Hating all to follow Jesus?

This is very extreme language wouldn’t you agree? This is antithetical to what Jesus and the Bible commands, that we are to love one another – even our enemies. So, why in the world would Jesus demand that we must be willing to hate those most precious to us to be his disciple?

On the surface this demand seems awfully discouraging, but I have learned and continue to learn that Jesus is perfect in all his ways. So even if he says something that admittedly offends my sense of ethics, there is perfect wisdom attached to his statement(s).

In Luke 14:26-27 we read, “If any comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

The word hate is the Greek word miseo. Most common meaning of the word is to be malicious with unjustified feelings of evil toward someone. In relation to our text it means to prefer one thing or someone over another – it does not mean to have ill malicious feelings toward someone. Jesus is not commanding us to literally hate our loved ones, or ourselves. But he is warning us of the cost of true discipleship.

Our love and desire to follow him must be so supreme, that all other relationships must be hated by comparison, or once again held to a far lesser degree than the relationship to follow Jesus our savior.

Let’s view some other passages that echo this same important reality.

In Luke 9:57-62 we read, As they were going along the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In Matthew 10:34-39 we read, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son and daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

In Matthew 16:24-26 we read, Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever desires to lose his life will find it. For what profit to the man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

These four passages above clearly reveal to us that we must be willing to forsake all for Jesus – even to the expense of our families, and even our own lives. Why do we have to pay such a tremendous cost to follow Christ? Well, it is simple. Because he paid the ultimate cost to purchase us, his life on the cross for the remission of our sins (Heb 9:22). It’s only fair and loving that we MUST be willing give our lives for him and the gospel. Jesus made it very clear that if we are unwilling to do this, then we cannot be his disciple; that we are unfit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).

No one has a problem calling Jesus their savior, but a lot of people have a problem with Jesus as their Lord. What that means is he is our master. That means we have no rights of our own. We must do what he commands which of course we will never do perfectly, but we must do faithfully.

Jesus in the verses above gives us all a reality check. We must ask ourselves, “Are we really willing to give all we have for the excellency that is in Jesus Christ?” Or are we playing church with no intent of ever living a crucified life because its dreary, boring, cramps our style and robs us of some superficial joy in this life?

Once we realize that the Christian life is not about us and what we want, but it is about what God demands of us as believers and ambassadors for him, we will be on the path to true practical holiness and sanctification. The Christian life has never been about self-representation, but rather God-representation. Make this the year that you are willing to lose the world and gain your soul, not gain the world and lose your soul (Matt 16:24).

Listen the wisdom of the apostle Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

Philippians 1:29 Paul says, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake.”

Let’s be honest, we all have too much garbage in our lives that makes us ineffective for the kingdom of God. We are nowhere near our potential in Christ. It’s time for true repentance and renewal so that we can begin afresh in our relationship with Christ. Let’s sow to the Spirit instead of to our corrupt flesh (Gal 6:8).

The writer is determined to be more bold and fearless for the kingdom of God for we all are running out of time before Jesus returns for his church. I lovingly present this challenge to all who profess to be believers. Trust me, God knows who truly belong to him (II Tim 2:19).

Let’s get busy. The world is dying all around us. A soul is a terrible thing to waste.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things we be added to you” (Matt 6:33).

Are We to fear God?

                                                             

Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:9).

What does it mean to fear God? The word fear in our culture is a negative. For instance, the word of God tells us God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7) So why is fearing God a good thing, a virtue? A healthy fear[1] of God is acknowledging that 1) He exists, that he is real.  2) We need to fear God for his majesty, there is none like him in all the universe. 3) We need to fear God for his power. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. 4) We need to fear God for his provision, that he meets our needs. 5) We need to be afraid of God when we sin for we displease him. We need to run to him and beg forgiveness for he is merciful (1 John 1:9).

Continuing this theme, fearing God is also to be in awe of him to the degree that we submit our lives to him in obedience to his commands. Those who do not fear God, act like he does not exist so therefore they live their entire lives in rebellion, hating God and hating the people of God. This is most of the world. These are the same people that will be literally of afraid of God when his wrath is unleashed on the entire world for its sins. Also, those who do not have a healthy fear of God blame him for the things that are going wrong in the world, and in their personal lives. It is the nature of sinful man to refuse to acknowledge that he is the problem for the way things are, and to shift the blame on someone else. Usually, it is God that is the number one scapegoat and fall guy.

