If you would, turn with me to
Luke 18, Luke 18. And we'll read one verse in Luke
18 to start with. Verse 13 of Luke 18. Very familiar to you. And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God,
be merciful to me, the sinner. I just got to thinking about
the five points of Calvinism, and specifically, limited atonement. I just know that some like to
use particular redemption in place of limited atonement, and
that's fine. I have no problem with using
either one because Scripture supports both. But just know that some have
a problem with this point, so they leave it out. They call
themselves four-point Calvinists. Some don't believe some of the
other points, and some don't believe any of the points. I
just remember when God first opened my eyes, and Walter and
I think were driving down the road, and Walter asked me, he
said, do you know what tulip is? And I thought I knew he was
getting at something, but I said, a flower? And we both just kind
of chuckled at that, from what I remember. But I remember this,
that Walter said about this, and if I get it wrong, Walter,
you can correct me later. I forget what was going on at
the time, but it was the first time he was ever asked if he
was a five-pointer. And all he could think about
was a buck out in the field. But then, later, once he knew
the five points of Calvinism, he was talking to someone, and
they said a certain individual was a four-pointer. And Walter
thought, or maybe he replied, well, he's pointless. That statement
is true, no matter which way you look at it, really. I believe
the five points of Calvinism, and I believe they're based on
the truth of the scripture. So I believe the five points.
But there's much more than just those five points in scripture,
I do want to say that. These five do not cover everything.
But as I said, I do believe those five points, and I want to go
to scripture to see what it says about the matter. I don't need
what man has wrote down, which is not God-breathed, as his word
is. Anyway, I got to thinking about
these two phrases that are sometimes used, where some use limited
atonement and some use particular redemption. Now let me say, most who do say
this, they do agree on both, and the results are the same
with both of those phrases. So I'm not trying to say it's
wrong in either case. But I was interested in knowing
what the scripture said about both. First, atonement slash
reconciliation. Anyway, let me keep going. And
redemption. So I want to try and go through
these two words and just look at what we see in scripture.
I pray he teach us something. So we're gonna have atonement
and reconciliation and redemption. When I first started doing this,
I thought I would go through the differences between atonement
and reconciliation. But I can't really do that. I
just don't have the ability. There are several Greek words
used for the one English word reconciliation. The words are
a little bit different, but have basically the same meaning. The
same with the word redeem, or variations of the word redeem.
different Greek words depending on where you are in the scripture,
but they basically mean the same thing. The one word where it's
used, the word atonement, means to exchange. The word for reconciliation
means to conciliate or to atone for. Then the meaning for redeem
is to buy up. So let me make a sentence with
these meanings, which is true. You may not find this directly
in the scripture said this way, but it is true according to the
preponderant testimony of scripture. Christ exchanged himself in our
place. He was our substitute for to
pay for that which I or we could not pay. And in doing so, he
brought us back together with God. Folks, that is the gospel. We will see this glorious truth
when we look at the Scripture as it concerns this glorious
gospel. And the Scripture will show God's
intentions toward His people from before the foundation of
the world. Without this glorious truth, it is pointless to do
what we are doing. Right? If this is not true of
us, that is, if it is not true that Christ did this for us,
it makes no sense for us to do anything because we have nothing
to pay for what God says we owe. So we will look at the doctrine
of limited atonement or particular redemption. So let's start out with this
verse, which is familiar to us, the text verse that I read. And
this publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God,
be merciful to me, a sinner. This man knew he could in no
way appease God for the debt he owed, which was death. Scripture says the wages of sin
is death. I earned those wages. And lest
anyone have any doubts that this does not include you, we also
know that the scripture confirms us that all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. So we have all earned those wages. So since we have all sinned,
we have all earned death because the payment of sin is death.
I can never come back from that, and Joe was kind of saying this
this morning, if I were to die. Because my sacrifice will not
satisfy a holy God. So if God is pleased, he will
cause me to beat on my chest and say, propitiate me, be merciful
to me. Stand in my stead, Lord. Be my
substitute, knowing you can satisfy your own judgment and you alone. You can do for me what I cannot
do for myself. That which you do for me will
be a reconciling. And here we see it as this man
praying to God. The Pharisee prayed with himself.
But this man knew he was not worthy to do so, yet God heard
this man. Because Christ tells us this
man went down to his house justified. He was exalted to communion with
God. Second Corinthians 5, 18 and
19, we read this. And all things are of God who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. I just want to say this about
these two verses. We are said here to be given
something, Joe. We are said to have had something
committed to us. Not us committing to it, although
by his grace we do. But this is something done for
us. The gospel we proclaim, the gospel
that we hear is about one who was atonement for our sin and
sins. Him being our substitute, he
reconciled us to God. That is what has been given to
us and committed to us. So if the gospel does not mean
this to you, then this is not talking to you. But we are told
this is given and committed to us. But it also tells us the
gospel in these very two verses here. Who hath reconciled us
to himself by Jesus Christ. We are brought back into communion
with God by Jesus Christ. This cannot be any more plain.
But it tells us again, to wit, that is in this manner that God
was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them. In Christ is where we find reconciliation
to God. In Christ is where reconciliation
was done. Another verse, Hebrews 2, 17.
