tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706370502716265832.post353145775453814887..comments2023-07-17T08:34:08.931-07:00Comments on Life Under the Sun: What is limited atonement?Stephen Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412126012825720noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706370502716265832.post-84299690320842388402009-07-20T16:05:41.659-07:002009-07-20T16:05:41.659-07:00Good questions. 1. I believe there is a general ca...Good questions. <br><br>1. I believe there is a general call to ALL people that is genuine. I believe this invitation is real, and that "attendance" by all is possible, while at the same time only God knows and determines who will or will not attend. The error of hyper-Calvinism is to become fatalistic about this. They would say, "it is wrong to call a persons to do what they are unable to do." But the apostles clearly do this over and over. They call people to repent and believe, knowing all the time that God must be the one to open their heart, and only those already chosen will respond (see Acts 13:48).<br><br>2. 1 Jn 2:2 certainly is a challenging verse. Wayne Grudem explains it this way: "When John says that Christ “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2, author’s translation), he may simply be understood to mean that Christ is the atoning sacrifice that the gospel now makes available for the sins of everyone in the world. The preposition “for” (Gk. περί, G4309, plus genitive) is ambiguous with respect to the specific sense in which Christ is the propitiation “for” the sins of the world. Περί (G4309) simply means “concerning” or “with respect to” but is not specific enough to define the exact way in which Christ is the sacrifice with respect to the sins of the world. It would be entirely consistent with the language of the verse to think that John is simply saying that Christ is the atoning sacrifice who is available to pay for the sins of anyone in the world." - Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994), 598.<br><br>John MacArthur takes a similar, though slightly modified view. He sees God's propitiation of the world as a postponement of judgment. "God has mitigated His wrath on sinners temporarily, by letting them live and enjoy earthly life (see note on 1 Tim. 4:10). In that sense, Christ has provided a brief, temporal propitiation for the whole world. But He actually satisfied fully the wrath of God eternally only for the elect who believe. Christ’s death in itself had unlimited and infinite value because He is Holy God. Thus His sacrifice was sufficient to pay the penalty for all the sins of all whom God brings to faith. But the actual satisfaction and atonement was made only for those who believe (cf. John 10:11,15; 17:9,20; Acts 20:28; Rom. 8:32,37; Eph. 5:25). The pardon for sin is offered to the whole world, but received only by those who believe (cf. 4:9,14; John 5:24). There is no other way to be reconciled to God." - John Jr MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville: Word Pub., 1997, c1997), 1 Jn 2:2.Stephen Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07041412126012825720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706370502716265832.post-51935498041690518662009-07-20T14:25:26.969-07:002009-07-20T14:25:26.969-07:00(We Baptists use this terminology as well when we ...(We Baptists use this terminology as well when we speak of an “all church potluck.” This does not necessarily mean that all will attend, but simply that all are invited.)<br><br>So. . .<br><br>1. Question <br>to clarify: ALL are invited, or only the elect? Is an invitation real if attendance is impossible?<br><br>2. Question<br>If "world" in 1 John 2:2 is Christians, then why does it identify Christians first "not only for our sins. . ." then speak of the "whole world." Who is the world?<br><br>“and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world”<br><br>I am truly interested and appreciate your gentle approach to difficult theological issues.David Squyreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16632008924923459612noreply@blogger.com