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NASB | Romans 5:6 ¶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 5:6 ¶ While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. |
Subject: Christ dying only for elect? |
Bible Note: Believing in unlimited atonement by no means attempts to 'tie the hands of the Almighty'! I am not saying that Christ's work is in any way 'limited' or that there are 'limitations' for Him. There are not any hindrances or limitations for Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 55:11) Therefore, by supporting 'unlimited atonement' (that Christ died for the godly and the ungodly, for everyone), I am in no way saying or supporting: 1) That Christ wasted His time and lacked foresight by dying for those whom He had not chosen to salvation (Eph. 1), 2) That Christ is defeated if He died for all men and all men aren't saved, 3) That Christ has paid in full the sins of those that will be lost, 4) That Christ's prayer in John 17 was only for the elect. I hope that you are not misunderstanding what I am trying to say here: I do not support any of the above things, and there is no limit to Christ and His word, of fulfilling and succeeding in the matter that He sent it (Isaiah 55:11).To answer the above statements: Christ showed the ultimate foresight and wisdom by dying for all of man's sin on the cross so that not only could He release all humanity from the bondage of sin and provide, for each and every human being, a 'way out' of sin, but he could render judgment upon satan forever, who stands to accuse us as he makes war against those who believe in Christ. You see, Christ had to make this option, a choice to live- the Way to salvation, available to every single human being so that we could have the will to accept or to decline His lordship in our lives. How could the Lord single out certain people that He died for if He is 'no respecter of persons'? (Acts 10:34). It does not matter who you are or where you live, you have the option to accept Jesus Christ and live and reign forever with Him in paradise. The problem is, is that people do not realize that this 'choice' should not be taken 'lightly' and that they should not continue to live for themselves in this world (and so reject Christ) but to live for Christ (and so become one of the elect). Few are chosen (Matt. 7:14), but it is God's desire that more would find this Way of life and turn to Him (Luke 15:1-7). We must not lose sight of His love for us. He does not want us to perish! In this way, he has given every man every chance, every opportunity to come to Him, he died for every man's sins! But man is the one who makes the tragic, conscious choice to reject God, even though God knew beforehand who would reject Him (Luke 22:21-23) but He had His hand out, extended to the one who would reject Him (giving him every chance possible), even though God knew in His sovereignty beforehand who would reject Him. And even though He knows, I have to imagine that this breaks His heart! Do these people realize just what they are doing by turning away from Him? How can Jesus show His ultimate love for humankind if He has not extended to every man and woman who has ever been born the opportunity of salvation by dying for every person's sins? However, if people reject Him and His free gift to all humankind, then they will have chosen not to accept this free gift of Christ and they will die in their own sins. They will have revoked this offer, making Christ's offer void to them at the time of death, making it impossible for Christ to cover over their sins because they did not accept His free gift. So in rejection of Christ's gift, then yes, the atonement is then 'limited' because of man's choice. But Christ has made this choice free for all men to potentially accept, therefore making the offer of this atonement 'unlimited'. For if He had not made it open and free to everyone to accept, then satan would not stand condemned, since satan then could claim ownership of those whom Christ did not die for. In this way, Jesus has obtained the keys to both sin and death and pronounced victory over satan for all time by defeating him at the cross and making salvation possible for every human by dying for every human being's sins, and not just for those who will accept His free gift. |