For the past several Sundays,
I've been bringing a series of messages on the fundamental doctrines
that make up the doctrine of Christ, what we call the doctrines
of grace. And last week, I spoke to you
on the subject of limited atonement or particular redemption, and
I gave you five things that have to do with that redemption. And
this doctrine primarily deals with what happened on the cross,
the gospel as it's perceived by the hearing. When God begins
to work in his heart, and we'll get to that doctrine of irresistible
grace or effectual calling when I come back from my trip, When
this gospel comes to men and they begin to hear this message
and God begins to disturb their heart and these things become
a reality and an experience and not just something else to learn, not
just a concept, but it becomes the experience of their life,
they come to face four questions. What actually took place in eternity? Did God Almighty, in His majesty
and glory, actually purpose something to be done from eternity? What took place in eternity?
Why is there a creation? Why was there a garden? Why was
Adam tempted with sin? Why the preservation of the earth?
Why a flood? Why a division of languages and
people? What's going on? What's going
on? Something took place in eternity and God is accomplishing a work. And that's the first thing you
come to deal with. This thing is a lot bigger than
the moment. This thing is eternal. This thing
is of God. This thing is majestic. It's
not just a bunch of folks gathered together in a building yakking
on some pet doctrine. And then the second question
that comes to that person that God begins to work in their heart
is what happened on the cross? He finds out what happens in
the garden, that man fell, that man become a sinner, that man
came under the curse of God. And then Jesus Christ came into
the world. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. What happened on the cross? And
then what happened when God raised Him from the dead and seated
Him at His own right hand? Where is He now? You are going
to deal with those questions when God deals with you. But
this doctrine primarily that I'm talking about last week and
this morning deals with what happened on the cross. Did the
Lord actually save someone in his death or did he just make
man savable? Religion says that the death
of Christ makes all men savable, makes all men redeemable. Is that so? Or did Christ actually
redeem a people through His death? In Romans 3, verse 24, Paul says,
"...being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus." In Ephesians 1, verse 7, it says,
"...in whom we have redemption." through his blood the forgiveness
of sins according to the riches of his grace." Redemption accomplished
is the hope of all who embrace the Lord Jesus Christ. You're
not going to embrace Him You're not going to hang all your hopes
on Him. You're not going to hang all
your fears on Him. You're not going to turn from
this world. You're not going to leave those
petty things that you hang on to and those old traditions. You're not going to leave yourself,
nor all the ornaments of this world. You're not going to turn
from them until you see in Him a redemption accomplished. Everything that God has determined
to do in eternity, He accomplishes in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
did He accomplish it? The Word of God says that He
did. And believers, they believe Him to be Jehovah's anointed
Savior and all sufficient sacrifice, and that by His death, He put
away our sins once for all. That's what it says. He bore
our sins in His own body on the tree. It pleased the Lord to
bruise Him, I read to you in your hearing just a few moments
ago. Now, if He put away our sins, and He said He did, if
He justified us through this redemption, if He stood before
God as our sin bearer, then we can say with Paul, there is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. There are no who walk according
to the Spirit and not after the flesh. There is no condemnation
in them. Why? Because He put it away. He put
it away because of the sufficiency of His sacrifice and the declaration
of our redemption by His resurrection from the dead. When God raised
Christ from the dead, He wasn't trying to impress people. Now
listen to me. Paul said he was delivered for
our offenses and raised again for our justification. God justified
the work. He justified his accomplishment. He justified all for whom Christ
died are justified before God without sin. Without sin. Now the overwhelming majority
of this religious world believes in what men call a universal
atonement. That universal atonement and
that free will doctrine declares that man is savable. Christ has
made him savable and he has a free will. He can be saved or he can
go to hell and everything depends on his will. That makes man the
savior and Christ a failure. Now that's just how serious that
doctrine is. If any man for whom Christ died
should fall away into utter and eternal destruction, then the
one who died for him was not sufficient to save him. He wasn't sufficient to pay back
what he owed. And the God who ordained him
ceased to be God. Now you think about it. A very
dear friend of mine and a faithful pastor for many years brought
a message years ago giving these reasons why universal redemption
cannot be. And if you can, I suggest that
you take some notes here this morning because you're not going
to remember all these points. I had 14 points this morning.
