Good morning. Let's turn to Isaiah
chapter 53. Isaiah chapter 53. 35 years ago this week, you called
me to be your pastor. And I said to you, when you asked
me to consider coming here, I presume by you calling me to
be your pastor, you're telling me that there is no place in
this county where you can go and hear the gospel of God's
free grace. There's no one else preaching
the gospel, and you wish to have the gospel of God's grace declared
here. By that, I distinctly identified
what we commonly call the five points of Calvinism, total depravity,
unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace,
and perseverance of the saints. And we've been together now for
35 years. And so far as I know, there is
no one in this county preaching the gospel of God's free grace
except that which is preached from this pulpit. I said to you
then, if there were another place to go, I recommend that you go
and join them. Don't try to establish another
place. Thus far, I haven't found another person preaching the
gospel of God's grace in the city of Danville or in Boyle
County. I want us this morning to look
at the single most important aspect of gospel doctrine. My subject is limited atonement. Limited atonement. In this place,
we believe and preach the blessed gospel doctrine of limited atonement. That's the doctrine of the gospel. I recognize that the vast majority
of people preach and teach something with regard to Christ's death
and say that it was a substitutionary death. But the teaching is that
Christ died as a substitute for everybody, those who are saved
as well as those who are lost. They teach something with regard
to the atonement. Many will say, well, we sort
of believe in limited atonement, but you have to recognize there's
some sense in which Christ died for all men. Such doctrine is
totally contrary to the whole revelation of God, totally contrary
to the gospel of God's grace and damning to those who believe
it. Limited atonement is this doctrine. The Lord Jesus Christ,
God's darling son, died in the room instead of God's elect,
bearing our sins in his body on the tree, suffering all the
wrath of God for his people, and by his death made an effectual
atonement for the sins of his elect, securing the everlasting
salvation of all for whom he died. We believe this doctrine
for one reason. It is plainly stated in the book
of God. There's not a single passage
in this book. I defy anyone to find such a
passage. There's not a single passage
in this book, not a text in the Word of God that teaches or even
implies that there's some sense in which God wants to save all
men, Christ died to redeem all men, and the Spirit tries to
get all men to be saved. Everywhere in the Book of God
where the death of Christ is discussed, Whether you're talking
about prophecy, or whether you're talking about types, or whether
you're talking about the explanations given in the New Testament of
what Christ did at Calvary, every single place where the doctrine
of Christ's atoning sacrifice is discussed, it is spoken of
as being a work of God performed specifically for His elect and
His elect alone. Now let's see what it says here
in Isaiah 53 and verse 8. Isaiah 53, verse 8. He was taken from prison and
from judgment. And who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the
land of the living. Now watch what it says. For the
transgression of my people was he stricken. For the transgression
of my people was he stricken. In the Old Testament, all the
sacrifices offered by God's high priest were offered by a man
wearing the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. They
were offered specifically for the children of Israel, God's
covenant people, and for no one else. And the Lord Jesus Christ,
our great high priest, when he bare our sins in his body on
the tree, when he suffered the wrath of God as our sacrifice
and was put to death in our place, bear the names of his covenant
people, the 12 tribes of the children of Israel, God's elect,
upon his breast. When he did, our Lord Jesus,
with his own blood, entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10,
if you will. Hebrews chapter 10. Our Lord Jesus died specifically
for his elect. And when he died for his elect,
he effectually accomplished our redemption. Now here in Hebrews
chapter 10, God the Holy Ghost declares that those who despise
the gospel of God's free grace shall be in the day of judgment
worthy of much sorer, much more severe punishment than those
who despised Moses' law given to the children of Israel by
the command of God. Let's begin reading in Hebrews
10 and verse 28. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses. Now watch what it
says. Of how much sorer punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy? who hath trodden underfoot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
he was sanctified an unholy, a common thing. That's what the
word unholy means, common, a common thing. And hath done despite
to the Spirit of grace. Multitudes of people. Multitudes
of people. have their lives affected by
what might be called outward sanctification, separating them
from the rest of the world by religion. But those same people
who sing, oh, how I love Jesus and sing amazing grace, how sweet
the sound, just like we do, trample under their feet the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ, saying it is a common thing, something
that was shed for all men alike. and unholy a common thing. To say that Christ's blood is
a common thing. To say that there is a sense
in which Christ died for all men. I don't care how you state
it. To say that there's a sense in
which Christ died to redeem all men is to say there's a sense
in which Christ died for nothing. A sense in which his blood is
meaningless. A sense in which his death has
no meaning whatsoever. Here God himself speaks. And
he speaks of those men who trample under their feet the Son of God
and count the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of the
covenant, a common unholy thing. And they do despite to the spirit
of grace. Now, I've come here to tell you
and to show you from the word of God that those words very
accurately describe the religion and the preachers of our day.
