For Whom Did Christ Die?-- Part 3

Election does not invalidate redemption or regeneration. However, the subject of election is misunderstood by the following views: (1) Election is based on foreseen faith. (2) Election takes place at the point of faith. (3) Election deprives the gospel of its power. (4) Election is nothing more than God’s chosen plan. (5) Some take election for granted, as the Jews of Jeremiah 7 and 8, Micah 3:11, Hosea 1:8, Matt. 3:9, and John 8. (6) Some think election prevents the salvation of some who desire to be saved. From what do they desire to be saved? The natural desire wants to be saved from hell. The spiritual desire wants to be saved from sin. (7) There are those who attribute arbitrariness to God in His election, because they do not understand arbitrariness as it relates to God. (8) Some say election makes God a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). They claim such teaching makes God guilty of injustice, because He would be giving to equal persons unequal things. (9) Many say election makes God guilty of partiality. (10) There are some who think election releases the nonelect from all responsibility to God.

Arminians believe God desires the salvation of all (John 3:16; II Pet. 3:9), and He has made provision for all through the sacrifice of His Son. His provision for redemption is considered to be void of the idea of determination or fixity. They say the basic meaning floats in the area of something a person would like to see happen or wishes to take place. Furthermore, God has taken the initiative to draw sinners to the Person of Jesus Christ: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:32 NASB). They connect this verse with John 6:44—“No man can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (NASB).

Those who limit the value of Christ’s redemption accuse others who limit its extent by concluding that the elect could not go to hell if they wanted to, and others could not go to heaven if they desired. That is a preposterous statement by Arminians. They had to fish that argument out of the bottom of the barrel of human reason. They also say since all are drawn, all have an equal chance to be saved. Some believe the drawing is not irresistible. Others say God is drawing, but some will not come. There are also others who say drawing does not denote an effectual drawing, but the drawing of the gospel by the Spirit must convince man’s free will.

The closing argument by Arminians for our present consideration is John 6:37—“All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (NASB). Arminians accuse those who embrace limited redemption of twisting the Scriptures. They ask the question, How does the Father give a person to Jesus Christ? They claim it is through a person’s proper understanding of the word of God, and believing in Christ as Savior. “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43 NASB). They conclude by saying, all who believe in limited redemption do not believe that salvation is by faith.

There must be a distinction between regeneration and salvation (conversion). “Coming” finds its cause in “being given” and “being drawn” (John 6:37, 44). Can a person give himself to Christ in order to be saved by Christ? That makes as much sense as a person giving himself to the Father in eternity to be chosen by Him, or giving himself to Christ before He became his Surety. Spiritual truth is to the natural mind what warm clothes are to a dead body. The sinner’s soul is the shop of sin. His body and its members are the tools of sin. His actions of mind and body are the trade of sin.

The Holy Spirit regenerates and makes the person who has been made alive sensitive to the word of God (I Pet. 2:2, 3; I Cor. 2:10-16). There is a realm of reality—truth—beyond the comprehension of natural powers. The artist can see and the musician can hear things that others can neither see nor hear. Spiritual things do not get into the soul by natural eyes or ears, but through faith which is God’s gift. God does not offer to give either physical or spiritual life. He gives physical life to the nonelect. Paul, in his sermon on Mars Hill, said, “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:24, 25 NASB). Furthermore, God gives spiritual life to the elect He chose before the foundation of the world. “How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, To dwell in Thy courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple” (Psalm 65:4 NASB). These are the ones given to Christ by the Father before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).

The first part of Ephesians 2:8 proves that salvation is neither out of man nor out of his works. Sinners are spiritually dead. Therefore, they are incapable of any spiritual movement. A creative work by the sovereign God is the sinner’s only hope. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…” (Eph. 2:10 NASB). This creation (aorist passive participle of ktidzo, God’s creative act) forms the basis of good works, because the elect are created in Christ Jesus. Thus, we can see why Paul said to the Corinthians, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus…” (I Cor. 1:30 NASB). Believers are in Christ representatively (Rom. 5:12-21), initially as a branch in the vine or as a member in the body (John 15:1-7; I Cor. 12:27), and consciously by faith which is the fruit of regeneration (II Tim. 1:12).

God’s purpose is founded in sovereignty, ordered by infinite wisdom, confirmed by omnipotence, and united with immutability. These great attributes are seen throughout the Scriptures, but now the cross has become the greatest manifestation of God’s character and His attributes of holiness, justice, mercy, and love. Justice protects holiness. Mercy desires to operate, but it cannot until justice is satisfied. Justice was satisfied at Calvary enabling love to operate. This brings us to the greatest hour of all hours—“These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee” (John 17:1 NASB). Every hour in time had prepared for the hour of Christ’s death.

Being fearful that we do not feel the fullness of the impact of the hour Christ referred to in John 17:1, let us see what eternity has to say about Calvary. “And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written (perfect passive indicative of grapho negated by the adverb ou) from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain (perfect passive participle of sphadzo)” (Rev. 13:8 NASB). The perfect tense expresses perfective action with a resulting state of being. It looks at both ends of the action. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (I Pet. 1:18-21 NASB).