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. First of all, we see a little
bit of the limited part of limited atonement here. It says, it behooved
him. And this basically means he had
to. This is the way it had to be
done. But for who? It behooved him to be made like
unto his brethren. Who is that? Whoever it is, I
want to be one of his brethren. There is a good reason. because
it says that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. That which has separated me from
God, Christ was made like unto me. He had flesh and bones just
like me. He was a real man as much as
he is a real God. But being made a man was how
it had to be, and the result of him being made like unto his
brethren is reconciling them to himself. So who are these
brethren? Who are these brethren or these
us's that we read in 2 Corinthians 5? Well, we can go to some scripture
to find out. We go to Matthew 1.21 and we
read, and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. So we know this is talking about
the same thing because we see reconciliation here as well.
It says save his people from their sins. Here it is said in
the present tense, at least in English, because it had not happened
yet at this point. But it was sure to happen because
it says he shall. And we can say he has. But who are his people? And let's go to another verse,
John 6, 37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. So we see here that there are
some who the Father hath given to the Son. These are the ones
that will come to Him. These are the brethren which
He made reconciliation for. Again, there is no doubt that
they will come to this God because it says, shall come to me. Christ said this to us. Why do
these come to Him? It's not even left up to them,
as Joe was saying. You have folks arguing or not
believing in limited atonement. That is, it is limited in scope,
meaning it was not done for the whole world, but for his people. Limited in scope, but not in
power. It was particular in that it was done for a particular
group of people. That particular group are those
that the father gave the son. But why do these come again in
John 6 verse 44? No man can come to me except
the Father which has sent me draw him and I will raise him
up at the last day. Were you drawn by God? Then come
to Christ. Did you come to Christ on your
own or by your own decision? If so, you are at the very least
not manifested to be one of his yet. But here is a glorious truth. Jesus Christ accomplished this
when he died on that tree. But when I was born, I did not
know this, didn't know this. but we read in Romans 5.11, and
not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. We receive that reconciliation
to God by Jesus Christ. That ministry of reconciliation
is committed to us by Jesus Christ the Lord. I can now have peace
with God because Jesus Christ brings himself to me by his glorious
gospel of substitution. Jesus Christ accomplished all
this. He is what brought me back to
communion with God. But he also did something else.
What did he do? He redeemed us. So next, redeemed. To buy up or to pay for. We've
already have said in scripture that there is a wage that I've
earned by all my sins. I have earned this many times
over. Because James tells us, offend
in one point, you are guilty of all. I have broken many points
and I have done so many times. So there is no doubt I have earned
death. So how did Christ pay or redeem
us? Galatians 4, 4 and 5. But when
the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son
made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Here we are told He was made
under the law to redeem them that are under the law. Remember
previously in Hebrews it said, it behooved him to be made like
unto his brethren. There in Galatians it tells us
he was. How did he do this or what is
one aspect of him doing this? Galatians 3.13, Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. For
it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. He was
made a curse for me because by nature, without Christ, outside
of Christ, I am a curse before God. Because it was me that deserved
to be on that tree, and only because He chose me in His Son
is the only reason I was not there. He was also made sin for me,
we know that. But what does Scripture say specifically
about it? How He redeemed me. First Peter
1, 18 and 19 we read, for as much as ye know that ye were
not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. What comes in a lot of instances
when you see blood? I know it happened in this case
because we are told it did in scripture. But what happens when
you see blood? Death comes pretty soon after
that. He put his money down on the table, so to speak. He gave
the price that was required for me to be reconciled and to be
redeemed. He said, it is finished. Paid in full, stamped. Jesus
Christ tells us that He has given the price required for my redemption. Nothing else is owed. He owns
me and He bought me with the price of blood to the death. But I have to show one more thing
here, and this goes toward particular redemption. Titus 2.14 says,
who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity
and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Is there anything that he did
not redeem us from? It says here that He redeemed
us from all iniquity. Thank God. Because I still commit
iniquity all day and every day. But He did this, it says, for
a peculiar people. That word means special. The
people He did this for are special. Not because they are better than
other people, But they are special to God and Jesus Christ because
he made them special. He is the potter, we are the
clay. He can do with us as he wills. There are some who were made
to be special. But I'm not to think of myself
too highly. I'm not to be high-minded. First
Corinthians 4.7, it says this, for whom maketh thee to differ
from another? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory? As if thou
hast not received it. He paid the price. I did nothing
and I do nothing. He was the sacrifice for my soul. I did nothing. Christ substituted
himself in our place. Him being in our place, he had
to die. Because of that, he paid the
price. He paid with his blood unto death
to pay for that which I could not and cannot pay. And in doing
so, he brought us back together with God. Is that not the gospel? So what are we to conclude from
all this? It is pointless to leave out limited atonement,
that is particular redemption. Because without it, there is
not a soul who has a hope before God on their own. But if God
commits to this word of reconciliation to us, it frees us from the bondage
that we have in this flesh. We can certainly rest in what
Christ has done. I want to read one more passage
and I will close with this. Turn with me to Ephesians 1. I'm sure this is new to you all,
Ephesians 1. This is good. This tells us of this particular
redemption. Ephesians 1, and I'm just going
to read 1 through 12 and then say a few things. Ephesians 1, verse 1. Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which
are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to
you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made
us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace, wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will
according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Himself. that in the dispensation of the
fullness 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, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to
the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. To be without
limited atonement, to be without particular redemption, is to
be without hope and in this world. Propitiate me, my Lord and my
Savior. To that we can all say amen. Dear Lord God, remind us all
of what you have done for us. Keep our eyes, minds, and thoughts
on you, dear Lord. May your spirit apply these words
to our heart, dear Lord, and sell them to our hearts as we
go about so we can just continually think on you. All these things
we ask in Christ's name, amen.