I want you to hear every word I have to say in the next few
minutes. I've chosen my words deliberately. I've chosen them
with purpose. I've chosen them either by the
spirit of Christ or by the spirit of Antichrist. There's no in
between grant. I speak what I speak this morning,
either as God's messenger or as Satan's messenger. I will
leave it to you to decide. There's no alternative alternative
between the two. This is the charge I've come
here to make. and I make it boldly, I make
it publicly, I intend to do what I can to make it known in this
generation everywhere I go, sound it out to preachers every ear
I can get and cause them to hear what God says. All preachers
of Arminian free will works religion, all preachers of the damning
blasphemous doctrine of universal atonement, universal redemption,
That is to say, all who believe and preach that the Son of God
died to redeem and save all human beings, even those who perish
at last in hell under the wrath of God, are guilty of this crime. They trample under their feet
the blood of the Son of God. They do despite to the Spirit
of grace. There is not today There never
has been, and there never can be, any doctrine in the world
more dishonoring to God, more blasphemous to the Lord Jesus,
more contrary to the spirit of grace, and to the word of God,
or more damning to the souls of men than the doctrine of universal
atonement. Now be sure you understand me.
I'm not going to argue with anyone about terms. I'll leave that
to other fellows to do what they want to. When I speak of universal
atonement, When I speak of universal redemption, this is what I'm
talking about. I'm talking about folks who say that Christ died
for folks in hell, just like he died for folks in heaven.
That Christ died to redeem folks who perish, just like he died
to redeem folks who were saved. In other words, they preach an
atonement that really makes no atonement. It just makes atonement
possible. They preach a redemption that
doesn't redeem anyone. It just makes redemption possible
for everyone, leaving it to man to finish up the work by his
will or by his works, making atonement for himself and making
redemption for himself. I don't know a preacher in this
town who does not believe exactly what I've just stated to you.
I wish I did. I don't know a preacher in this
town. I hope that you who know such preachers who believe this
damning doctrine of universal atonement. I hope you'll get
a copy of this message and give it to as many as you know. And
if you can't afford to pay for it, I'll buy it. Just get the
message to folks. Maybe God will be pleased to
save them and raise up more men. It is clearly the teaching of
scripture. that our Lord Jesus actually and effectually made
atonement for his people, redeemed his people, and by his death
at Calvary secured the everlasting salvation of every sinner for
whom he died. His death was not a roll of the
dice. His death was not a casting of
the locks. His death was not a crapshoot.
Nothing was left to chance. Everything was purposed by God
Almighty from eternity and accomplished exactly according to God's purpose. Now having said that, I've drawn
up some indictments. I've got just about 18 minutes
before I have to get done, and I want to give you 14 charges
that I lay at the door of every preacher who denies the blessed
gospel doctrine of limited atonement. I will be brief. I hope that
you will pay attention. I won't ask you to turn to all
the scripture references, but I do ask you to listen carefully.
Number one, the teaching that Christ died to save all men makes
man his own savior. To say that Christ died for Judas
as well as Peter, is to say that the difference between Judas
and Peter is not what God did for Peter, but rather what Peter
did for God. To say that Christ died for all
men, those who perish as well as those who are lost, is to
say that man somehow, by something he does, be it his free will,
his decision, his choice, his works, his baptism, whatever
it is, but man somehow makes up the deficiency. Man somehow
makes the blood of Christ effectual for himself. Man somehow makes
redemption for himself. Man somehow makes atonement for
himself by adding what he does to the finished work of Christ.
The death of Christ didn't make the difference. The Word of God
declares that our Lord Jesus actually put away the sins of
His people. Is that what the language of
Scripture is? When He had by Himself our sins. What a word. He purged our sins. He put them away. Christ came
into the world to destroy the works of the devil and in him
is no sin. He by himself obtained eternal
redemption for us by his blood shed at Calvary on our behalf.
Second, the doctrine of universal atonement Reduces the love of
God to nothing. Nothing but a meaningless passion
at best. At first glance, some would say
that can't be right. Universal redemptionists say
that God loves everyone. You say God loves his elect.