I'm just going to touch on them and go. I'm just going to keep
going right on through. Enter in to an understanding
of these 14 points. Any man who comes to you, any
questions that you might have in your own mind, or any of your
children, or your mothers, or your fathers, or your friends,
or different people that you know in different religions,
when they come to you and begin to talk to you about this universal
atonement, you ought to put them to silence if you can just memorize,
commit to memory these 14 things. Now, these are worth your hearing,
so I hope that you'll hear me this morning and take some notes
on these things. I'm not going to spend much time
on them. But here's 14 reasons why universal love and universal
redemption cannot be according to the purpose of God. Here's
number one. Universal redemption cannot be
because it makes man his own Savior. Thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." Now,
either He's Savior or you're Savior, but you both can't be
Savior. In Galatians 2, in verse 20,
Paul said, I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now
live in the flesh I live by the faithfulness or faith of the
Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate
the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain." In vain. punished in a substitute, then God cannot require the same
payment from me. He cannot twice demand that same
payment. That's what Paul is talking about. To demand me to do this twice,
is a gross injustice and it'd make the death of Christ to accomplish
nothing. Universal redemption always appeals to man and glorifies man because
it sets man up to be the worker, the one who's owed the glory
for this work of redemption. It always sets him up. All right,
secondly, universal redemption cannot be because it reduces
the love of God to that of a sinful, changeable, self-centered man. Now, that's what it does. The
love of God is commended in the Scriptures. It's commended in that appointment
of Christ to die in our room instead. That's how his love
is commended over and over in the book of 1 John. In the Gospel of John chapter
3, for God so loved the world that He gave, it's always commended
by the death of Christ. And it's shed abroad in our hearts
seeing Him dying for those who were yet His enemies and ungodly
sinners. But if His death did not accomplish
redemption, then His love made no difference at all. If God loved me and gave Him
Son for me and I yet perished, then that love made no difference. Is that right? If He loved Judas
the same as He loved Peter, then His love made no difference.
Because Judas perished after all. It makes God to be a liar
because He said, Who shall separate you from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus? And he goes on in seven verses naming all
these different things, everything under the sun, principalities,
powers, things present, things to come, life nor death nor any
other creature can be able to separate you from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus the Lord. But if that love was
in Him and He died for us and we perish after all, then God
lied about the whole thing. You see how ridiculous this is?
We just don't think about these things. Just don't think about him. If
he loved Judas as much as he loved Peter, then his love is
not effectual to keep us from being separated from God. It
reduces that love of God to that of a man, changeable, fickle. And then thirdly, universal redemption
is not of God because it turns the wisdom of God into foolishness. Where is the wisdom of God in
redeeming a people who are already in hell? Huh? There was folks in hell when
Christ came, before He ever was nailed to a cross. Where is the
wisdom of God in offering up His Son to die for a people that's
already in hell? It makes the wisdom of God to
be foolishness. It says, Judas was the son of
perdition from the beginning. Where is the wisdom of God in
sacrificing His Son, causing Him to suffer, subjecting Him
to such humility for nothing? And you can't read Romans 8,
28 through the end of the chapter and not perceive a particular
effectual redemption. You just can't do it. Paul saw
this redemption as it was particular to spiritual Israel, and he cried
out in Romans 11, verse 33, oh, he said, the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. And then fourthly, Universal
redemption is a denial of the justice of God. We say that God
is not just. God cannot be just and forgive
sin. Sin must be paid for. It has
to be paid for. God's justice must be satisfied.
And on another hand, if he charged my sin to another, demanded payment
from him for my crime, took from him what he himself required,
testified of his satisfaction, then he cannot demand it at my
hand. Two things in the Scripture,
in the book of Proverbs, that are said to be an abomination
to God. To condemn the innocent. To condemn
the innocent is an abomination to God and to justify the guilty. Now, that sets God's justice
in a place apart from us. That sets the majesty of His
justice up here. If Christ is born the punishment
for our sins, then where would be the justice in judging us
again for the same sins? Universal redemption reduces
the omnipotence of God. He is all-powerful, complete
authority, sovereign. Universal redemption reduces
the omnipotence of God somewhere beneath the will of man. Because
God has determined. He said, because I could swear
by no greater, I swore by myself, saying to Abraham, surely in
blessing I will bless thee. He swore by his name, by his
own authority, by his own power. What happens then if this man
perish? Huh? What overcame? What overcame
that oath? What overcome that swearing of
God? What overcome His character by
which He swore? The will of man. Huh? That can't be. That's never going
to happen. That's never going to happen.
