Law's demands. By Christ's vicarious life and death, Jesus purchased and obtained for us everything we need to be justified and saved—even the very faith to receive the Gospel.
In the Covenant of Grace, as our lead text says, the Lamb of God definitely had us in mind, not to turn away from us, but to do us good. That is, He lived and paid the ransom for our sins by dying on the cross in our room and stead. Jesus' intention was to do us good, to wit, to not make salvation merely possible—but to actually redeem us, reconcile us to God, and to remit all of our sins. Christ did not fail to do us good. He succeeded. In the Covenant of Grace, the Son of God promises to give us faith and put the fear of God in our hearts. He promises that we will never depart from Jesus—never cease to believe in Christ—and we will never lose our salvation or judicial state of justification before God. In fact, Jesus promises to rejoice over His elect and do them good. Now since Jesus is God Almighty, who always accomplishes all of His eternal purposes and desires, do you think that Jesus is lying when He makes these solemn covenant promises?
No, Jesus has kept His promise to obtain faith for us and to see it applied to us at His exact predestinated time. Because Jesus' death is effectual, and because Jesus intercedes and mediates for all He died for, everyone of His elect are irresistibly made to believe the Gospel. All who believe the Gospel are members of the Covenant of Grace—they are the elect in Christ alone.
Afrikitty
Universal Atonement Disproved From The Covenant of Grace
by Monty L. Collier
PART ONE
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul."
(Jeremiah 32:40-42)
Arminians and Papists, as well as many others today, argue for universal atonement, which is the idea that Jesus Christ died for each individual man, not with the intention of actually redeeming them, but merely to make salvation possible upon the sinner fulfilling the condition to believe by using his so-called free will. Note: for the advocates of universal atonement, the death of Christ was not effectual, nor was it definite, and it carries with it the idea that, because men must use their will to do the work of believing and meeting the required condition for salvation, because their salvation depends ultimately upon their own willpower (not the omnipotent will of God alone), it was possible that Christ may fail to save anyone—in fact, since some are lost, it follows necessarily that Christ did fail to achieve His intention to save some. According to the advocates of this universal atonement, man is not totally depraved, not entirely inclined to hate God and do only evil, but his will is still free and capable of doing the good work of believing the Gospel. In this scheme of universal atonement, both man and God contribute a part of the work required to save the sinner. This is called synergism, and it asserts that Jesus is but half a savior, while man is the other savior. This synergist scheme asserts that salvation is by grace and works, that justification is by faith and works, and that justification is a process of sanctification, which depends upon the obedience and achievements of sinners. Behind this universal atonement is the belief that God loves the reprobates and decretally desires their salvation. This synergist package comes complete with a categorical denial of the following Bible-doctrines: the Omnipotence and Omniscience of God, the Immutability of God, the Sovereign Absolute Predestination of God in All Things, Unconditional Election, Original Sin, Total Depravity, the Justice of God in Justifying His Elect, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Monergism, Justification by Faith Alone, Salvation by Grace Alone, The Suretyship of Christ Alone, Inward Sanctification by Grace alone, the Perseverance and Preservation of the Saints, and the Scriptural teaching that All Glory Is to God Alone.
However, by contrast, the Bible teaches that God absolutely predestinates all things from eternity, that all things happen necessarily according to His eternal purposes, and due to Jehovah's omniscience and omnipotence, none of His decretal desires can fail to be accomplished. This means that men and angels have never had free will, for God alone has free will. The thoughts and choices of God's rational creatures are all determined by Jehovah, and no creature can choose to do something other than what God has ordained. Part of God's predestination was the decree for Adam to break the Covenant of Works and plunge the human race into death, sin, and misery. As the appointed representative for all his natural descendants, when Adam sinned against the terms of this first Covenant, his guilt was not only charged to his account, but to all of his natural posterity. This made natural man liable for Adam's guilt, as well as all their own personal sins that would follow—and follow they did, for Adam's natural descendants are not only born guilty, but they each inherit his wicked nature. They spring into the world at emnity with God, hating God, and their wills are entirely inclined to do evil. They are incapable of doing any good thing. Left to themselves, they are spiritually dead in their sins and doomed under the condemnation of God's Law.
But, as our lead text teaches, there is a second covenant—a better covenant with better promises. This unilateral covenant was also predestinated from everlasting for the purpose of glorifying God in His Son Jesus Christ by predestinating unto life a definite and peculiar people unto salvation—a people predestinated in Christ. Those God eternally purposed to save are called His elect. Their predestination unto life is based on His eternal love for them and His attribute of unmerited kindness and favor (by grace alone). These elect people were given to the Son to be His bride and church. The Son was sent by the Father to be their Surety and Mediator, to work and merit all the things Adam failed to achieve in the Covenant of Works. The Son and Surety of the Covenant of Grace was predestinated in this covenant to come down from heaven, to take human nature and become like us in all things (sin excepted), to be born in a state of humility, having our guilt charged to him from the moment of His arrival, so Jesus, our Emmanuel, can suffer for our sins as He lives a life of perfect obedience, fulfilling all manner of righteousness in our stead, being Himself perfect and without the slightest sin. The Son of God in this Covenant of Works agreed to come as our substitute, expiate our sins (pay and endure the punishment we deserve for our sins), propitiate the infinite wrath of God (endure God's full fury turned away from us and poured onto Him at the cross), and so covering us from the condemnation of the Law. As our Surety, Jesus not only satisfied the penalty for our sins, but He also provided an active obedience by performing all the good deeds Adam and us should have done. This passive and active obedience provided by our Mediator completely satisfies the totality of the Law's demands. By Christ's vicarious life and death, Jesus purchased and obtained for us everything we need to be justified and saved—even the very faith to receive the Gospel.
In the Covenant of Grace, as our lead text says, the Lamb of God definitely had us in mind, not to turn away from us, but to do us good. That is, He lived and paid the ransom for our sins by dying on the cross in our room and stead. Jesus' intention was to do us good, to wit, to not make salvation merely possible—but to actually redeem us, reconcile us to God, and to remit all of our sins. Christ did not fail to do us good. He succeeded. In the Covenant of Grace, the Son of God promises to give us faith and put the fear of God in our hearts. He promises that we will never depart from Jesus—never cease to believe in Christ—and we will never lose our salvation or judicial state of justification before God. In fact, Jesus promises to rejoice over His elect and do them good. Now since Jesus is God Almighty, who always accomplishes all of His eternal purposes and desires, do you think that Jesus is lying when He makes these solemn covenant promises?
No, Jesus has kept His promise to obtain faith for us and to see it applied to us at His exact predestinated time. Because Jesus' death is effectual, and because Jesus intercedes and mediates for all He died for, everyone of His elect are irresistibly made to believe the Gospel. All who believe the Gospel are members of the Covenant of Grace—they are the elect in Christ alone.
2 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 0