1. CLOGHER VALLEY BIBLE CLASS

2. THE REFORMED FAITH A STUDY IN THEOLOGY AND DOCTRINE

3. TULIP  T otal Depravity of Man  U nconditional Election  L imited Atonement or Particular Redemption  I rrestible Grace or Effectual Calling  P erseverance of the Saints or Eternal Security

4. TULIP Limited Atonement

5. THE TERMINOLOGY 1:The term is unfortunate and excites the enemies of sound doctrine because it seems to imply that the power of the atonement is limited. 2:This is untrue because Calvinists fervently believe that the blood of Christ is able to save the whole world of men. 3:The atonement is limited however as far as those who receive the benefits of it are concerned. 4:Therefore the term PARTICULAR REDEMPTION is in many respects more exact.

6. THE LOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR PARTICULAR REDEMPTION Christ died with a definite purpose in mind. The purpose was based upon what God had decided when he chose the elect. Therefore the atonement of Christ was particular because he had the elect of his Father in mind. He died for the church.

7. JOHN OWEN’S FAMOUS ARGUMENT Either: AChrist died for all of the sins of all of the men; in which case all must be saved. or BChrist died for some of the sins of some of the men; in which case none are saved. or CChrist died for all of the sins of some of the men; in which case some will be saved. C is only argument which makes scriptural and logical sense – the some are the elect

8. THE KEY ARGUMENT A universal atonement makes salvation possible upon condition of man accepting it A limited atonement makes salvation certain for the elect Which did Christ come to accomplish? Which emphasises man who cannot save himself and which emphasises God whose grace alone brings us to salvation?

9. BIBLICAL ARGUMENTS FOR PARTICULAR REDEMPTION

10. THE PROMISES OF GOD IN THE ETERNAL COVENANT Isaiah 53:10-11 If Christ knew the outcome of his sufferings before he died, did he therefore not die for those who would be saved, the elect?

11. CHRIST CAME TO DO THE FATHER’S WILL Hebrews 10:7, John 6:38, John 6:37-39, John 17: 1,2,6,9,24 If God’s will was that the elect would be saved then it follows that the Lord died particularly for those people

12. The Nature of the Atonement The Atonement was Christ paying our debt to God; this is known as the redemption or the ransom of sinful men If the debts of all men were paid on Calvary then all men are free. This is plainly not the case; John 8:21, 9:41 and Matthew 25:41 On the other hand the Bible teaches that the Lord died for his sheep and offered himself a ransom for many; John 10:11 and Matthew 20:28

13. CHRIST AS OUR INTERCESSOR FOCUSES SOLEY UPON THE ELECT Hebrews 7:25, 9:24, John 17:9 and Romans 8:33-34 Our Lord’s priesthood follows on from his atonement as they are part of the same office of priest. Therefore he must intercede for those whom he died to save, the elect

14. THE EXPLICIT STATEMENTS OF SCRIPTURE Isaiah 53:8 Psalm 22:30-31 Matthew 1:21 Luke 1:68 Acts 20:28 Ephesians 5:25 John 11:49-52

15. THE TEXTS WHICH SEEM TO CONTRADICT THE DOCTRINE OF PARTICULAR REDEMPTION

16. 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14 “One died for all” The context would show that those for whom Christ died are new creatures. This is not all inclusive statement because all men are not converted Therefore the word all signifies all the elect, not all men universally

17. 1 TIMOTHY 2:5-6 “a ransom for all” The word all in scripture may mean all kinds of people or each and every individual. Mark 1:5 is a clear example of all kinds of people because John did not baptize every individual in Judea If we allow scripture to interpret itself I believe that here we are taught that our Lord died for people from every race and nation as opposed to every individual. Otherwise the Bible is contradicting itself.

18. Hebrews 2:9 “taste death for every man” In the same passage we read of our Lord bringing many sons to glory and becoming one with them. Therefore the “every man” here are these very people; the elect who will be in heaven.

19. THE WORD WORLD IN THE WRITINGS OF JOHN John 3:16-17, John 6:51, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:14 John wrote primarily for the Jews and the Greeks. Therefore he used the word world to show that the Jews no longer knew God exclusively but the gospel had relevance for every nation.

20. TIP FOR BIBLE STUDY Interpret the passage within the context of the book and within the general teachings of the entire Bible

21. FOR NEXT TIME 1:We shall consider Irresistible Grace 2:This brings us to the Spirit’s Work 3:Look up the Shorter Catechism on Effectual Calling 4:Read the proof texts 5:If you don’t have a Catechism with proofs look up verses which teach the necessity of the Spirits work in salvation