 The Proclaimer
Christ Died For You
One of the most
discouraging doctrines in denominationalism is the notion that God has
predestined some to be lost and some to be saved and there is nothing that
can be done to change your eternal destiny. If you are one of the “elect”
(those predestined to be saved before birth) you will go to heaven.
If you are not one of the “elect” you will go to hell. The natural
extension of this Calvinistic doctrine is the teaching that salvation is
unconditional since God has already determined who will be saved and who
will be lost. That being so, Christ died only for the sins of the “elect”
and not for the sins of those that are predestined to go to hell, limiting
the efficacy of His atoning blood. Furthermore, since God’s already
predestined certain individuals to go to heaven and their eternal destiny
cannot be altered, God’s grace is irresistible; that is, they must
receive salvation. And finally, the ultimate conclusion is that once God’s
grace is received, man cannot so sin as to fall away from that grace,
hence “once saved, always saved.”
It’s interesting
to me that those that espouse this teaching are always one of the
“elect” and on their way to heaven. But what if I am one of those that are
lost? How discouraging to think that others who have sinned have a Savior
in Jesus Christ, but I do not. How discouraging to come to the conclusion
that I’m going to hell and cannot do anything about it. Well, take heart.
All of that Calvinistic doctrine is false and in complete contradiction to
what the Bible teaches!
To begin with,
John Calvin’s doctrine violates certain clear, fundamental teachings of the
New Testament. First of all, Christ died for all people, not just certain
ones predestined by God to be saved. The Hebrew writer makes it clear, “But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering
of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might
taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9).
Paul writes to
the Romans that the righteousness of God “is by faith in Jesus Christ to all
and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a
propitiation, through faith, in His blood” (Rom. 3:22-25). The gospel is
God’s power to save “for everyone who believes . . . for in it the
righteousness of God is revealed” (Rom. 1:16, 17); that is, forgiveness of
sin, the means whereby man is made righteous. Since belief comes by hearing
God’s word (Rom. 10:17), His word, the gospel, must be preached.
The commandment
of Jesus to go “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt.
28:19) and “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature” (Mark 16:15) not only indicates the universal nature of sin,
but shows the universal nature of God’s grace. Christ died for everyone.
Why then are not all saved? Some are not saved because they choose not to
believe. Because we are free moral agents, we each one must choose to
receive God’s word or rejected it. Faith saves us as we hear the word of
God, believe it, and receive it in obedience (see Acts 2:41). It is the
word that produces faith and that word has come from God. But the choice to
believe and obey still belongs to us.
Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Is this invitation a sham,
or is it real?
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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