Words that Calvinists IGNORE

[chestertonrules]

You're only contesting one point of Calvinism: Limited Atonement. God is 100% Sovereign. Salvation is 100% Grace. Only the elect receive salvation in this lifetime. Total inability is sound.

One at a time, of course. Calvinists occasionally even get something right.

Even a blind squirrel...

Limited atonement is not scripturally sound, as I have demonstrated. Jesus died for all men, the world, every man, etc. It is biblical. Those who don't refuse his grace will be saved.

Of course God is 100% sovereign, but that doesn't make him a sadistic monster who condemns his own creations to eternal torment for behaving the way he created them to behave! Can you honestly tell me that isn't what Calvinism teaches?

Grace is the first step in salvation, and we can't be saved without it. However, the grace of Jesus is offerred to the whole world, and God wants us all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. The next step is up to us. Do we accept or refuse this free gift? To accept, we must pick up our cross and follow.

The elect are those who remain in the love of Jesus, those who obey his commands. God already knows who will reject him.

Total inability is distorted.

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
John 12:31-32

All people!! Even Calvinists!!!

Calvinists then will have the opportunity to resist the grace of Jesus. Don't do it!!

• Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. Rom. 5:18

• For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

• 
  Rom 11:32

So all men were totally depraved and imprisoned UNTIL that one man's act.(what was his name??) NOW, thanks to God's mercy, ALL, that's right ALL men can be justified.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1-2

Great news!! Jesus died for all of us, not just you Calvinists!! Praise be to God.

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the ELECT?!”
John 1:29

Is this what your bible says?

 

[chestertonrules]

I'm going to state this clearly. Please bring your proof that hell is not eternal and that everyone is saved and Jesus really is the Savior of all men.

It's refreshing to see a Calvinist state something clearly. Isn't that a heresy?


You must refute hell being eternal to refute the position of Limited Atonement. You must prove that the reprobate go through the lake of fire, all evil is destroyed, and then the reprobate are recreated by God. Otherwise, the atonement is limited. Period. Even though the scripture says the atonement is unlimited.

Sorry, that's gibberish. The atonement was sufficient for all men, and God desires that all men accept his free gift. However, he won't force us. Jesus died for all men, but not all men will benefit due to their own refusal.

- John 3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

This seems to be a decision that God left up to us, don't you think?
Who refuses to believe?


You've detected an error. The Calvinist system states limited atonement while the many scriptures you've stated clearly state unlimited atonement. But what's the error?? Translation error in stating unlimited atonement... or translation error in stating an eternal punishment??

Two different subjects. The atonement is unlimited in that it is available to all men. Calvinists claim that God created some men for the express purpose of damning them.

 

[chestertonrules]

Hi nobdysfool,

Awwww... thank you. Did you read that article by John Murray on The Atonement?? It was so great, I would have given him a standing ovation live and in person. It was excellent. One of the best works I've ever read on The Atonement.

I try to be patient... with this whole view that God is not Sovereign.

It's just a good thing He is!!

Grace and peace.

God is sovereign, and he created us in his image.

God is sovereign, and he wants ALL men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

God is sovereign, and he will judge us for our works impartially.

God is sovereign, and he loved the WORLD so much that he sent his son to die for us.

God is sovereign, and he created us with the ability accept or reject his grace.

God is sovereign, and John Calvin wasn't!

 

[nobdysfool]

God forbid that He would force you to do something against your will, even if it was to save you....Parents force their children to do things they don't want all the time, because they love their children. Your portrayal of God actually shows Him to be less loving than fallen human parents.

Get it straight. Calvinists do not teach that God forces anyone to do anything against their will. That is a lie from Hell. You have told more lies about Calvinism than anyone else I've ever seen.

 

[nill]

You have told more lies about Calvinism than anyone else I've ever seen.

Honestly. His Calvinist ex-girlfriend dumped him.

 

[chestertonrules]

God forbid that He would force you to do something against your will, even if it was to save you....


Get it straight. Calvinists do not teach that God forces anyone to do anything against their will. That is a lie from Hell. You have told more lies about Calvinism than anyone else I've ever seen.

I always find it amusing that Calvinists are so anxious to deny their beliefs!

From a five points Calvinist site:

Grace is irresistible in the sense that by it the knee is bent which otherwise would not bend; the heart is softened that otherwise is hard as stone. Nor is there anything which can prevent the accomplishment of that purpose of God to save His people by His grace.

http://www.prca.org/fivepoints/chapter4.html

If nothing can prevent this purpose, this irresistible grace, then God forces it upon the elect. To say otherwise is blatantly dishonest or silly.

 

[nill]

Anything I have said thus far.

Nothing new, original, or even slightly interesting. You insist on just telling Calvinists they're wrong over and over again... only it doesn't work when the proof you try to use is shown to be wrong over and over.