My point exactly. My point exactly. We rejoice
in the blessed revelation of God. God is love. Because of
his infinite love for us, he chose us and he sent his son
to redeem us and gave himself to die for our sins. We delight
in the love of God. But what kind of love is it which
does not secure the salvation of its object when it has the
power to do so? I have heard men say, heard many
men say, God loves man too much to interfere with his free will. What foolishness, what foolishness. You take care of those babies
down there. You take care of them with some measure of love
and care. And those babies under your care are about to step into
the highway and be run over by a vehicle. And you call them,
don't, don't, don't do it, don't do it, and they ignore you. And
you just keep calling to them. So why don't you stop him? You got the ability. Why don't
you stop him? Oh, I love the child too much
to interfere with its will. That's nonsense. That kind of
love belongs in the nut house. That kind of love is nonsense.
To speak of God loving folks and not saving folks is to speak
of God's love as being meaningless. Nothing but a useless passion
at best. Not so the love of God. Those
who are loved of God are loved of God unto everlasting salvation. He says, I love thee. with everlasting
love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I called thee. Read the first chapter of Ephesians.
God's people, those who are loved of God, are the same people described
in Ephesians 1.11 as those who have obtained an eternal inheritance
in Christ Jesus. Number three, the notion of universal
atonement is as blasphemous as it is unscriptural because it
reduces the wisdom of God to foolishness. God, all wise. What a description of our God.
God, all wise. Not just omniscient, all wise. All wise, so that he acts not
only with knowledge of all things, but in all things exercises perfect
wisdom. Tell me, where is the wisdom
of God sending his son to die for a people who were already
in hell? Where is the wisdom of God making
plans for the salvation of a people who will never be saved? Where
is the wisdom of saying that God has desired the salvation
of all men, even though all men are not saved by his grace? That's
not the wisdom of God that Paul describes. That's not the wisdom
of God he glories in when he describes God's everlasting purpose
for us in Christ Jesus. He tells us that the purpose
of God is that we should be conformed to the image of his son, who
he's foreknown and predestinated and justified and called and
glorified. Who are they? The very people
loved of God are predestined of God, justified by God, called
by God and glorified by God. Listen to this. Oh, the depth
of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable
are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who had
known the mind of the Lord or who had been his counselor. Fourth,
Universal redemption denies the justice of God. Justice of God. By mercy and
truth, iniquity is purged. Brother Fred and I were discussing
just before anyone else got here this morning, this matter of
God's purpose, predestination. God's predestinated the salvation
of all his people. He's predestinated the end of
all men. In fact, He has, from everlasting,
predestinated everything that comes to pass in time regarding
all men, both the saved and the damned. But God always acts in
justice. God always acts in justice. He will not save you at the sacrifice
of His justice, and He will not damn you at the sacrifice of
His justice. Every man enters into glory because
Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the requirements of God for him. And the sinner is damned, not
because Adam sinned in the garden. Nobody goes to hell for that.
The sinner is damned because of his own iniquity, his own
transgression, and his own sin. God saves sinners justly, and
the death of Christ was an act of divine justice, absolute justice. The Lord Jesus was made sin.
And when he was made sin, he was made guilty. When he was
made guilty, he was made a curse. And when he said, it's finished,
he had finished the transgression, made an end of sin and brought
in everlasting righteousness. And now, since Christ died in
my stead, I cannot die. Since Christ bore my sins in
his body, I cannot bear them. Since Christ suffered for me,
I cannot suffer because of sin. Sin has been put away. Complete
atonement thou hast made, and to the utmost farthing paid all
thy people owed. Nor can God's wrath on me take
place if sheltered in his righteousness and washed in his blood. For
payment God cannot twice demand. First at my bleeding surety's
hand and then again at mine. Here's the fifth thing. Those
who preach universal redemption blaspheme God in their preaching
by reducing God's omnipotence to impotence weaker than the
will of man. Isaiah declares the Lord's arm
is not short that it cannot save. But the Arminian tells us his
arm is indeed short and he cannot save. Isaiah said they pray unto
a God who cannot save. They pray unto a God who cannot
save. The former pastor of First Baptist
Church here in Danville. This has been a long time ago.
Shelby and I were driving out of town one night, and I wanted
to stay awake. We were going to be up all night
driving. And I turned him on and listened to him going out
of town. And before we got to the shopping center out at Greenleaf
Shopping Center, I pulled over to the side of the road and said,
write that down. This is what he said. This is what he said.
