"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 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: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 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, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." Isa 53:4-11 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Mt 1:21 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." Jhn 10:11 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts 20:28 "…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Eph 5:25-27 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Tit 2:14 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." I Pet 3:18 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." I Jhn 4:10 "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Rev 5:9 "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Mk 10:45 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom 3:24-26 "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Rom 4:25 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Rom 5:6-11 "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom 8:3-4 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." II Cor 5:21 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal 4:4-5 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" Eph 2:13-16 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" Gal 3:13 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Col 1:14 "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight" Col 1:20-22 "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." I Thes 1:10 "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" Heb 1:3 "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb 9:25-26 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" Heb 10:12 "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Heb 10:14 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" Eph 1:6-7 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" I Pet 1:18-19 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." I Pet 2:24 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Rev 1:5-6
Showing posts with label Atonement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Atonement. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Purchased Possession
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 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: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 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, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities." Isa 53:4-11 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Mt 1:21 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." Jhn 10:11 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts 20:28 "…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Eph 5:25-27 "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Tit 2:14 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." I Pet 3:18 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." I Jhn 4:10 "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Rev 5:9 "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Mk 10:45 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom 3:24-26 "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Rom 4:25 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Rom 5:6-11 "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom 8:3-4 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." II Cor 5:21 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal 4:4-5 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" Eph 2:13-16 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" Gal 3:13 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Col 1:14 "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight" Col 1:20-22 "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." I Thes 1:10 "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" Heb 1:3 "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Heb 9:25-26 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" Heb 10:12 "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Heb 10:14 "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" Eph 1:6-7 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" I Pet 1:18-19 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." I Pet 2:24 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Rev 1:5-6
Friday, May 9, 2008
Gospel Truth or Blatant Blasphemy?
Gospel Truth or Blatant Blasphemy?
John G. Reisinger
I have not always been convinced that Limited Atonement was a biblical doctrine. I saw the other four points at least five years before God taught me the truth about the nature of the atonement. I well remember tearing in half Arthur Pink's booklet on Was the Sin Question Finally Settled at the Cross? and throwing it into the wastebasket saying, "I will never believe that!" I think the last three issues of Sound of Grace prove beyond question that I now not only believe the truth of Limited Atonement, but, along with J.I. Packer, I affirm that this truth is the very heart of true Evangelical faith.
A few readers have tried to convince me that I could not have been saved when I tore Pink's booklet in half. One man has vehemently urged me to repent of my false conversion and admit I did not become a true child of God until I became a five point Calvinist. I say all of this at the beginning of this article so you can "brace yourself" for what is coming next. By the way, we published a booklet many years ago entitled "Decisional Regeneration." We were trying to show that Arminianism really teaches that a sinner's decision has the power to regenerate his heart and make him a child of God. "Doctrinal Regeneration" would be a good label for the brand of Calvinism that insists only five point Calvinists are truly saved. In reality these people give correct theology the same power that the Arminian gives to his decision. We insist that neither the sinner's will nor correct theology can give a dead sinner life.
When Peter said, "Not so, Lord" our Lord rebuked him and said, "Get thee behind me Satan," but at that very moment Peter was a saved man. J.C. Ryle correctly observes, "Just because God has sanctified your heart does not mean that He has totally sanctified your brains and taught you all the truth in one instant." A true child of God can be awfully mixed up both theologically and emotionally and still be in Christ. If you think it through, I think you will agree that it is better to be a confused and emotionally upset saint on their way to heaven than to be the best-adjusted and theologically correct unregenerate person on their way to hell. Holding firmly to the truth of sovereign grace is not absolute proof that a person knows the sovereign Lord in a way of saving faith.
I am not at all minimizing the importance of understanding the doctrines of grace. Our theological understanding does not save our soul but it does shape the way we understand and preach the gospel. Some sincere Christians have made some awful stupid statements because of bad theology even though their hearts were right with God. That was my problem while fighting Limited Atonement for over five years.
The following statement is part of a Christmas sermon preached and printed over forty years ago by a man named Noel Smith. He was a professor in a Bible Baptist seminary in the mid-west. I never met Mr. Smith but I know quite a few men who studied under him while at seminary. Without a single exception, they testify that he was a very godly man and a good professor. However, Noel Smith hated Calvinism and embraced universal atonement. I suspect his first contact with the Doctrines of Grace was with a Primitive Baptist. Be that as it may, his statement is either gospel truth or close to utter blasphemy.
Knowing God as I do through the revelation He has given me of Himself in His Word, when I am told that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, I know it means that the Triune God has done, is doing, always will do, all that the Triune God can do to save every man, woman, and child on this earth.