This is what the Bible has to say about those who do not fear God, “There is none righteous, no not one. There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God (emphasis added). They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no not one. Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace they have not known. Verse 18 of the same chapter says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (italics mine, Rom 10:10-18).

This is the woefully one hundred percent perfect description of the fallen adamic condition of mankind. Without God we are a hopeless mess ready to bust hell wide open!!

This aforementioned describes those who do not fear God.

It is not unhealthy to fear God if that fear translates into loving willful obedience. This holy fear speaks of a genuine relationship with God. Jesus said it this way, “If you love me keep my commandments” (John 14:15, 21).  So the relationship is quite elementary, if we love and fear God, we will do what he says. If one hates God, they will ordinarily do two things; 1) Prove they are a fool by declaring God does not exist (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). Or 2) create a God in their own image which is idolatry. It is hypocritical of anyone to claim to love God and refuse to obey him.  

  

So in the final analysis, we have only two people in the world, those who fear God and those who do not. Those who genuinely fear the Lord love him and not only obey him faithfully but teach others to obey him as well (2 Tim 2:2). These represent the wise.

Those who do not fear the Lord are fools although they think they are wise. The word fool in Hebrew Is Nabal. Means one who is evil, wicked. One who is morally repugnant. It is fair to call someone a fool in this context,  not in a malicious way, but rather in loving truth so that they can clearly see their foolishness juxtaposed the word of God in the hope they will repent, believe and receive soul salvation.

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[1] One of the words for fear in the Greek is eulabeia. It means caution. It also means a holy reverential

Fear.

Is man good because he does some humanly good things?

If you can get to know someone well you learn things about them, perhaps you learn what their favorite color is, their favorite food, what type of music they enjoy, etc. From there the relationship usually goes into the area of religion and politics. Two things people say we are not to ever discuss. Ironically, it is the two things we probably discuss the most. For this article, I want to discuss religion and worldviews.

If you ask a person if they believe they deserve to go to heaven, most would say, “Yeah!” When you ask them why the general response would be, “Because I am a good person.” Many give to the poor, feed the hungry at the mission centers. Counseled those who have abused alcohol and drugs. Demonstrated through marches and protests for equal rights for all people through the doctrine of civil disobedience and the benevolent deeds go on and on.

These things humanly make our souls feel clean and free wouldn’t you agree?

But, is man actually good? Who determines if someone is good, man or God?

Let’s journey through God’s holy word and explore the truth.

The word good has a few words in the Greek language one of which is agathos. This word is an adjective. It describes that which is good in character or constitution; it is beneficial in its effect.

The Bible tells us that God is good and his mercy endures to all generations (Psalm 100:5). Simple verse but extraordinarily powerful. This describes God’s wondrous character. It’s a life verse for me. 

We should meditate on it everyday and praise God for his goodness and mercy toward us.

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus in Luke 18:18-19 asking him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (emphasis added).

So there is our answer. Jesus tells us that only God is good. God is not only good and perfect in his essence, everything he does is good. Good does not exist apart from God.

So, what about man? Since we know that we are not essentially good, how can anything we do be called good?

Man only does good things when it comes from a right heart and motive. Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. By their fruit you shall know them” (Matt 7:17-20).

Fruit in this context is representative of deeds one performs. The tree is a representation of people. Bad or evil people will perform evil deeds. A righteous person will perform good deeds.

People who belong to God have been predetermined by God before the foundation of the world to perform good or righteous works (Eph 2:10). The good we do for the glory of God is enabled by Holy Spirit dwelling on the inside of us.

Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God working in you both to will and do of his good pleasure.

So, the good that we do is a moral and righteous good since we can never be essentially good in this life. Man’s essential goodness was lost when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.

Man at the point inherited a sinful nature.

