I'm Engaged/Betrothed

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Limited Atonement

The Catholics look to the Council of Trent - the same council that concluded Christ is physically present in the sacrament of holy communion.  Trent says the following: TWO: God sent his Son as the propitiator, "through faith in His blood for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for those of the whole world. But, though He died for all (2 Cor. 5:15), yet do not all receive the benefit of His death, but those only unto whom the merit of His passion is communicated . . . if they were not born again in Christ they never would be justified seeing that, in the new birth, there is bestowed upon them, through the merit of His passion, the grace whereby they are made just." So in Christ we have redemption and remission of sins (Col. 1:12ff).

Now if I am understanding this position, it is teaching that Christ's death is for all humans but only applied to those who are truly born again.

I think this error is at the heart of a full orb-ed view on justification. Are we saying that Christ died for those who go to hell? Are we saying that Christ took on the sins of every person in the world and satisfied Divine wrath for all those sins? then how can God send anyone to Hell if all their sins have been justly punished? This makes no sense at all.Christ only died for His Sheep.

NOTE: Matthew 1:21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

Christ came to save His people - not all people from their sins...just His people.

Is it Biblical to say that Christ died for everyone who has ever lived?

Look at John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 "But a hireling, [he who is] not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My [sheep,] Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.Jesus clearly says that He lays down His life for His sheep - the true ones that know His voice. He makes a clear distinction between elect and non-elect and the elect are the ones to which He dies.

Note: verses 25-31 “25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of My Father's hand. 30 "I and [My] Father are one." 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.”

Here Jesus clearly teaches that He did not die for everyone since not everyone is his sheep and he laid down His life for His sheep only. Note also that He gives eternal life as a free gift to His sheep…they will persevere to the end…the sheep did not earn eternal life nor do they keep it by doing good works but it is all a gift from the good Shepherd.

So what about John 3:16 -and 1John 2:2 with the use of the word "world." This is not saying that Christ died for every single person in the world just as is John 12:19 when the Pharisees said "the world goes after Christ that every single person in the whole world are going after Christ. In the context of John 3:16, you have Nicodemus who is a Jewish pastor and he is clueless about Christ coming for both Jew and Gentile...so when Jesus says hey Nic, Christ is coming for the world - He is not saying every single person but for the elect among all types of people groups in this case Jews and Gentiles.

As for Paul's "all" in 2Cor 5:14-15 - Paul is not saying that Christ died for every single person that has ever lived. Many times Paul says "all" to mean all types of men like in Timothy - when we are to pray for all men - and that God wants all to be saved - in the context is all types of men - those in authority and those under authority.

Paul also uses “all” to mean all of God’s elect i.e. all those who are in Christ…His sheep. For example, Rm 5 clearly teaches that as Adam was the federal head of all mankind to bring them into sin and death – that Christ is the federal head of the elect only and not every human being since – all that are under Him do not taste the wrath of God. He uses “all” to mean all the elect. Paul is doing the same in 2 Cor 5 – the context clearly teaches that the all is all of God’s elect -

Calvin writes:If one died for all. This design is to be carefully kept in view — that Christ died for us, that we might die to ourselves. The exposition is also to be carefully noticed — that to die to ourselves is to live to Christ; or if you would have it at greater length, it is to renounce ourselves, that we may live to Christ; for Christ. redeemed us with this view — that he might have us under his authority, as his peculiar possession. Hence it follows that we are no longer our own masters. There is a similar passage in Romans 14:7-9. At the same time, there are two things that are here brought forward separately — that we are dead in Christ, in order that all ambition and eagerness for distinction may be laid aside, and that it may be felt by us no hardship to be made as nothing; and farther, that we owe to Christ our life and death, because he has wholly bound us to himself.

Always Reforming,

Pastor Tom

Total Depravity

Here is some more understanding Catholic theology and how Reformed Christians differ and how unreformed Protestants agree.  Both Catholics and unreformed protestants hold to that man has free will before salvation and  has the ability to choose God

My Catholic friend Dave writes of the Council of Trent which modern Catholics hold onto today: ONE: all men are born sinners and are born with original sin. Nature nor the Law of God is able to justify man. Yet, man's free will and faculties are not destroyed. This means that man's decision to either reject Christ or believe is his choice and he is either damned or rewarded by his own decision. Yet, the decision for Christ is impossible without God's grace as will be explained further. Trent denies that man can somehow obey the Law of God to earn salvation or even from nature come to know God in a saving way on his own. He needs Christ and God's grace of salvation.

