Question Time

What about evangelism?

• “But we can’t use this in evangelism, it’s a terrible doctrine…”

• Really? What about the first sermon ever preached by a Christian?

• Acts 3:37 – The Jews, having heard Peter’s sermon, were ‘cut to the heart.’ They asked Peter and the apostles –

‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’…

Peter’s Reply

Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…

For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off…

as many as the Lord our God will call.

What about resisting God’s will?

• Deuteronomy 5:29 – “Oh, that they had such a heart in

them that they would fear Me and always keep all My

commandments, that it might be well with them and

with their children forever!”

What about resisting God’s will?• Deut 28:28 – The LORD will strike you with

madness and blindness and confusion of heart.

• Deut 29:4 – Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.

• Deut 30:6 – And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

• Proverbs 16:1 – The preparations of the heart..., 16:9 – A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps…; Proverbs 21:1 – King’s heart in the hand of the Lord...;

• Proverbs 20:24 – A mans steps are ordained by the Lord, how then can he understand his own way…

This is the consistent witness of the Scriptures

• The story of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

• He was told in a dream what would happen…

• He ate grass like oxen for seven years…

• Just so he would know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses (Daniel 4:25).

• He responded with the worldwide tract exalting the sovereignty of God.

• Daniel 4:34–5: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?”

Consistent witness…

Consistent witness…• The story of Job

• The Lord has given and the Lord has taken

away…

• He questions God’s justice in taking away a

righteous man’s life…

• God rebuked him for three chapters…

• Job repented in dust and ashes, acknowledged

that God can do everything, and that no purpose

of His can be withheld from Him…(Job 42:2).

• Don’t miss the whole message of Job!!!!!

• The story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection

• The people were gathered together to do

whatever Your hand and Your purpose

determined before to be done…(Acts 4:28).

• Salvation:

• Acts 13:48 – Now when the Gentiles heard this,

they were glad and glorified the word of the

Lord. And as many as had been appointed to

eternal life believed.

Consistent witness…

What about 2 Peter 3:9?

• 2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slack

concerning His promise, as some count

slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,

not willing that any should perish but that

all should come to repentance.

Yes, but have you read the context?

• 2 Peter 3:8-9 – But, beloved, do not forget this one thing,

that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a

thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack

concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is

longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should

perish but that all should come to repentance.

What about 1 John 2:2• This does not mean that Christ died with the intention to appease the wrath of God

for every person in the world, but that the "sheep," "the children of God" scattered

throughout the whole world, "from every tongue and tribe and people and nation" are

intended by the propitiation of Christ.

• John 11:51-52, "He prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the

nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."

• 1 John 2:2, "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the

sins of the whole world."

• The "whole world" refers to the children of God scattered throughout the whole world.

• If "the whole world" referred to every individual in the world, we would be forced to

say that John is teaching that all people will be saved, which he does not believe

(Revelation 14:9-11). If Christ is the propitiation for all the sins of every individual in

the world, they cannot be punished, and must be saved.

What about 1 John 2:2• Mark 10:45, in accord with Revelation 5:9,does not say that Jesus came to ransom all men. It

says, "For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a

ransom for many."

• Similarly in Matthew 26:28 Jesus says, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out

for many for the forgiveness of sins.“ Hebrews 9:28, "So Christ, having been offered once to

bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not deal with sin but to save those who are

eagerly waiting for him." (See also 13:20; Isaiah 53:11-12.)

Ephesians 5:25-27. "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify

her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present the

church to Himself in splendor.“ The intended effect of the death of Christ is the sanctification

and glorification of the church.

Titus 2:14 "He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a

people of His own who are zealous for good deeds."

What about John 12:32?• “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all

peoples to Myself." (John 12:32).

• Does this teach universal drawing (and then salvation)?

• Please don’t forget the context (an exegetical fallacy).

• “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came

up to worship at the feast… and asked him, saying, "Sir,

we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:20-21).

• Now Jesus is being sought by Gentiles, and He

recognizes that ‘the hour has come for the Son of Man to

be glorified.’

• The context:

• “…the crowd of people who stood by and [hearing]…Jesus said

“…Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will

be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all

peoples to Myself.”

• Two points –

1. Context points to the drawing of all peoples (Jews and Greeks)

that He has called.

2. Does the Cross draw every person? No, it’s a stumbling block

to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:22

– 24).

What about John 12:32?

What about Matthew 23:37?

• "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and

stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather

your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her

wings, but you were not willing!”

• Some Arminians like Dr. Norman Geisler conclude from this

passage that

1) Jesus wanted to save the people He’s talking about

2) Even though this was His desire, He couldn’t do it

3) Christ couldn’t do it because these people ‘would not’

4) Therefore, God’s grace is dependent on the will of man.