As a matter of fact, Jesus called man evil. In Luke 11:13 Jesus says, “If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

The word evil in verse thirteen Of Luke 11 is the Greek word poneros. This word means several things: bad, worthless, pernicious. Wickedness in character and indeed.

Jesus acknowledged that unrighteous people can do kind things, but that does not make them good.

Remember, all men whether saved or unsaved still are in the image of God, and although our attributes are corrupted by our sinfulness, we can on occasion do good things. It would deny natural parental instincts not to take care of our own children. No matter how depraved man is, we should do good to our own and others.

Finally, those that are declared righteous in the sight of God are capable of doing good because God has enabled them to do good that pleases him. Any act that does not glorify God may be a naturally kind human act, but it is not an act that pleases God and therefore is evil.

What does it mean that we are made in God's image?

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

    Genesis 1:26

There are misconceptions about what it means to be made in God’s image. Some believe it to mean we as humans are “gods”, or can become “gods”. That is a gross error. Humans can and will never be gods. Not in this life, nor in the life to come. Even in mythology gods are immortal which human beings are not; we do eventually die.

So, what does it mean to be made in God’s image and likeness? How is man like God?

The word image in Hebrew is tseh’-lem which means a phantom, resemblance, representative figure.     

The word likeness in the Hebrew is de-mooth which means model, shape, fashion, similitude.

Scripture tells us that God the Father is a Spirit (John 4:24). That is one way we are in God’s image because we are spirits as well within a physical body.

Other ways we are image bearers is that we have will, emotions, we can make choices. God like himself has granted us dominion over the entire earth. We have rule. Man has extreme intelligence. Man has a moral compass; we have ability to make decisions like God does.

God designed man perfect in every way – physically, morally and without sin. Because man has the ability to choose, it means he could be tempted with evil. We know this because Eve was tempted in the Garden of Eden by the serpent and sinned alone with Adam who willfully chose to sin, plunging the entire human race into sin (Rom 5:12;1 Tim 2:13).

Has man lost the image of God because of sin?

All of the above is true despite the fact that man is now a sinner. However, because of sin the image we bear of God is horribly marred, broken due to our rebellion and wickedness. Remember an image of something is a mirror, not an exact replica of it. It is as if we looked at ourselves in a broken mirror. We are looking at ourselves, but the reflection looking back at us is distorted, cracked and shattered. That is the broken image we display to the world when we are out of the will of God. Man will always bear God’s image, but because of the fall, man unashamedly misrepresents their Creator which continually breaks God’s heart.

Enter in the Lord Jesus Christ

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the image of the Father (Col 1:15). The word image in Greek is ēikōn. It means exact likeness. Jesus is the express image of the invisible Father and the perfect representation of him in word and deed. Jesus captures the image of God perfectly. What the first 

Adam destroyed due to sin, Jesus restored through his righteousness.

Jesus displayed the glory of God on earth which is what we all should do. As a matter of fact, that is what we are all commanded to do.

In order for us to understand who we really are, and why we exist, we need to connect to the God who made us, and have a personal relationship with the Savior who redeemed us. We must know who God is so that we know what he demands of us. Knowing who God is gives us revelation of ourselves. This gives one’s life true purpose. When one fails to do that, we do not live for the glory of God, but for ourselves – an earthly glorified life, but a vain eternal life without God.  A life devoid of God is a life devoid of true light and real purpose. That life is based on chance and fate. Since we bear God’s image, and proceed from him, we MUST earnestly implore his plan for our lives. Sadly, the mass of humanity has ignored the God who loves and created them, and has chosen to become God’s enemies instead (Rom 5:10).

All life is precious because God is the author of it. Anyone who blatantly harms or murders born or unborn life not only show hatred of the life taken, but more importantly they show their hatred of God who created that life in his image!! The apostle John spoke these sobering words in his epistle, If someone says, “I love God”, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him: he that loves God must love his brother also (1 John 4:20-21).

Why do I point out these verses of scripture? Because we need to understand our relationship to God is in direction connection on how we treat one another. If we do not treat one another with love and respect, we can and will not treat God with respect. If we are going to love God, we MUST respect the image he placed in the earth – mankind, and ultimately look to Jesus who is perfect visible image of the invisible Father.