He said, won't it be a shame that there
will be so many in hell for whom Christ died for whom Christ shed
his blood in vain. What blasphemy. What blasphemy. A shame? Yes. Not to the sinner,
but to Christ who tried to save and couldn't. Men tell us that
God has done all he can, now the rest is up to you. God has
done all he can, now you have to make the decision. God has
done all he can, but God can't save you except you choose to
let him save you. Number six, those who preach
universal atonement, blaspheme God, asserting that God, after
all, is fickle, mutable, and changing. We're told that God
loves everybody. God loves everybody. To put it
exactly as A.W. Tozer put it in one of his books.
He said, God loves all men until he sends them to hell. And then
he turns in wrath and hatred to those who perish. That means
that God has changed. Changed in his purpose. Changed
in the object of his love. Changed in his determination.
Changed in his compassion. Whereas the word of God says,
I am the Lord. I change not, therefore you sons
of Jacob are not consumed. Number seven, I lay this charge
of blasphemy against all who teach that Christ died for all
men, even those who perish in hell. It robs God of his glory
in salvation. three times in the first chapter
of Ephesians. The apostle tells us that God's
purpose in saving us is the praise of his glory and the praise of
the glory of his grace. But if salvation is ultimately
determined not by what Christ did at Calvary, but by something
you do, then you have every reason to put your thumb under your
lapel and strut like a proud peacock and say, listen, now
I know that God saved me, but it was my choice. It was my decision. I made the difference. Number
eight, universal redemption is a blasphemous doctrine because
it denies the satisfaction of Christ. It denies that by his
precious blood, the Lord Jesus satisfied anything. If Christ
died for some who perish under the wrath of God, then the message
of the prophets has not been satisfied. The types of the law
have not been satisfied. The commandments and requirements
of the law have not been satisfied. Justice has not been satisfied.
Universal redemption is a blasphemous, damning heresy. For ninthly,
it affirms that there are multitudes in hell for whom Christ died
for nothing. They frustrate the grace of God,
make the grace of God to be meaningless, declaring that Christ died in
vain for multitudes. Number 10, this doctrine is unscriptural
and blasphemous, for it separates the priestly office of Christ
from the work of Christ. We are told that the Lord Jesus
died for all men, And yet our Lord Jesus in his high priestly
prayer in John chapter 17 twice said, I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou has given me out of the world. The priestly
work of Christ cannot be separated from the priestly sacrifice of
our Lord Jesus. He makes intercession for those
for whom he suffered and died. Blessed be God. Our Lord Jesus
shall at last see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. But universal redemption makes
the cross of Christ a miscarriage and asserts that he shall never
be satisfied. I recall years ago when I was
still in college, they had a preacher come in and before they got him
corralled and could shut him up. He preached to us a message
on glorying in the cross and he made a statement. He said,
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage. He will never fail to see of
the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Number 12, I got to
hurry. This doctrine of universal redemption
is blasphemous because it gives sinners no reason to look to
Christ No reason to trust Christ, no reason to hope in Christ.
And third, our 13th, it's blasphemous because it offers believers no
reason to love and obey the Redeemer. No reason to give themselves
to him. If Christ did no more for me than he did for the damned,
If he did everything for Judas and the sons of Korah, if he
did everything for Abraham's sons, I'm sorry, for Aaron's
sons, if he did everything for Eli's sons that he did for me,
and they're damned and I'm not, rather than me devoting myself
to his praise, he ought to devote himself to my praise. I have
no reason to give myself to him. I had no reason to sacrifice
anything for Him. If He did nothing more for me than He did for the
damned, the thing that's made a difference in my life is not
what He has done, but what I've done. And last, this is a blasphemous
doctrine, this idea of universal redemption, because it declares
that Jesus Christ is a failure. A failure. Our God said, behold, my servant,
he shall not fail. He shall not fail. You may think, well, Brother
Don, surely nobody would say that. You who've heard me these
last 35 years have heard this many times, but it bears repetition. My first theology professor,
Noel Smith, made this statement. Some years later, Jerry Falwell,
who was one of his students as well, made this statement, said
the same thing. What is hell? He said, I say
it with every nerve in my body tense. I say it reverently, but
I say it plainly. Hell is a monumental, colossal
trophy. to the failures of the triune
God to save the multitudes who are there. He did all he could. He failed. If God's a failure,
you have no hope. If Christ is a failure, you have
no savior. And we are found false witnesses
of God. And you're yet in your sins.
But blessed be his name forever. He shall not fail. Amen. Thank you for your attention.