Universal redemption reduces the omnipotence of God beneath
the will of a man. Won't you let God? Ain't that
what they preach? I wish they'd just listen to
their prayers. I wish I'd have listened to mine when I prayed
those silly things. Won't you let God? The universalist says he cannot
if we will not. The universalist says whosoever
will can be saved. The scripture says it's not of
him that willeth. Huh? It's not of him that runneth,
but of God that showeth mercy. Those chosen vessels to whom
God gave power to become sons of God and believe on His name
were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God. Who had known the mind of the
Lord? Who hath been his counselor?
Who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto
him again? For of him, and through him,
and to him are all things to whom be glory forever." All right, here's the sixth thing.
The sixth reason why universal redemption cannot be because
it denies the immutability of God. That means God will not
change, cannot change. God is God. There's no reason
in Him to change. He's all wise. You think He made
a bad decision? He's all wise. He's everywhere
present. Nothing's going to surprise Him.
What He declares from the beginning is going to be accomplished in
the end. He said, I'll tell you how you can know I'm God, because
I declare the end from the beginning and from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand, and I'll
do all my pleasure. Now you just wait around and
see. I'm God. It denies the immutability of
God. He said, I am the Lord, I change
not. Therefore you sons of Jacob are
not consumed. But this generation has God changing
His mind. He wanted to send you to hell,
but now since you're willing, He's changed His mind. That's not what I find in my
Bible. My Bible said you shall be made willing in the day of
His power. It's not that you're not going
to be willing, but you have to be made willing. If God set out to redeem all
men because He loved all men, but in the end some would not
be redeemed, then somewhere along the way God changed His mind. In Hebrews chapter 6, talking
about God's promise to us, using Abraham as an example, He said
this, He said, Men barely swear by the greater. Man will pick
something high. I remember, I don't know if they
still do it, but years ago in the court of law, they brought
out a Bible and they set it out there and you had to lay your
hand on it. And you had to take an oath, had to raise that hand,
take an oath on that Bible. Do you solemnly swear that you're
going to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth? So help
me God. They swear by the greater, man
does. He'll find something. Those old
mobsters used to swear on the lives of their grandchildren,
they say. He'll find something great and he'll swear on it,
something greater. We're in God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise. Now watch it, the immutability,
the unchangeableness of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that
by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay
hold on the hope set before us. Here is the seventh thing. Universal
redemption robs God of the glory of redemption. This glory is
what religion, under the influence of Satan, has taken out of the
way. It has disregarded it altogether.
It never mentions it. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, In
verses 3 and 4, it talks about the minds of the believer being
blinded. Paul said, If our gospel be hid,
it is hid to the lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ should shine unto them. And he said this same
God who caused that son that light to shine out of darkness.
It's the same God. He's going to shine in your hearts.
And what's He going to shine in there? To see the light of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord. It's
the glory. Universal redemption robs God
of His glory, blinds men's mind to His glory. Were God to lose
one sheep, He'd cease to be God. Alright, here's the eighth thing.
Universal redemption denies the satisfaction of God with the
death of His Son, saying, after all, it's not enough. It's not
enough. Isaiah 53, 11, I read it to you
a while ago. He shall see of the travail of
his soul and shall be satisfied. He don't want anything else.
He don't want anything else. Abel brought the lamb, and God
was satisfied. He was satisfied. Cain brought
the carrots, and God kicked them aside. I don't want your carrots. I don't want your melons. I don't
want your turnips. I don't want anything you got.
Here's what I want. I want the lamb. I want the lamb. God who saw his travail, and
the believer who sees the satisfied God, he says, that knowledge,
by his knowledge, my righteous servant shall justify many, for
he shall bear their iniquities. And at the end of the day, all
the religions of the Antichrist share this fault. They all deny
the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ and the satisfaction
of God who appointed him. Number nine, universal redemption
destroys all hope of assurance because his sacrifice has not
been successful to keep millions out of hell. You can't have an
assurance. You can't believe in universal
atonement and have any kind of hope before God because your
hope is based on your will. It's based on your strength.
It's based on your wisdom. It's based on your affection.
And you're fickle and changeable and sinful before God. You've
fallen. Your righteousnesses are as filthy
rags. We go astray as soon as we be
born. You can't hold the past. You
can't toe the mark. You're going to fall. In due
season, the Lord said, your foot's going to slip. It's going to
slide. That's why you have no assurance before God, because
in some degree that hope is still in you, it's still in that will,
still in that affection, still in something you're going to
do or intend to do. You can't have any assurance
apart from redemption accomplished. It must be accomplished. Listen to this, Romans 8. Listen to what he says. He talks
about whom God did foreknow. He also did predestinate. Whom He predestinated, He called.