For instance, the entire premise of this post. It's been shown to you that Calvinists do not ignore the verses, but have pondered them and explained them. What do you do? SIT HERE AND FOAM AT THE MOUTH, ANYWAY.

You have zero academic or theological problem with Calvinism, because when the proof is given to you, you continue your whining. You have an emotional problem with Calvinism and an emotional problem in your head. Like, an enormously unhealthy fixation.

 

[nill]

I always find it amusing that Calvinists are so anxious to deny their beliefs!

From a five points Calvinist site:

Grace is irresistible in the sense that by it the knee is bent which otherwise would not bend; the heart is softened that otherwise is hard as stone. Nor is there anything which can prevent the accomplishment of that purpose of God to save His people by His grace.

http://www.prca.org/fivepoints/chapter4.html

If nothing can prevent this purpose, this irresistible grace, then God forces it upon the elect. To say otherwise is blatantly dishonest or silly.

Are you that messed up in the head? You argue viciously for "free will," and you show no understanding of what the "will" actually is! Otherwise, you wouldn't say something so obnoxious as you just did.

 

[nobdysfool]

I always find it amusing that Calvinists are so anxious to deny their beliefs!

From a five points Calvinist site:

Grace is irresistible in the sense that by it the knee is bent which otherwise would not bend; the heart is softened that otherwise is hard as stone. Nor is there anything which can prevent the accomplishment of that purpose of God to save His people by His grace.

http://www.prca.org/fivepoints/chapter4.html

If nothing can prevent this purpose, this irresistible grace, then God forces it upon the elect. To say otherwise is blatantly dishonest or silly.

I find it sad that you cannot read with comprehension. And you pointedly ignored one thing I said, and for obvious reason: It completely upends your contention. Here is is again:

Parents force their children to do things they don't want all the time, because they love their children. Your portrayal of God actually shows Him to be less loving than fallen human parents.

Don't have an answer for that one, do you?

 

[chestertonrules]

Are you that messed up in the head? You argue viciously for "free will," and you show no understanding of what the "will" actually is! Otherwise, you wouldn't say something so obnoxious as you just did.

It's only obnoxious to people who deny free will.

It's obnoxious to have your dogma viscerated with scripture.

Sorry.

 

[chestertonrules]

I find it sad that you cannot read with comprehension. And you pointedly ignored one thing I said, and for obvious reason: It completely upends your contention. Here is is again:



Don't have an answer for that one, do you?

Parents(most parents) don't give birth to Children in order to punish them eternally.

Calvinism can't stand scrutiny.

 

[nill]

Aaaaand the wilful ignorance continues. Are you trying to break some sort of record?

 

[chestertonrules]

Aaaaand the wilful ignorance continues. Are you trying to break some sort of record?

You and the nobodysfool whine, but you don't offer any defense.

Why not?

I post direct quotes from five points Calvinist web sites. Are you claiming that I misrepresented the quotes?

Which fact am I missing? Please elaborate.

 

[nill]

Are you claiming that I misrepresented the quotes?

Not only is the quote exactly not saying what you want--mainly because you have no clue what you're talking about--but if I even try to correct you, you stick your fingers in your ears and shout "LALALALALA I'M NOT LISTENING LALALALA!" like the five-year-old you are.

That's the fact you're missing. That as a grown-up, you should probably act like one and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for your idiocy.

 

[nobdysfool]

Parents(most parents) don't give birth to Children in order to punish them eternally.

Calvinism can't stand scrutiny.

I'm not the one dodging here. You are. Can't answer it, can you?

Even unsaved parents love their children enough to force them to do things against their will that are for their own good.

You claim that God will not force anyone to do anything.

therefore, it is clear that your god does not love his creation as much as unsaved parents love their own children.

Eternal punishment is not what is in view here, and you know it.

It is your foolishness that will not stand up to scrutiny.

 

[nobdysfool]

You and the nobodysfool whine, but you don't offer any defense.

Why not?

I post direct quotes from five points Calvinist web sites. Are you claiming that I misrepresented the quotes?

Which fact am I missing? Please elaborate.

You've already been told once. The site you quote from is a hyper-Calvinist site, and does not represent the actual view of Calvinism. Hyper-Calvinism is Pseudo-Calvinism.

But, you knew that. You chose that site because of that.

Let's see you do that from the Canons of Dort, or the Westminster Confession.

Use ACTUAL Calvinist materials.