Can God Change?

There are numerous places in the Bible where it appears God changes his mind, but that is against what scripture teaches us. Malachi 3:6 tells us the Lord does not change. Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. That should bring tremendous relief to us as believers. Why? Because all the promises of God will remain true forever.

Now, I want to look at some accounts where it “appears” God has changed his mind and try my best to explain the text we are examining.

In Genesis 6:5-7 we read that “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (emphasis added).

And the Lord regretted or was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them” .

Why would God regret creating man when he knew what man would do before he laid the foundations of the earth? From the language it seems like God was caught off guard regarding man’s wicked behavior; it appears God was shocked by man’s evil. Was he? Not at all. Rather the writer of Genesis, Moses is writing from the perspective of God with human emotion and experience. He is writing in what is called the Anthropopathic mode. Human characteristics are being attributed to God.

So in the final analysis, God did not change his mind regarding creating man for everything God made was very good (Gen 1:31), rather he regretted and was sorry how man degenerated in his wickedness. Another proof that God did not change his mind is by virtue of the fact that he saved eight souls in the flood and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen 7:23;9:1).

Jonah and the Ninevites

God commanded the reluctant prophet Jonah to preach one message to Nineveh, “Arise, go to Nineveh that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me” (Jon 1:2).  Jonah initially disobeyed, boarded a ship in Joppa to flee 2200 miles west to Tarshish (believed to be in the region of Spain) from the presence of the Lord (he thought). We know the story,  he was thrown off the ship into the sea, swallowed by a great fish where he was three days, and three nights (vs.17).

Once Jonah prayed and thanked God in the fish, the creature belched and spit Jonah out on dry land (Jonah chapter 2).

God came to Jonah a second time and commanded him to go to Nineveh and preach this warning from the Lord, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he (the king) issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he said he would do to them, and he did not do it (Jon 3:1-10).

I want to examine three things here. First, the only recorded sermon we have of Jonah is only seven words! That’s right, seven words, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah had to travel three days and 600 miles just to deliver these seven words to a nation and city that he hated.

What this tells me is that he was committed to declaring God’s truth in enemy territory.

The second thing that is very important to point out is the import of Jonah’s seven-word sermon was enough for Nineveh to believe God and repent in sackcloth and ashes. This type of behavior was an expression of extreme grief and anguish in ancient times. One would take off their clothes, but on garments of humiliation, usually with fasting and implore God for mercy and forgiveness. That is what the king of Nineveh and every citizen of the city did even as it was proclaimed and published.

They even made the animals fast and wear sackcloth (Jon 3:8).

It took only seven words for Nineveh to get the message that God was warning  them of their evil. Why else would they proclaim a city wide fast and call out mightily to God?

And third, did God change his mind regarding the evil he determined against Nineveh? No. God did not change at all. Rather, Nineveh repented which meant God was able to express his loving kindness and spare them instead of destroying them. God always forgives those who genuinely repent and judges those who refuse to repent when given numerous warnings to do so. God always remains constant in his perfect character.

Had Nineveh refused to repent, they would have been destroyed in 40 days as the prophet Jonah declared. 

Why was Saul chosen as King?

Therein lies an interesting question. We know that because of Saul’s disobedience in not utterly wiping out the Amalekites he was rejected as king of Israel (1 Sam 15:26). We read in the same chapter that God declares to Samuel that he “regretted that he made Saul king for he has turned from following me” (vs. 10).

Didn’t God know Saul would rebel before he chose him as king? Yes. The answer is because God wanted to. Saul despite his wickedness Saul was God’s anointed (1 Sam 24:6).  God made a sovereign choice although it caused the Lord grief when Saul turned his heart away from the Lord.

It is very important to understand that when God said he regretted or was sorry he chose Saul as king over Israel, he didn’t change his mind regarding his choosing as some may think when reading this text. Rather, God was sorry for the wickedness of Saul manifested in his persistent disobedience of the Lord’s commands. How can a leader who is a minister of God (whether they know it or not) be unrighteous and lead God’s people in the ways of sin? That man is a disgrace to the nation, and to God who established his kingdom in righteousness.