Whom He called, He justified. Whom He justified, He glorified.
What are we going to say to these things? What are you going to
say to those things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all. The same all he describes in
verse 28, the called according to his purpose, that all. How
shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen. again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us." There is hope. There is assurance. But there
is no assurance in a universal atonement. And then number 10,
universal redemption reduces his office as high priest and
intercessor for men before God to nothing. It makes it a useless
thing. Absolutely useless thing. Now
let me give you two things here to consider. If he is the intercessor
and high priest for all men without exception, then he has failed
in his duties, refusing to pray for the world. Ain't that what
he said in John chapter 17? I pray for them which thou hast
given me, I pray not for the world. Then he cannot be the
high priest of the world and refuse to pray for them. It's inconsistent with his office
as high priest. And then secondly, he refuses
to do the will of the Father, which he says he came to do in
John chapter 6, appointing him to be the intercessor.
Not to mention the love of God if it be universal, and yet God's
Son would not call their names in prayer. Huh? All right, number 11. Universal
redemption denies the birth of the church and makes the travail
of Christ to be a miscarriage. God saw that travail and was
satisfied, and the church of the living God had its birth. Colossians 1.17, and He, that
is Christ, is before all things. Called back in verse 15, the
firstborn of every creature, Verse 17, he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. Number 12, universal
redemption denies the sinner any real reason to look for Christ
for hope of salvation and rest. That's why they went to the gymnasiums. That's why they went to the things
for the children. And that's why they went into
this and went into that and become social clubs and hired Hollywood
entertainers to come in and trained up speakers who can speak in
the wisdom of this world and clowns to stand before the people
and entertain them. All this type of thing, all this
kind of nonsense goes on. It goes on. It denies the sinner
any real reason. He can't find any reason in their
message to call on him. So they have to come up with
something else. They got to come up. He said, Comfort ye. Listen
to this. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 1. Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished. It's over. Put your shotguns
in the corner. The war is over. Lay them down. Bow down before Him. Cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. And there can be
no real foundation or reason to hope apart from accomplished
redemption. Number 13. Universal redemption
takes away the reason why believers love, obey, and serve the Lord. Paul said, The love of Christ
constraineth us. It constraineth us. 2 Corinthians
5.14 The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, if
one died for all, then all were dead. We were dead. We were dead. Why do I serve Him? Because I
was dead. And He gave me life. I was unlovable
and He loved me. I was a sinner and He made me
righteous. I was filthy and He cleansed
me. The love of Christ constraineth us. Oh, we judge that if one
died for all, all were dead, and that He died for all. Why
did He do it? That they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them
and rose again. Listen to this, 1 John 4, 9,
In this was manifested the love of God for us, because that God
sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live
through Him. Herein is love, not that we love God, but that
He loved us. Sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. That's how you live. You can't
live in that phony Bunch of malarkey. You can't live in that. There's
nothing in that. Number 14. Here's the last reason. Number 14. Of all these reasons
why universal redemption cannot be. Because it declares the Lord
Jesus Christ to be just another poor, defeated Reformer. No different
than Jeremiah. No different than Isaiah. No
different than the rest of them. He's just another man. poured
out his life and did everything he could do. As the old preachers
say in those old free will churches I used to go to, he'd stand there
at the end of the thing and he'd say, God's done all he can do
and now it's all up to you. Then he failed. He failed. No purpose in his coming at all.
After all those thousands of years of prophecy and promises,
After all those thousands of years of miracles being done
and men being confirmed and messages being told and examples being
laid and types and figures and all these things, it was just
all for nothing because after all, it was all up to you. And
he failed. 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
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his
hand. All those for whom Christ died,
according to Ephesians 2.5, who were dead in sins, were quickened
together with Christ. He said, By grace ye are saved. and hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. When He raised Him up, He raised
up all whom the Father put in Him, and we are seated at the
right hand of God. You say, how can you be here
and be seated with Him the same way He could be here and in the
bosom of the Father? He said that we might be one,
as thou, Father, art one with me, and I with thee, and them
and me, that we all might be one. We are one in Him. Standing
here, yet seated at the right hand of God. Why did He do such a thing? That
in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For
by grace are you saved. through faith, but not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should bow. He opens those eyes and hearts
to see that effectual, particular redemption in Christ. Accomplished. Accomplished. Sees himself seated
at the right hand of God. Oh, now he'll serve Him. Now
he'll give himself. Now he'll be willing. If we can
see, can you see?