God’s salvation of sinners was graciously accomplished by the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. By his active obedience he perfectly and fully obeyed all of the commands of God’s holy law. By his passive obedience he endured the penalty of the curse of the law, which is “cursed is everyone who does not abide by everything that is written in the law to do them” (Galatians 3-10 and Deut. 27:26). Of course Christ himself obeyed everything that is written in the law. Nevertheless, he becomes the substitute penalty bearer of the law’s curse and therein actually secured salvation for all who would come to believe on him as their Savior and Lord.
In the previous post the stress was on how his obedience actually secured salvation. The culmination of his obedience was in his willingly taking upon himself the sins of his people. In doing this he did more than make salvation possible. Rather, he actually accomplished salvation. So when the Gospel is offered to sinners the full power and virtue of Christ finished work comes with that offer. It is not that Christ might save you but rather Christ will save you if you turn from your sins and believe on him. It isn’t that this Christ makes salvation possible but rather he accomplished full and complete salvation and he comes in all his saving virtue and you are invited, yes even commanded by the love of God in that invitation to flee to Christ. The promise is that Christ will welcome you and not turn you away.
This post examines the definitive or particular nature of his saving obedience. The question that we need to consider is this: For whom did Christ die? For whom did Christ by his obedience secure forgiveness and everlasting life? Most evangelical Christians today would say that he died for the human race. He died for the world. After all God so loved the world that he gave his only Son and this must mean that his Son died for the whole human race. Other texts besides John 3:16 seem to say this (see 2 Cor. 5:14-15; 1 Tim. 2:3-6; 1 John 2:2 and Hebrews 2:9). It is vital that we not only understand what these texts say but what they mean.
Take Hebrews 2:9: “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” This text seems fairly straight forward. Christ tasted death for everyone.
Now if what these texts teach or mean is that Christ died for the sins of every human being that ever lived without exception then we need to think about what this says concerning the effectualness of his obedience and death or the effectualness of the penalty he actually secured for sins. What it means is that there are now or one day will be (depending on your theological understanding about hell) people in hell for whose sins Christ suffered and died to pay the penalty who are lost. Why are they suffering for their sins if Christ has secured the penalty for their transgressions?
Well, the answer that is often given is that Christ made salvation possible or he provides the ticket for salvation but people need to respond and take it. Now it is very true that people need to respond to the Gospel’s invitation. It is very true that only those who repent and believe on Christ will be saved but what Christ died to secure was not a ticket but the payment of the penalty for sin. What Christ died to secure was not a possible way to glory but the definite place in glory. So if there are or will be people in hell for whom Christ died then his atonement is AT LEAST PARTIALLY ineffectual. Yet what we have seen from Scripture is that his atonement is by no means ineffectual. It is fully effectual.
We need to look at what these verses mean when for example in Hebrews 2:9 it says that Christ tasted death for everyone. I would argue that in this verse the phrase everyone has to be understood as a reference to a particular group. For example if you were having a family reunion and grandpa stood up before the meal and said: “Is everyone here?” you would automatically understand that “everyone” refers to everyone in the family.
Now let’s scan down through the context of this verse. Who is the “everyone” for whom Christ tasted death? The “everyone” refers to the many sons that God determines to bring to glory through the founder of their salvation (vs. 10). It refers to those who are sanctified (vs.11). It is inclusive of those whom Christ is not ashamed to call brothers (vs. 12). It is the children who God has given to the Son (vs. 13) and with whom the Son has shared flesh and blood (vs. 14). It is those brothers whom he had to be made like (vs. 17). He had to become like these sons, sanctified ones, brothers for they are the people for whom Christ became a merciful and faithful high priest to make propitiation for their sins (vs. 17). Do you see the definiteness or particularity of this?
The Father has those he gives his Son. Jesus speaks this way in John 6:37. In his High Priestly prayer in John 17 Jesus states very clearly that he is not praying for the world but rather he is praying to the Father for all those he has given Him out of the world. “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me for they are yours.” This included those believing disciples who were with him in the upper room and all from that time to the end of the world who would come to believe on him through their word – i.e. the NT scriptures (vs20). It is for these very ones whom the Father gave him that Jesus not only prays but offers his life as a ransom. It was for these whom the Father gave him out of the world that Christ secured salvation by his obedience. Christ tasted death for everyone of the elect. He laid down his life for his sheep. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. His priestly intercession and his once for all sacrificial death were for those whom God in love elected and hence we can say that Christ’s atonement or satisfaction of Divine justice was particular or definite.
Yet there is also a sense in which God does love the world. There is a sense in which God sends his son for the world. The love of God for the world in all its bigness and badness is seen in this free offer of the Gospel. Because Christ actually secured salvation for the elect and not simply made salvation possible and because who those elect are is known only to God and since the appointed means of gathering in the elect is this free offer of the Gospel to the human race then such an offer goes out not to the elect but to the human race. Robert Murray McCheyne put it this way:
"No one ever came to Christ because they knew themselves to be of the elect. It is quite true that God has of his mere good pleasure elected some to everlasting life, but they never knew it until they came to Christ. Christ nowhere invites the elect to come to Him. The question for you is not, Am I one of the elect? But, Am I one of the human race?" In addition the Gospel’s content never in all the Scripture includes a particular claim regarding the number for whom Christ died. The Gospel is not the declaration that Christ died for the elect or that Christ died for every human being or that “Christ died for you” while you point to the particular hearer or hearers of the Gospel. Rather the Gospel is that God sent his Son who lived, died and rose again for sinners. This is complete salvation for the worst of sinners. The promise is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Whoever comes to Christ he will not turn away. In this free offer of the Gospel Christ in all his saving virtue is pressed upon those who hear. Full and complete salvation is freely offered and not merely the possibility of salvation.
Summary
By his obedience Jesus Christ accomplished an effectual and definite atonement for those the Father gave to him. The “everyone” or “all” for whom Christ tasted death is those whom the Father has given to him. They are those who in love God predestined for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. They are those for whom Christ prayed and for whom he intercedes as their High Priest.
From our perspective we do not know who those elect are. The number of the elect is known only to God. It cannot be ascertained apart from coming to Christ.
Yet it is also true that God so loved the world that he gave his Son. The offer of the Gospel is an expression of God’s love for the world. This free offer of the Gospel is an offer of Christ in all his saving power and virtue for sinners. The invitation and command is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. The promise is that all who come to Jesus Christ he will not turn away. The free offer of the Gospel is not for the elect but for the human race.
The offer of the Gospel is not the offer of a possible salvation but a definite and effectual salvation. To say anything less about Christ’s saving work is to limit its power and hence its glory. To say that there are those who are paying the penalty for their sins in hell for whom Christ died and paid the penalty is to at least say that Christ partially failed and this for the sake of his name must never be conceded! Jesus fails to save none for whom he died and he fails to save none who through repentance and faith call on him for his mercy, deliverance and pardon.
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