Proverbs 16:12 says this, “It is an abomination for kings (or any elected official for that matter) to commit wickedness, for a throne is established by righteousness.”

Saul started out well. God was with them. As indicated by the fact that God’s Spirit was with him (1 Sam 10:7-11). He was victorious in his military campaigns against the nation’s enemies; the Ammonites (1 Sam 11:1-11). The Philistines, the Moabites, the Edomites, and against the Kings of Zobah (1 Sam 14).

Sadly after this is where Saul began his epic decline as God’s servant, the nation’s leader, and king.

God through the prophet Samuel gave Saul one directive; to totally destroy Israel’s enemies the Amalekites. God commanded him to destroy everything that breathes, men and women, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey (1 Sam 15:1-3). God commanded them to be wiped off the face of the earth. Why? Remember God said to Abraham, “I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse those who curse you” (Gen 12:3). The Israelites were the descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac and through Isaac’s son Jacob (who’s name was changed to Israel Gen 32:28). 

The Amalekites were ancient enemies of Israel – all the way back when they left Egypt (Ex 17:8-16). After defeating Amalek, God decreed that he would blot out Amalek from under heaven. As a matter of fact, God had Moses write the decree in a memorial book saying that he promised to destroy them.

Well, that time had finally come, and God commanded Saul to be his executioner. This command was a holy edict that God decreed some four hundred years before and had to be carried out. For Saul to disobey God’s command was to disobey the Almighty himself. The rejection of this holy command was to reject God himself.

  What did Saul do wrong?

First, Saul spared some of the people. Scripture does not tell us how many. How do we know this? Because we find out later in the book that David fought against the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 30:16-20 when Amalek took David’s and his armies’ family hostage. Had Saul obeyed God’s command and totally destroyed Amalek, this would not have happened.

Second, when Saul was rebuked for his disobedience, he was not contrite. He blamed it on his army saying that they took the animals to sacrifice to God. He also spared the king of Amalek, Agag which was also an act of disobedience.

Third, like all of us at some point in our lives when we have done wrong, Saul defends his wrong doing by saying he did obey the voice of the Lord (1 Sam 15:20-21).

Verse twenty-one is interesting. Why? Because Saul determined for himself those things he declared were “good” This short-sightedness tells the writer the Saul was a weak and deficient leader. 

Disobedient and stubborn, just like the people he ruled. Saul was a man after Israel’s rebellious heart. 

Whereas David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14).

Just like Israel rejected God as their king, God rejected Saul as king (1 Sam 8:7;15:23,26).

After this the Bible says the Holy Spirit departed from Saul, and God sent and evil or distressing spirit to torment him (1 Sam 16:14).

It gets worse from the point the Lord departs. Saul becomes I believe mentally disturbed. He is obsessed with killing David because he knows David will become king one day in his place (1 Sam 18:11;19:10,15).

The end is that Saul had become totally apostate and consulted a medium regarding how the battle against the Philistines would fare (1 Sam 28). Why did Saul do this? Because the Lord had departed from him and refused to heed Saul. As a matter of fact Samuel (from the dead)[1] said that Saul was God’s enemy (1 Sam 28:16). Had Saul truly repented of his disobedience, God would have listened to him, and he would not have degenerated to the point where he would have to seek counsel from a witch which was forbidden in Israel and is forbidden today (Lev 19:31).

Saul’s tragic end is he is wounded on the field of battle and his sons are killed. Saul doesn’t want to die by his enemies the Philistines so he draws his sword and commits suicide (1 Sam 31:4).

The wages of sin always end in death (Rom 6:23).

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[1] Consulting the dead was forbidden in Israel. However, God allowed Samuel to talk to Saul beyond the grave. This is the only time in scripture where this occurs. The witch did not expect this to happen. When she realized God (not her) brought up the spirit of Samuel, she was literally terrified to death and knew that is was Saul who had made this request (1 Sam 28:12). Mediums consult with demons or familiar spirits who impersonate the dead, they do not actually bring up the dead themselves.

Which Is More Loving?