So I ask - Is man totally depraved? Does Scripture teach that man’s free will – his ability to choose God is intact? Or does it teach that man is dead in his trespasses and sins?

My understanding of what Dave has written(the Catholic position) is that man is not totally depraved and that man can choose God…he states that Grace plays a role but he is ultimately saying that Grace is necessary but NOT sufficient. This is where we part company. Scripture clearly teaches that man is depraved therefore unable to choose God thus, it is all of God’s grace…that Grace is both necessary and sufficient for one’s salvation…for one’s justification.

Is it pleasing to God to choose Him? Is it not pleasing to God for one to repent of His sins? Is it not pleasing to God to use your free will which is still intact to make a decision for Christ?

I would say that the answer to all those questions is a resounding yes. Yet what do we do with Rm. 8: 8 which states, “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” The context is that the natural man – the man without the spirit of God – the man who is depraved before regeneration cannot please God…thus he cannot choose God which would please God.

Paul makes this clear earlier in Rm 3 when he states, “10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." 13 "Their throat [is] an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps [is] under their lips"; 14 "Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet [are] swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery [are] in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

This is a description of the totally depraved man – as I mention earlier in another blog from Eph. 2:1 that the man is dead spiritually. Choosing God is a spiritual choice. Dead men cannot choose God. When you are dead, you can’t do anything. That is why justification is all about God and His grace. His Grace is completely sufficient…because man is totally depraved not partially depraved which Trent seems to say but scripture says totally depraved.

Always Reforming,

Pastor Tom

Justification by Faith Alone

My good friend Dave Whalen, who has taught me much from God's Word over the years, has become a Catholic.  He used to be an elder in a Presbyterian (PCA) church.  We both believe in the Bible yet we see scripture teaching two different things. If you are not familiar with Catholic theology they have much in common with the Arminians.  Both believe man can choose God therefore not justified by faith alone.

The issue at hand is a central doctrine to the life of the believer. Is it God who saves us or is it man who saves himself? Does man have the power when spiritually dead to make himself alive by choosing God or doing any good work? Is man totally depraved?

Ephesians 2:1 says "And you [He made alive,] who were dead in trespasses and sins,"

There are so many scriptures to cover that teach that man is spiritually dead and cannot save himself. That it is God who saves. That since God is the one who justifies it is not due to anything man does but soley by God's grace. But before we get into all the scriptures, let me define justification from the Reformed view of scripture has given by the Westminster Divines.

The bottom line is that only perfect people go to Heaven. If you do one sin in your life, you are justly sentenced to the full wrath of Almighty God in the fires of Hell. As my good friend Dave Whalen has taught me, it is not Satan punishing you and torturing you in Hell but God Himself is doing it. Why? Because God is just and must punish sin.

Well, if only perfect people can go to Heaven, how can anyone go there? This is why Jesus Christ - 100% God and 100% man had to live a perfect life while on earth. If he did one sin, we all would likewise perish. But He did not, He lived that perfect life - that is why He is our Savior. He saved us from Hell by living that perfect life. But that is only half.

He also had to take our sins and endure the full wrath of God that those sins deserve. This is why Jesus said on the cross, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This is all about Christ experiencing hell on our behalf. Christ took all the elect's sins upon Him and endured God's full wrath for those sins. He went to Hell in our place. He did not do this for those who are not His elect...just for those who are His. And it was those that He died for that he justifies and brings into his Kingdom. It is those elect, that Christ came to save and make perfect. This is called the blessed exchange.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. "

Christ took the elect's sin and gives us his righteousness - His perfectness. Only perfect people go to Heaven and Christ gave us His perfectness and took our sin so that we are accounted to be perfect before God. This is salvation. This is justification by faith alone. This is all the work of God. This is His grace.