If it does not mean that, then tell me I pray you, what does it mean?
What is hell? It is infinite negation. It is infinite chaos. And it is more than that. I tell you, and I say it with profound reverence, hell is a ghastly monument to the failure of God to save the multitudes that are there. I say it reverently, I say it with every nerve in my body tense; sinners go to hell because God Himself cannot save them. He did all He could. He failed.
I am aware that Noel Smith's candid statement is shocking. Few preachers, no matter how Arminian they are in their theology, will say publicly that they believe "hell is a ghastly monument to the failure of God." However, no other honest conclusion is possible if Noel Smith's understanding of II Peter 3:9 is correct. Mr. Smith is an honest and consistent Arminian. The only difference between this man and preachers like Billy Graham is that Smith is both honest and totally consistent with his view of universal atonement.
If such a great effort on God's part does not accomplish His intention then what other word can be used to describe the situation but failure. What is wrong with clearly and publicly stating that "God Almighty failed" to accomplish the thing His heart desired the most. If, as Smith concludes, "sinners go to hell because God Himself cannot save them" then God indeed failed! If God "did all He could" and still was not able to accomplish His heart's desire, then on what grounds is Noel Smith to be faulted for concluding, as he logically does, that "He (God) failed!" If the premise is correct then the conclusion must also be true.
If you sincerely believe in universal atonement and interpret II Peter 3:9 the same way as Noel Smith, you should rejoice that Smith had the courage to state clearly and logically what your system dictates that you must believe! If (1) Christ endured the wrath of God for "every man, woman, and child on earth," and (2) if it was God's heartfelt purpose to save every man, woman, and child on this earth, and (3) God has done, is doing, always will do, all He can do to save every man, woman, and child on this earth," then I agree with Mr. Smith's correct conclusion. God indeed failed in such a miserable system.
C.H. Spurgeon also clearly saw the same logical truth as Noel Smith. Spurgeon made almost the identical statement that Smith did except he was ridiculing Smith's position. Here is a classic statement from the prince of preachers:
Once again, if it was Christ's intention to save all men, how deplorably has He been disappointed, for we have His own testimony that there is a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, and into that pit of woe have been cast some of the very persons who, according to the theory of universal redemption [the view advocated by Noel Smith – JGR], were brought with His blood.
The only difference between Smith and Spurgeon is the fact they are on different sides of the "if." Spurgeon is heaping scorn and ridicule on the very doctrine that Smith is holding up as the greatest of supposed gospel facts. My, my, how the Baptist gospel has changed in one century. Isn't it amazing that Spurgeon could openly ridicule as nonsense the very same doctrine that men today preach as the foundation of their whole system of theology. At least no one can accuse either Spurgeon or me of burning "straw dummies." The zealous and honest Noel Smith took care of that with great clarity.
It may be embarrassing, and men may try to run in denial, but the only alternative to Limited Atonement is either (1) universal salvation, which is at least consistent with the belief that God is all powerful, or (2) the failure of God as Mr. Smith's legitimate application shows. There are really only three choices. Either (1) everyone is going to be saved, (2) God miserably failed, or (3) particular redemption is true.
To those thoroughly brainwashed in universal atonement and free will, the doctrine of particular atonement based on God's sovereign electing love seems to be unfair and even cruel. The doctrine of universal atonement seems to magnify and broaden God's love. Actually, the exact opposite is the case, and Mr. Smith, by being consistent, honest, and courageous enough to blurt out the ever present, but never spoken, legitimate conclusion and application of universal atonement has proven the point better than any Calvinist ever could.
Magnifying man and so-called free will as the determining factor in God's plan of salvation is the true expression of universal atonement. This magnifying of free will and extolling of universal love may at first appear to magnify God, but it will ultimately be seen as the first blow at dethroning God and corrupting the very spring of grace from which the gospel flows freely to sinful man. It is a hollow victory that proves that God is all love by reducing Him to impotence before man's almighty will and declaring that the God's greatest act in history, the cross of Christ, was a colossal failure because man's almighty free will refused to "give God a chance."
It is not my intention to labor this point to an extreme, nor am I trying to make Noel Smith a whipping boy. However, any sane Bible believer should want to ask, "What ever possessed that preacher to make such statements?"
The answer to that question is just as clear as the statements themselves. Mr. Smith, was, I believe, "possessed" with a burning desire to exalt the love and grace of God. The title of his sermon was "The Middle Man," and he was extolling the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mr. Smith was exalting the amazing love of God in giving His only begotten Son to die on the cross. It was Smith's purpose to so exalt this great display of God's love that his hearers might be gripped with the glory of the birth, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Noel Smith was setting forth Christ as the "Middle Man" who alone could stand between a holy God and sinful creatures and perform the ministry of reconciliation.
