Subject: Is Limited Atonement Bibical? |
Bible Note: Dear brother John; If you go back to the initial post, where I asked this question that started this discussion, you will see that I gave personal background information about my self. In that, I shared, how I began my life with Christ as a Calvinist. I accepted and believed in all the 5 points of Calvinism. I read Calvin. I was taught Calvinism, I fellowshipped 2 or more times a week with Calvinist's. It was only after a long period of time spent in God's word, that the teachings of Calvinism became to appear more and more unScriptural to me. These days, the more I look into God's word, the more I personally see the errors of that teaching. So it's not as if I haven't looked at or ever studied Calvinistic teachings, because I have. These days I get accused of being an Arminian. I have not yet come to the point where I can personally say I am an Arminian. If any of my thoughts seem to reflect the Arminian position on this topic, it is not because I have studied Arminian teaching, rather my thoughts have been formed about this soley due to God's word. Currently I attend and am a member of a Christian Missionary Alliance Church. Now if you check into what they believe, I think you will see that they are not considered as being Arminian. At this time I enjoy attending there, and have felt I have the liberty at this church to express my conclusions drawn from Scripture. In the past seven years, I have taught adult Sunday school classes, and continue to lead an in-home small cell group. Even within the church I attend, we don't all agree with each other on all topics. Among the attenders and members, we have disagreements on things like the timing of the rapture, eternal security, etc. etc. But we do agree that each of us must be convinced about the truth, not through denominational creeds or catechism's etc. but rather be convinced about what we each believe through Scripture, which is our final authority for all faith and practice. I hope this helps you to understand me a bit better. In your reply, you mentioned "Unconditional Atonement" Did you mean Unlimited Atonement. Was that a mere typo? Finally, scripture says: "He died for all" 2 Cor. 5:15 Savation has been made universally available to all. Being made universally available doesn't mean all will be saved. Only those who appropriate that free offer of salvation by faith will receive it. He is the propitiation for our sins, but NOT FOR OUR SINS ONLY, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 Let me finish my reply to you with something I agree with that Calvinist, Charles Spurgeon once said: In his sermon on Sunday morning, March 24, 1861, on Isaiah 1:18, Spurgeon said: Some of my brethren go to the length of asserting that there are no universal INVITAIONS in the Word of God. I have a big net this morning -- Oh, that we might all be caught in its meshes! There is not one of us today who can be exempt from this INVITATION; NONE ARE EXCLUDED hence, BUT THOSE WHO DO THEMSELVES EXCLUDE; With Christ-like love zach_† |