I recently had the privilege of reading two books. The first book the author referred to himself as a “Moderate Calvinist”. He believes in an unlimited atonement. As a reminder, those that believe and teach and unlimited atonement position believe that when Jesus died on the cross, he atoned for the sins of everyone that will ever live for all time. No one is left out. The second book is a rebuttal against the first one.[1] The author of the second book states that the atonement of Christ is limited to the elect or chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).

Both views are compelling, and both appear to be supported by scripture. But, which view is correct, the unlimited view or the limited view?

If you believe that Christ died for all men for all time, then you by default believe that he knowingly died for those who will go to hell and pay the penalty for their own sins for eternity. I said numerous times that that is a form of double jeopardy.

Also in the unlimited atonement view, the atonement is powerless to save. Why? Because salvation hinges strictly on the sinner’s choice to believe. All Jesus was able to do was simply make a way or take away some type of barrier for man to incline himself out of unbelief into belief. In other words, Christ did his part by dying for sin. Man must finish what Jesus started by believing so that he can be saved. Man’s belief in the unlimited atonement view completes the salvation process. Negatively, man’s unbelief in the unlimited atonement view neutralizes the Lord’s work on the cross (for him) because in the final analysis the unbeliever dies in sin and is eternally lost.         

So I must ask this question, “What good is an atonement that does not take away sins and guarantees the sinner’s salvation?” In other words, those that believe in an unlimited atonement have to believe that Jesus’ death only produces a potential salvation and not an actual one. Why? Because salvation only becomes actual when the dead in trespasses sinner chooses to believe. Did Jesus die to make salvation only a possibility, or did he die to actually save his people from their sins (Matt 1:21)?        

How will any man who is dead in his sins believe without the Spirit of God resurrecting him (Eph 2:1;Col 2:13)? Jesus said that we must be born again to even see the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5-6). No one came to life naturally on their own. We cannot come to life spiritually on our own either. God must bring us back to life like he did with Lazarus (John 11:43). The physical resurrection of Lazarus is a perfect illustration of what happens to those whom God chooses to give spiritual life to. God has to give us his power for it to take place.

In the limited atonement view, we see the Father sending the Son to die for those whom God chose, his elect, his sheep. All of whom God chose before time will at the precise point in time that he chooses will be absolutely saved. How do I know this? Because this is what God predetermined before the world began. In this way, the atonement is successful. God is not depending upon man to actualize salvation. Rather, God actualizes it from the beginning so that is successful in the end. God grants man repentance and faith so that he will believe when hears the gospel (Eph 2:8; II Tim 2:25).  God is the root cause of salvation because it his gift to man through his Son. And because that is true, the effect of the cause is the salvation of all who believe.

Many will argue against the limited atonement view by saying things like, “You in the reform camp are alleging Jesus died for only the elect and not the non-elect?  Dying for some and not all means God is not all loving! That’s not fair!” Others will declare that the limited view over emphasizes God’s sovereignty and violates the free will of man. “If God is choosing in eternity past who he will save, then those chosen really have no choice but to be saved right”? In other words, those who misunderstand the limited atonement position believe God is saving people against their will. Like I have said in previous articles, man’s will is never violated by God, rather God’s is activating or empowering the corrupt will of man through his loving choosing of that man so that he willingly comes to the Son who was sent by the Father to save him in the first place. And as I stated before, If God does not lovingly interrupt our lives to resurrect our dead spirits then no one could ever be saved. We must remember man is a walking corpse in this world without the Lord. We will not seek God on our own (Rom 3:11). God must seek us first so that we desire by His power to seek him.

John said it this way, “We love him because he first loved us” (I John 4:19).

With this insight we understand why Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life.” Because of the Father’s love for his world, he sent his only Son to save those who would believe in him.

So, which is more loving, Jesus dying for every man that will ever live, but saving no one in particular because he has to hope man has enough inherent goodness within himself to will himself from unbelief to belief on his own, or Jesus dying for those whom the Father chose before time again as a gift to the Son for him to come and redeem thus guaranteeing their salvation forever? I choose the latter for that is what the Bible teaches – a limited atonement, not a universal atonement.

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[1] The first book is “Chosen But Free” by Norman Geisler

The second is “The Potter’s Freedom” by James White