 

[Iosias]

John 12:31-32

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,.... The death of Christ is here signified by his being "lifted up from the earth", in allusion to the lifting up of the brazen serpent on the pole; and shows, that his death would not be natural, but violent, and would be public, and not private; and fitly expresses his mediation between God, and men, being lifted up between the heavens and the earth; and points out the death of the cross, as is intimated in the next verse: and the "if" here does not suppose that his death, and the manner of it, were uncertain, for it was determined by God, agreed to by himself, predicted in the Scriptures, signified by types, and foretold by himself, and was necessary for the salvation of his people; but it designs the time of his drawing persons to himself, which is afterwards expressed, and may be rendered, "when I am lifted up", as it is by the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions: now when this will be, Christ says,

I will draw all men to me; which is not to be understood of the concourse of people about him, when on the cross, some for him, and others against him, some to bewail him, and others to reproach him; but rather of the gathering of the elect to him, and in him, as their head and representative, when he was crucified for them; or of the collection of them, through the ministry of the apostles, and of their being brought to believe on him for eternal life and salvation: and this drawing of them to him, in consequence of his death, supposes distance from him, want of power, and will, to came to him, and the efficacious grace of God to bring them, though without any force and compulsion; and this is to be understood not of every individual of human nature; for all are not drawn to Christ, or enabled to come to him, and believe in him. There were many of the Jews who would not, and did not come to him for life; and who instead of being drawn to him in this sense, when lifted up on the cross, vilified and reproached him; moreover, in the preceding verse, "a world" is spoken of, whose judgment, or condemnation, was now come; and besides, there was at this time a multitude of souls in hell, who could not, nor never will be, drawn to Christ; and a greater number still there will be at the last day, who, instead of drawing to him in this gracious way and manner, will be bid to depart from him, as having been workers of iniquity. Christ died indeed for all men who are drawn unto him; but this is not true of all men, that are, were, or shall be in the world. Add to this, that the word "men" is not in the text, it is only παντας, "all": Beza's most ancient copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read παντα, "all things"; and by "all" are meant, all the elect of God, all the children of God, "that were scattered abroad"; the Persic version reads, "I will draw my friends to me"; it designs some of all sorts of men, of every state, condition, age, sex, and nation, Gentiles as well as Jews, and especially the former; which agrees with the ancient prophecy, Gen 49:10, and with the context, and the occasion of the words, which was the desire of the Greeks, that were come to the feast, to see Jesus; and which was a specimen of the large numbers of them, that should be drawn to Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel, after his death: the Jews say, that in the time to come, or in the days of the Messiah, all the proselytes shall be גרורים, "drawn", shall freely become proselytes (e). The allusion here, is to the setting up of a standard or ensign, to gather persons together. Christ's cross is the standard, his love is the banner, and he himself is the ensign, which draw souls to himself, and engage them to enlist themselves under him, and become his volunteers in the day his power; see Isa 11:10.

(e) T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 24. 1. & Gloss. in ib.

 

[Iosias]

1Cor. 15:21-22

For as in Adam all die,.... The apostle here shows who he meant in the former verse, by the one man the cause of death, and by the other the author of the resurrection of the dead, and that he intended Adam and Christ; all men were in Adam seminally, as the common parent of human nature, in such sense as Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchizedek met him, and in him paid tithes unto him; and they were all in him representatively, he being the federal head of all his posterity, and so a type and figure of Christ that was to come; and being in him, they all sinned in him, and so died in him, the sentence of death passed on them in him; they became subject to a corporeal death, which has ever since reigned over mankind, even over infants, such who have not sinned after the similitude of his transgression; this was the doctrine of the Jewish church; See Gill on Rom 5:12, to which may be added one testimony more; says (g) one of their writers, "by the means of the first Adam נקנסה מיתה לכל, "death was inflicted by way of punishment on all":''

even so in Christ shall all be made alive: not made spiritually alive, for Christ quickens whom he will; not all in this sense, some die in their sins; nor are all entitled to an eternal life; for though Christ has a power to give it, yet only to those whom the Father has given to him; it is true indeed, that all that are in Christ, chosen in him and united to him, are made alive by him, and have the gift of eternal life through him; but the apostle is not speaking of such a life, but of a corporeal one: to be quickened or made alive, is with the Jews, and other eastern nations, a phrase of the same signification with being raised from the dead, and as the context here shows; and not to be understood of the resurrection of all men, for though there will be a resurrection of the just and unjust, yet the one will be the resurrection of life, and the other the resurrection of damnation; now it is of the former the apostle here speaks, and expresses by being made alive: and the sense is, that as all that were in Adam, all that belonged to him, all his natural seed and posterity, all to whom he was a federal head, died in him, became mortal, and subject to death through him; so all that are in Christ, that belong to him, who are his spiritual seed and offspring, to whom he is a covenant head, and representative, shall be raised to an immortal life by him; or as all the elect of God died in Adam, so shall they all be quickened, or raised to life in and by Christ.

(g) Baal Hatturim in Dent. iii. 26.