No preacher ever had a more glorious subject and I doubt that any preacher was ever possessed by a higher motive. I am personally persuaded that Noel Smith loved God and wanted to exalt His amazing grace. Unfortunately, Noel Smith was also possessed with the error of universal atonement. It is tragic but true that pure motives are not sufficient to correct either bad theology or its tragic results. I agree that Mr. Smith sincerely attempted to exalt the love and grace of God. All will have to agree that he attempted to do so in perfect harmony with his Arminian doctrine of universal salvation. I leave it to the reader to decide if this sincere attempt to glorify God's grace achieved its purpose, or if this consistent and conscientious man came close to out-right blasphemy. The obvious answer should go a long way towards fixing the correct view of the nature of Christ's death in our minds.
John G. Reisinger
I have not always been convinced that Limited Atonement was a biblical doctrine. I saw the other four points at least five years before God taught me the truth about the nature of the atonement. I well remember tearing in half Arthur Pink's booklet on Was the Sin Question Finally Settled at the Cross? and throwing it into the wastebasket saying, "I will never believe that!" I think the last three issues of Sound of Grace prove beyond question that I now not only believe the truth of Limited Atonement, but, along with J.I. Packer, I affirm that this truth is the very heart of true Evangelical faith.
A few readers have tried to convince me that I could not have been saved when I tore Pink's booklet in half. One man has vehemently urged me to repent of my false conversion and admit I did not become a true child of God until I became a five point Calvinist. I say all of this at the beginning of this article so you can "brace yourself" for what is coming next. By the way, we published a booklet many years ago entitled "Decisional Regeneration." We were trying to show that Arminianism really teaches that a sinner's decision has the power to regenerate his heart and make him a child of God. "Doctrinal Regeneration" would be a good label for the brand of Calvinism that insists only five point Calvinists are truly saved. In reality these people give correct theology the same power that the Arminian gives to his decision. We insist that neither the sinner's will nor correct theology can give a dead sinner life.
When Peter said, "Not so, Lord" our Lord rebuked him and said, "Get thee behind me Satan," but at that very moment Peter was a saved man. J.C. Ryle correctly observes, "Just because God has sanctified your heart does not mean that He has totally sanctified your brains and taught you all the truth in one instant." A true child of God can be awfully mixed up both theologically and emotionally and still be in Christ. If you think it through, I think you will agree that it is better to be a confused and emotionally upset saint on their way to heaven than to be the best-adjusted and theologically correct unregenerate person on their way to hell. Holding firmly to the truth of sovereign grace is not absolute proof that a person knows the sovereign Lord in a way of saving faith.
I am not at all minimizing the importance of understanding the doctrines of grace. Our theological understanding does not save our soul but it does shape the way we understand and preach the gospel. Some sincere Christians have made some awful stupid statements because of bad theology even though their hearts were right with God. That was my problem while fighting Limited Atonement for over five years.
The following statement is part of a Christmas sermon preached and printed over forty years ago by a man named Noel Smith. He was a professor in a Bible Baptist seminary in the mid-west. I never met Mr. Smith but I know quite a few men who studied under him while at seminary. Without a single exception, they testify that he was a very godly man and a good professor. However, Noel Smith hated Calvinism and embraced universal atonement. I suspect his first contact with the Doctrines of Grace was with a Primitive Baptist. Be that as it may, his statement is either gospel truth or close to utter blasphemy.
Knowing God as I do through the revelation He has given me of Himself in His Word, when I am told that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, I know it means that the Triune God has done, is doing, always will do, all that the Triune God can do to save every man, woman, and child on this earth.
If it does not mean that, then tell me I pray you, what does it mean?
What is hell? It is infinite negation. It is infinite chaos. And it is more than that. I tell you, and I say it with profound reverence, hell is a ghastly monument to the failure of God to save the multitudes that are there. I say it reverently, I say it with every nerve in my body tense; sinners go to hell because God Himself cannot save them. He did all He could. He failed.
I am aware that Noel Smith's candid statement is shocking. Few preachers, no matter how Arminian they are in their theology, will say publicly that they believe "hell is a ghastly monument to the failure of God." However, no other honest conclusion is possible if Noel Smith's understanding of II Peter 3:9 is correct. Mr. Smith is an honest and consistent Arminian. The only difference between this man and preachers like Billy Graham is that Smith is both honest and totally consistent with his view of universal atonement.
