The Atonement Series

One of the most often heard statements is that I never argue

about politics and religion. The motive behind this is often a

legitimate desire to avoid needless controversy that only arouses

emotion but solves nothing. To avoid controversy, however, ought

never be the goal of the Christian, for this could lead to never taking

a stand on anything. We are to live a quiet and peaceable life in all

godliness, but not at the price of ceasing to be Christian and

spreading Christian truths. It is true that much controversy is

better off avoided, but to avoid all controversy is to avoid all witness

to the truth.

We have a pathetically poor vision of our task if we think that

peaceful co-existence with error is our goal. Controversy cannot be

eliminated if we are combating the false philosophies of the world.

It is also true that controversy is almost impossible to avoid within

the church if we really want to get a full grasp of biblical truth.

There are a variety of viewpoints in Christian theology. If one is

going to fully understand God's Word they need to examine both

Calvinism and Armenianism. Margaret E. Kuhn in her book You

Can't Be Human Alone offers a word of valuable insight.

"Church leaders have tended often to emphasize group

consensus and agreement as virtues to be protected at all cost. They

have believed that agreement is absolutely necessary to hold a group

together, without understanding that cohesiveness is not a

matter of agreement, but of healthy interaction among group

members with differing viewpoints, capabilities, and roles. Thus

they avoid controversial issues and forego spiritual adventure

for the sake of "Unity." Perhaps this is one important reason

why church organizations go stale. If a group is too complete

in its agreement, it loses its spirit, and there can be no real growth

or change in its members, or of the group-as-a-whole. It becomes

an aggregate of contented cows."

We certainly do not want to be a group of contented cows, and so

we are going to consider one of the most controversial issues in

theology. It concerns the question, for whom did Christ die?

Orthodox Christians have taken two positions. The Armenian says

the atonement of Christ was universal and for all men. The

Calvinist says it was limited and only for the elect. There are some

Calvinist who agree with the belief that the atonement was

universal.

Lets begin our search for a solution to the controversy by

examining the text in verse 4. Paul has urged believers to pray for

all men, and specifically for those in authority, for this is good and

acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who, says Paul, wants all

men to be saved. He is our savior now, but he is the potential savior

of all men, and so pray for them. If they come to the knowledge of

the truth, they can be saved just as we are. God's plan of salvation

is as universal as His creation. He made all, and He is willing to

remake all. All who receive the gift of His Son will have eternal life.

It is important to see here that God desires all men to be saved.

It does not say He decrees all to be saved. If He did, we would be

compelled to be universalists, who believe all will certainly be saved.

Calvinists and Armenians agree that not all will be saved, but they

disagree as to why. Calvinists say that all men here does not mean

all individual men, but all classes of men, such as the rich and poor,

and Jews and Gentiles. God desires men of all classes to be saved.

This is certainly true, but the Armenian says this does not cover the

whole truth of the passage. God wants, not only men of all classes to

be saved, but all men of all classes, and no one is excluded, for all

can come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Gnostics, one of the great heretical groups in the early

church, taught that only the elite could be saved and come to the

knowledge of the truth. Gnostic comes from the Greek word used in

verse 4, which is gnosis. They were the ones who had the saving

knowledge, but most were too ignorant to grasp the truth. Paul

made it clear that none are excluded, but that the saving truth is

simple enough for all to grasp and be saved, and so all true

Christians reject the Gnostic heresy. They agree that some

knowledge is needed to be saved. It is the truth that makes men free.

The intellect does play a role in our salvation, for it is only with the

mind that a man can come to the knowledge of the truth. Calvin