• Does this mean that if man is not willing, God’s grace will not

prevail? This question needs some looking at:

What about Matthew 23:37?

• Lets look at the context. Who is this ‘Jerusalem’? Is it

(as assumed), individual Jews?

• Matthew 23 contains the strongest words against the

Pharisees and leaders in the New Testament. It is they

of whom the passage speaks, seen in the facts:

– It is to the leaders that God sent prophets

– It was the Jewish leaders who killed the prophets

– He speaks of ‘your children’: obviously referring to the leaders

– The actual context of the passage refers to Jewish leaders

What about Matthew 23:37?• Therefore, we see the individual Jews were actually hindered by the leaders.

• “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of

heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who

are entering to go in” (Matt 23:13).

• When you read the Gospels, you will find that often the crowds are attracted to

Jesus’ ministry. It is the leaders of the Jews however, that publicly work against

Him to discredit His Messiahship.

• The persons whom Christ would have gathered are not represented as being

unwilling to be gathered but their rulers were not willing that they should. Notice this

important difference.

• The opposition was not made by the individual people, but by their governors.

• This is obviously not about them resisting the operations of the Spirit and grace of

God, but of obstructions and discouragements thrown in the way of attendance on

the external ministry of the Word.

What About 1 Timothy 2:4?

This is good and acceptable in

the sight of God our Savior,

who desires all men to be

saved and to come to the

knowledge of the truth. (1

Timothy 2:3-4)

Lets consider the passage in context.

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,

petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,

for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may

lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

who desires all men to be saved and to come to the

knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one

mediator also between God and men, the man Christ

Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony

borne at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:1-6)

What About 1 Timothy 2:4?

The first appearance of the phrase “all men” comes at the end of

verse 1. Who is Paul referring to here? Does he mean all men

universally (every single man, woman and child) or all kinds or

classes of men?

It is quite clear that Paul did not have the exhaustive population of the

earth in mind when he instructed Timothy to make entreaties, prayers,

petitions and thanksgivings on behalf of “all men.” This would be

quite impossible.

The following verse explains Paul’s meaning. “For kings and all who

are in authority.” These are particular classes of men.

What About 1 Timothy 2:4?

This way of speaking (i.e. using “all men” to mean all kinds of

men) is popular.

“A renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and

Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave

and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11)

This does not mean that Christ is ‘in’ all men women and children

ever, but Christians. This is similar factor in Galatians 3:28 and

Acts 22:15.

If we are to be consistent with the preceding context we will see

“all men” in verse 4 in the same manner as “all men” in the

proceeding verses. All kinds of men, whether rulers or kings.

What About 1 Timothy 2:4?

If “all men” refers to all men exhaustively then we

face a huge problem in verses 5 and 6.

This would mean that Christ is the mediator for all

men exhaustively (verse 5).

This means that Christ fails in His role as

mediator every time a person negates His work

by their all-powerful act of free will.

What About 1 Timothy 2:4?

"He is the propitiation for our

sins, and not for ours only but

also for the sins of the whole

world." (1 John 2:2)

WHAT ABOUT 1 JOHN 2:2?

WHAT ABOUT 1 JOHN 2:2?

This should be understood in the way that the previous verses are understood. That Jesus’ death was for the children of God scattered throughout the whole world, from every tongue and tribe and people and nation.

The grammatical parallel between 1 John 2:2 and John 11:51-52 is so close that it is difficult to escape this conclusion.

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)

“he prophesied that Jesus should die for

the nation, and not for the nation only, but

to gather into one the children of God

who are scattered abroad.” (John 11:51-52)

WHAT ABOUT 1 JOHN 2:2?

If “the whole world” refers to every individual in

the world, we would be forced to believe in

universalism.

The term refers to the removal of

wrath from sinners. Propitiated sins cannot be

punished, otherwise propitiation loses its

meaning.

The “whole world” refers to the children of God

scattered throughout the whole world.

WHAT ABOUT 1 JOHN 2:2?

propitiation

"For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Jesus says, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28)

"So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him." (Hebrews 9:28)

REDEMPTION FOR THE MANY

"Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present the church to Himself in splendor." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Here we are not only told the intended beneficiary

of the death of Jesus (the Church), but also the

intended effect. He died to sanctify and glorify

her, to actually save her (see also Titus 2:14).

THE INTENDED EFFECT OF PARTICULAR REDEMPTION

THE SWEETNESS OF ROMANS 8:32 DESTROYED IN UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT

"He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up

for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him?”

(Romans 8:32)

If God gave His own Son for unbelievers who in the

end are lost, then He cannot say that the giving of the

Son guarantees "all things" for the those for whom He

died. But this is what He does say! If God gave His

Son for you, then He most certainly will give you all

things. The structure of Paul's thought here is simply

destroyed by introducing the idea that Christ died for

all men in the same way.