Chritian
Edifier
Chritian
Edifier
Unlimited Atonement
Unlimited Atonement lies at the heart of the Christian life. Without atonement a person cannot be a Christian in the real Biblical sense. Old Testament atonement was a temporary requirement that pictured the reality of the only atonement that could and does atone for sin, the death, burial and resurrection / ascension of Christ. Remove the Good News (Gospel of Christ) and the Christian faith is dead, why bother, but it is real and alive, so we do care and serve to see individuals come to Christ as their personal savior. Unlimited Atonement teaches that all of mankind can come to Christ as this is what God’s word teaches. C. E. rejects the false views of “Limited Atonement” and “Universalism”. Both systems are lock into a fix number, Limited Atonement saves a few and damns rest positing the false notion of no free will and "Universalism" posits all are saved regardless.
Biblical Proof Number One:
Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (HCSB)
Isaiah 53:6a is periphrastically restated in Romans 3:12 “All have turned away, together they have become useless; there is no one who does good, there is not even one.” (HCSB)
First, notice that Isaiah 53:6b tells us that God “laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.”
Second, to posit “Unlimited Atonement” is not an issue with moderate Calvinist, Arminians and all who fall between these two such as Once Saved Always Saved Arminians and those who simply call themselves neither Arminianist or Calvinist but Biblical Believers who reject Calvinism and Arminianism labels.
Third, there are two views that fall outside “Biblical Orthodoxy” not “Reform Orthodoxy” these being “Universalism” and “High Calvinism”. So called “Reform Orthodoxy” identifies with High Calvinism – John Calvin and his followers visa via the council of Dorchester that produced the doctrines espoused and knows as TULIP also called the “Doctrines of Grace” words that have been hijacked by this erring form of Christianity. Universalism on the opposite extreme views all humanity as saved; no one will die and go to hell. The one damns most to hell and shows favoritism for a pre picked few regardless of repentance and belief where as the other saves all and hell has no relevance.
Biblical Proof Number Two:
John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (HCSB)
For atonement to be unlimited “world” would have to mean all peoples in the world, not just some of every kind as the Calvinist try to explain away its normal meaning in this context.
In John 1:9 we have the following “The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
There are two ways translators render this verse. The KJV and ASV translate it in keeping with the chronological word order in the Greek and other versions render it as it is rendered in the HCSB.
Here citing the KJV: “9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” and here is the ASV “9. There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.” The emphesis in this rendering is to have the verse say that “coming into the world” refers the birth of each person into this world, whereas the HCSB and others have this verse telling us that “coming into the world” refers to Christ. Now Christ did come into this world, this is an absolute Biblical truth. So, also, is it an absolute that all humanity that is born into this world are born into this world. The KJV and ASV tell us that the true light which is Jesus “enlightens” every person that is born period, where as the HCSB version tells us that Christ who was come into the world enlightens everyone or all humanity. Either way all of humanity is enlightened so why the bother about the difference?
The issue to none Calvinist does not necessarily matter except as C.E. views it as the KJV and ASV which are in line with the actual Greek text, this being disputed by the Calvinist.
The Calvinist of course like the rendering the way the HSBC and other versions such as the ESV and NASV. The Question is why they like this rendering. Calvinism must maintain that their view of “Atonement” which is “Limited” to the pre picked few and all others were passed over and will go to hell regardless. Thus they take the version in the HCSV or the ESV and claim that “everyone” is this verse only means the pre picked few called the “Elect” according to their definition.
This same argument holds true concerning the word “world” too in the Gospel of John. Calvinist must violate the clear meaning of the words in context to support their false doctrine of atonement. There argument is a classical “straw man” argument and the foundation of their erring belief system compels them to re-interpret meaning of words to support their false view of God’s word.
Acts 17:31 states, “because He has set a day on which He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead." Most Calvinist would not disagree that this verse means what it says but when ask about the use of “world” in John 1 they then deviate from its context to force it to mean their “pre picked elected few” not the normal literal meaning within the context it is found.
Again this second proof is Jesus enlightens everyone that comes into the world or in that He has come into the world He enlightens everyone, both in context mean that all of mankind are enlightened and for this to be Christ had to die for their sin making it possible by the obedience of repentance and faith to be granted by the Holy Spirit regeneration or the new birth – conditional salvation, “C” in CURED, make possible because of unlimited atonement the “U” in CURED.
Biblical Proof Number Three:
2 Cor. 5:14 For Christ's love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: if One died for all, then all died. 15 And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.
A Clear verse that Christ died for all mankind and gives a clear distinction of those who live (Come to Christ by faith) are marked out as those what are being compelled by the love of Christ.
2 Cor. 5:16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him like that. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. 18 Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled to God." 21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
The fact that Christians are compelled to witness for Christ concerning the very same salvation they have experienced and have argues against limited atonement. The reason Christians are to be ambassadors for Christ is because "He died for all" and we are among the "all" as His ambassadors. All mankind are savable but all mankind must respond to the message of the ambassador. History tell us that not all want Christ after enlightenment by the ambassador of Christ.
Biblical Proof Number Four:
1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself—a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Calvinism tells us that these verses are not speaking about the all of humanity but only some of humanity. Let us take the limited position of the false teaching of Limited Atonement for the sake of illustration. The logical conclusion of a Calvinist Limited Atonement view would not have this verse reading as God had it written. Calvinism teaches that God pre picked the ones to be saved therefore the language that God wants them to be saved is contrary to their doctrine of limited salvation / atonement. Because the so called Calvinist elect are elect regardless and without repentance and faith then such a verse flies in the face of their view of God and what God is doing, desiring to save all. Calvinism as a unwilling person regenerated / saved less repentance and faith and then from this forced conversion they then believe and repent which is completely counter to the direct clear teaching of God’s word.
God not only desires the salvation of all God the Son gave Himself as a ransom for the all so that all may repent and believe.
Biblical Proof Number Five:
I Timothy 4:9-10 9.This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. 10 In fact, we labor and strive for this, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, especially of those who believe.
If there is any doubt about the atonement being unlimited this verse should solve that issue, except in the obvious denial of the extreem Calvinist, those that follow TULIP. To deny this verse's teaching establishes that which is call heritical. To deny this is not different that one that would deniy a yard is 3 feet or 36 inches. Only a fool would venture into such an attack against God's word.
Because the position of "Limited Atonement" the L in the TULIP is clearly a false doctrine many that began with TULIP now spell it TUULIP.
