PARTICULAR, EFFECTUAL REDEMPTION
In the Word of God, redemption was always for a specific people. In the garden of Eden, the animals that the Lord killed were for Adam and Eve, not for any of the fallen angels. When Abel offered to God the firstling of his flock, he brought it for himself and his family, not for Cain and his family. When the passover lambs were killed, they were sacrificed for the firstborn of the Israelite families, not for the firstborn of the Egyptian families. On the Day of Atonement when the high priest of Israel killed a goat and offered it to God upon the altar, that sacrifice was only on the behalf of Israel, not for any other nation.
Even
so, Christ came into this world to redeem a specific people, the
elect of God. When He laid down His life, it was to satisfy justice
for those given to Him by the Father in the covenant of grace. Let
there be no misunderstanding here, we consider the teaching of
universal redemption to be heresy because it is contrary to the Word
of God and makes the success of the Savior’s redemption dependent
upon the will of sinners. The "Good
Shepherd" did
not lay down His life to make salvation possible for all mankind; He
died for His sheep to put their sins away and reconcile them to
God.
John Owen (1616-1683 A.D.) made three logical declarations in defense of the truth of Christ’s particular, effectual redemption. Any person who honestly considers these three statements must acknowledge that they are reasonable. I have paraphrased his words.
1. If Christ died for all the sins of all men then all men must be saved and universalism is true because sin once atoned for, there remains no more ground for punishment. However, the teaching of universal salvation is contrary to the Scriptures which plainly state that many do in fact perish in their sins.
2. If Christ died for some of the sins of all men then no person will be saved because un-atoned sin must bring forth death. We know this theory is also false because there are some who are saved by the grace of God which means all of their sins were paid for by the death and resurrection of Christ.
3. If Christ died for all of the sins of some men then all of those in whose stead He laid down His life must be saved because their sins have been put away, separated from them as far as the east is from the west. Justice has been satisfied for them and since Christ has been condemned in their stead, those people must be saved. This is the doctrine of particular, effectual redemption which is the message of the Word of God.
John Owen (1616-1683 A.D.) made three logical declarations in defense of the truth of Christ’s particular, effectual redemption. Any person who honestly considers these three statements must acknowledge that they are reasonable. I have paraphrased his words.
1. If Christ died for all the sins of all men then all men must be saved and universalism is true because sin once atoned for, there remains no more ground for punishment. However, the teaching of universal salvation is contrary to the Scriptures which plainly state that many do in fact perish in their sins.
2. If Christ died for some of the sins of all men then no person will be saved because un-atoned sin must bring forth death. We know this theory is also false because there are some who are saved by the grace of God which means all of their sins were paid for by the death and resurrection of Christ.
3. If Christ died for all of the sins of some men then all of those in whose stead He laid down His life must be saved because their sins have been put away, separated from them as far as the east is from the west. Justice has been satisfied for them and since Christ has been condemned in their stead, those people must be saved. This is the doctrine of particular, effectual redemption which is the message of the Word of God.
-Gospel
report by preacher Jim
Byrd
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