The theme of John 17 is about Jesus Christ who “came” for His own, “died” for His own, and “prays” for His own. He came from the throne to the depth of woe, and then went back to the throne to assure that all the Father gave Him would be with Him and behold His glory. The redemption of Christ is as extensive as the grace of the Father. Just as grace is not experienced by all without exception, redemption did not include all without exception. God purposed to save some (II Tim. 1:9). He purposed to redeem those He purposed to save (I Pet. 1:18-19). He purposed to regenerate those He purposed to redeem (John 3:8). He purposed that those who believe will be holy (I Thess. 4:3-7; Heb. 12:14). He purposed that those who will be holy shall persevere (Heb. 10:39). God purposed that those who persevere do so because God perseveres (II Thess. 3:1-5; I Pet. 1:5). Finally, those who persevere because they are preserved (protected) by God shall be glorified (Rom. 8:30).

God’s eternal purpose means that all its parts are but one intuition. Job said, “But He (God) is unique and who can turn Him? And what His soul desires, that He does. For He performs what is appointed for me, And many such decrees are with Him” (Job 23:13, 14 NASB). However, in the realization of God’s purpose, there is succession. Even though succession is related to time, that does not destroy the idea of order in God’s purpose. As there is a logical order in the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—there is also order in God’s purpose.

Ability to form an idea of a thing as a whole before it is executed is not beyond the range of finite minds. The hour that history remembers most is the hour of Calvary. Christ’s destiny was foreseen. Therefore, He knew and spoke of His life and death as a preordained plan. There was nothing accidental, nothing that could be attributed to the wild uncertainties of chance in either His death or its results. Christ was given general authority to complete a special purpose. The special purpose includes eternal life, knowledge of the Father and the Son, and a growing experience. Such knowledge elevates the mind, sanctifies the affections, and regulates the conduct. Furthermore, Divinely given knowledge makes the elect neither idle nor useless (II Pet. 1:8), because they go from darkened ignorance (Eph. 4:18) to most excellent knowledge (II Cor. 4:6).

Christ manifested the Father’s name “…to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word” (John 17:6 NASB). The purpose of Christ’s work included the manifestation of the Father. In Himself, God is invisible and incomprehensible (John 1:18; 6:46; I Tim. 6:16). God manifested Himself to Israel in types and shadows (Heb. 8:1-10:39), but it was not until the incarnation that Christ said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, Show us the Father?” (John 14:9). The disciples were the Father’s by election, and they were given to Christ on the basis of His preordained redemption (Acts 2:23; I Pet. 1:18-20). Although the disciples did not fully understand all that the Father’s word meant, they kept, guarded, and paid attention to it. What does this say for religionists today?

The little band of disciples was given to Christ out of the world because they were given to Christ before the world began. The first evidence of election in a person is the keeping of God’s word by that person. No one has a desire to keep God’s word apart from a work of God’s grace in regeneration. The word is effectual in conversion (I Thess. 1:3-10).

Christ’s request of John 17:9 was on behalf of those the Father had given Him and not on behalf of the world. There are three things to consider: (1) the Person requesting, (2) the character in which He requested, and (3) the persons for whom He intercedes. Properly speaking, Christ’s prayer of intercession begins at verse 9. As Mediator, Christ could say, “And I knew that Thou hearest Me always…” (John 11:42 NASB). A great announcement was made, “I ask on their behalf,” and an explanation, “I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine; and all things that are Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I have been glorified in them” (John 17:9, 10 NASB). Jesus Christ returned to the Father subsequent to His death, but not as a private individual. He is now the Representative of those given to Him by the Father and those for whom He died. Therefore, Christ is the pledge of the Father’s love to the elect, the seal of His salvation for them, and the earnest of His glory in them.

Christ passed from humiliation to exaltation in His resurrection. He went from condemnation as the sin offering to acclamation, from trial to authorization, and from a state of humiliation to a state of glorification. There was a glory given to Christ which He received and which He can and does bestow on the elect. However, there is a glory which is essential to the Godhead and cannot be bestowed. This glory could not be received by Christ because it is essentially His. Furthermore, His glory as Mediator was received; but it was also incommunicable. “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church (assembly); and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Col. 1:17-20 NASB).

The glory given to Christ, which is received from Christ and beheld by faith in the elect, is revealed in the glorious titles given to Christ. They are Prince of Life, Prince of peace, King of glory, Bridegroom, Savior, Redeemer, Resurrection and Life, etc. The glory given to Christ was not for Him. He could not be made richer because of it. It was actually condescension for Him to accept such offices. Therefore, Scripture says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8 NASB).

The glory given to the elect comes from the fruits of Christ’s sacrifice. He conquered the world, flesh, and Satan. His glorious resurrection, ascension, and intercession were and are on behalf of the elect (Rom. 8:28-34).

The glory which the redeemed shall behold by sight in the everlasting kingdom is to see Jesus Christ as He is in His glorified state (I John 3:2). Such a sight will not be by the imperfect view of Christ by faith through the instrumentality of His Word. Although the word of the gospel is perfect as it came from the breath of God (II Tim. 3:16), our understanding is imperfect. There is a difference between the elect’s co-existing with Christ in eternity and Christ’s co-existing with the chosen ones in the assembly in time.