If such a great effort on God's part does not accomplish His intention then what other word can be used to describe the situation but failure. What is wrong with clearly and publicly stating that "God Almighty failed" to accomplish the thing His heart desired the most. If, as Smith concludes, "sinners go to hell because God Himself cannot save them" then God indeed failed! If God "did all He could" and still was not able to accomplish His heart's desire, then on what grounds is Noel Smith to be faulted for concluding, as he logically does, that "He (God) failed!" If the premise is correct then the conclusion must also be true.
If you sincerely believe in universal atonement and interpret II Peter 3:9 the same way as Noel Smith, you should rejoice that Smith had the courage to state clearly and logically what your system dictates that you must believe! If (1) Christ endured the wrath of God for "every man, woman, and child on earth," and (2) if it was God's heartfelt purpose to save every man, woman, and child on this earth, and (3) God has done, is doing, always will do, all He can do to save every man, woman, and child on this earth," then I agree with Mr. Smith's correct conclusion. God indeed failed in such a miserable system.
C.H. Spurgeon also clearly saw the same logical truth as Noel Smith. Spurgeon made almost the identical statement that Smith did except he was ridiculing Smith's position. Here is a classic statement from the prince of preachers:
Once again, if it was Christ's intention to save all men, how deplorably has He been disappointed, for we have His own testimony that there is a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, and into that pit of woe have been cast some of the very persons who, according to the theory of universal redemption [the view advocated by Noel Smith – JGR], were brought with His blood.
The only difference between Smith and Spurgeon is the fact they are on different sides of the "if." Spurgeon is heaping scorn and ridicule on the very doctrine that Smith is holding up as the greatest of supposed gospel facts. My, my, how the Baptist gospel has changed in one century. Isn't it amazing that Spurgeon could openly ridicule as nonsense the very same doctrine that men today preach as the foundation of their whole system of theology. At least no one can accuse either Spurgeon or me of burning "straw dummies." The zealous and honest Noel Smith took care of that with great clarity.
It may be embarrassing, and men may try to run in denial, but the only alternative to Limited Atonement is either (1) universal salvation, which is at least consistent with the belief that God is all powerful, or (2) the failure of God as Mr. Smith's legitimate application shows. There are really only three choices. Either (1) everyone is going to be saved, (2) God miserably failed, or (3) particular redemption is true.
To those thoroughly brainwashed in universal atonement and free will, the doctrine of particular atonement based on God's sovereign electing love seems to be unfair and even cruel. The doctrine of universal atonement seems to magnify and broaden God's love. Actually, the exact opposite is the case, and Mr. Smith, by being consistent, honest, and courageous enough to blurt out the ever present, but never spoken, legitimate conclusion and application of universal atonement has proven the point better than any Calvinist ever could.
Magnifying man and so-called free will as the determining factor in God's plan of salvation is the true expression of universal atonement. This magnifying of free will and extolling of universal love may at first appear to magnify God, but it will ultimately be seen as the first blow at dethroning God and corrupting the very spring of grace from which the gospel flows freely to sinful man. It is a hollow victory that proves that God is all love by reducing Him to impotence before man's almighty will and declaring that the God's greatest act in history, the cross of Christ, was a colossal failure because man's almighty free will refused to "give God a chance."
It is not my intention to labor this point to an extreme, nor am I trying to make Noel Smith a whipping boy. However, any sane Bible believer should want to ask, "What ever possessed that preacher to make such statements?"
The answer to that question is just as clear as the statements themselves. Mr. Smith, was, I believe, "possessed" with a burning desire to exalt the love and grace of God. The title of his sermon was "The Middle Man," and he was extolling the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mr. Smith was exalting the amazing love of God in giving His only begotten Son to die on the cross. It was Smith's purpose to so exalt this great display of God's love that his hearers might be gripped with the glory of the birth, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Noel Smith was setting forth Christ as the "Middle Man" who alone could stand between a holy God and sinful creatures and perform the ministry of reconciliation.
No preacher ever had a more glorious subject and I doubt that any preacher was ever possessed by a higher motive. I am personally persuaded that Noel Smith loved God and wanted to exalt His amazing grace. Unfortunately, Noel Smith was also possessed with the error of universal atonement. It is tragic but true that pure motives are not sufficient to correct either bad theology or its tragic results. I agree that Mr. Smith sincerely attempted to exalt the love and grace of God. All will have to agree that he attempted to do so in perfect harmony with his Arminian doctrine of universal salvation. I leave it to the reader to decide if this sincere attempt to glorify God's grace achieved its purpose, or if this consistent and conscientious man came close to out-right blasphemy. The obvious answer should go a long way towards fixing the correct view of the nature of Christ's death in our minds.
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