# The source of universal atonement



## MW (Nov 28, 2013)

John Kennedy (Man's Relations to God, 95-96):

There is in every soul, in whom conscience is active, a feeling of insecurity. There is, in every mind, containing any acquaintance with gospel truth, the idea that an interest in Christ’s death is essential to safety. There is in every unrenewed heart a desire to avoid the necessity of dealing with a personal Saviour, and to attain to hope, through the gospel, without being “born again.” The figment of a universal atonement has been produced to meet this craving. It is just the gospel perverted to suit the taste of proud carnal man. “Christ died for all, and therefore for me; I believe this, and therefore I shall be saved,” are the stages of an easy journey to the hope of peace. But there is a triple error here – the personal reference is separated from the gracious design of the death of Christ; the death is dissociated from the person of Christ; and the work of the Holy Ghost is ignored.


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## MW (Nov 28, 2013)

Joshua, the work is in the public domain and the quotation is free to be spread to the ends of the earth. Blessings!


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## Mr. Bultitude (Nov 28, 2013)

armourbearer said:


> the personal reference is separated from the gracious design of the death of Christ; the death is dissociated from the person of Christ



I'm not sure I fully understand these two things.


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## Contra_Mundum (Nov 29, 2013)

Mr. Bultitude said:


> armourbearer said:
> 
> 
> > the personal reference is separated from the gracious design of the death of Christ; the death is dissociated from the person of Christ
> ...



The quote itself is most excellent. Thanks to Rev.Winzer for finding/posting it. I will try to do justice to the author in explaining it.

1. The error states that "for me" is separated from the _intent_ or _design_ of God for his Atonement. The true and correct view is that the Atonement is _*particular*,_ that is, for the elect.

2. The death Christ died is depersonalized, because (according to the error) he does not actually die for anyONE's sins, but for an ideal, for sin-in-the-abstract. It is no longer the case that in his (real) death, I died--that it was MY death (if it were the case: that he died for me, but due to my unbelief or some other factor I yet died). I do not "make" his death mine by faith; or else he died, and that death is divided from his Person (in that not all he died for are eventually united to him).

If Christ died for anyone who does not enjoy everlasting life, then plainly man's death is not essentially *penal*. But this is exactly what Gen.2 declares it to be, from the very beginning. Man's death is not natural (the hypothetical is made irrelevant by revelation from the very beginning); a natural death would simply enter him into a natural (impersonal) state, and not one essentially (de)merited by his disobedience. Christ does not die a "natural" death in any sense of the word. Therefore, his death cannot be "unavailing" for the least for whom he offered himself (if it is personal, if he embraced it).


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## MW (Nov 29, 2013)

Mr. Bultitude said:


> I'm not sure I fully understand these two things.



To build on Rev. Buchanan's clear explanation -- the personal reference is "all men, therefore me." The special design is "penal substitution in reference to God." The special design must be ignored in order to make the atonement about each and every individual person. It cannot be that Christ effectively stood as covenant representative and legal substitute in the place of men who will ultimately perish.

The second error is that it changes the object of faith offered in the Gospel. The object of faith is the person and work of Christ. The Gospel proclaims the fitness and sufficiency of Christ as a Saviour to all who come to Him. Universal atonement preaches a subjective salvation "for me" in the place of the objective reality which is accomplished in the person and work of Christ. The death is severed from the person of Christ and a new object of faith is offered to the gospel hearer.


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