Rom. 5:18

Therefore as by the offence of one,.... Or by one offence, as before, the guilt of which is imputed to, and

judgment came upon all men to condemnation; which word is used in a legal sense, and intends condemnation to eternal death, as appears from the antithesis in the text; for if "justification of life", means an adjudging to eternal life, as it certainly does, the judgment or guilt, which is unto condemnation, must design a condemnation to eternal death, the just wages of sin: and this sentence of condemnation comes upon all men, all the sons of Adam without exception, even upon the elect of God themselves; though it is not executed upon them, but on their surety, whereby they are delivered from it:

even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men to justification of life; the righteousness of Christ being freely imputed without works, as it is to all the men that belong to the second Adam, to all his seed and offspring, is their justification of life, or what adjudges and entitles them to eternal life. The sentence of justification was conceived in the mind of God from eternity, when his elect were ordained unto eternal life, on the foot of his Son's righteousness; this passed on Christ at his resurrection from the dead, and on all his people as considered in him, when they, in consequence of it, were quickened together with him; and this passes upon the conscience of a sinner at believing, when he may, as he should, reckon himself alive unto God, and is what gives him a right and title to everlasting life and glory.

Rom 11:32

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief,.... Both Jews and Gentiles, particularly God's elect among them: some think the metaphor is taken from the binding up of sheaves in bands; and that Jews and Gentiles are the sheaves, and unbelief the band, in which they are bound together; but the apostle is not speaking of their being together in unbelief, but as separate, first the Gentiles, and now the Jews: rather it seems to be taken from a prison, and Jews and Gentiles are represented as prisoners, and unbelief the prison, in which they are shut up by God: not that God is the author of unbelief, or of any other sin in men; he does not put it into them, or them into that, but finding them in unbelief, concludes them in it, or leaves them in such a state, and does not as yet however deliver out of it, or say to the prisoners, go forth: moreover, to be "concluded in unbelief", is the same as to be "concluded under sin", Gal 3:22; that is, to be thoroughly convinced of it; and to be held and bound down by such a sense of it in the conscience, as to see no way to escape deserved punishment, or to obtain salvation, but by fleeing to the mercy of God in Christ:

that he might have mercy upon all: not upon all the individuals of Jews and Gentiles; for all are not concluded in, or convinced of the sin of unbelief, but only such who are eventually believers, as appears from the parallel text, Gal 3:22; and designs all God's elect among the Jews, called "their fulness", Rom 11:12; and all God's elect among the Gentiles, called "the fulness of the Gentiles", Rom 11:25; for whom he has mercy in store, and will bestow it on them; and in order to bring them to a sense of their need of it, and that he may the more illustriously display the riches of it, he leaves them for a while in a state of unbelief, and then by his Spirit thoroughly convinces them of it, and gives them faith to look to, and believe in, the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto eternal life.

 

[Iosias]

1 John 2:1-2

And he is the propitiation for our sins,.... For the sins of us who now believe, and are Jews:

and not for ours only; but for the sins of Old Testament saints, and of those who shall hereafter believe in Christ, and of the Gentiles also, signified in the next clause:

but also for the sins of the whole world; the Syriac version renders it, "not for us only, but also for the whole world"; that is, not for the Jews only, for John was a Jew, and so were those he wrote unto, but for the Gentiles also. Nothing is more common in Jewish writings than to call the Gentiles עלמא, "the world"; and כל העולם, "the whole world"; and אומות העולם, "the nations of the world" (l); and the word "world" is so used in Scripture; see John 3:16; and stands opposed to a notion the Jews have of the Gentiles, that אין להן כפרה, "there is no propitiation for them" (m): and it is easy to observe, that when this phrase is not used of the Gentiles, it is to be understood in a limited and restrained sense; as when they say (n), "it happened to a certain high priest, that when he went out of the sanctuary, כולי עלמא, "the whole world" went after him;'' which could only design the people in the temple. And elsewhere (o) it is said, "amle ylwk, "the "whole world" has left the Misna, and gone after the "Gemara";'' which at most can only intend the Jews; and indeed only a majority of their doctors, who were conversant with these writings: and in another place (p), "amle ylwk, "the whole world" fell on their faces, but Raf did not fall on his face;' ' where it means no more than the congregation. Once more, it is said (q), when "R. Simeon ben Gamaliel entered (the synagogue), כולי עלמא, "the whole world" stood up before him;'' that is, the people in the synagogue: to which may be added (r), "when a great man makes a mourning, כולי עלמא, "the whole world" come to honour him;'' i.e. a great number of persons attend the funeral pomp: and so these phrases, כולי עלמא לא פליגי, "the whole world" is not divided, or does not dissent (s); כולי עלמא סברי, "the whole world" are of opinion (t), are frequently met with in the Talmud, by which, an agreement among the Rabbins, in certain points, is designed; yea, sometimes the phrase, "all the men of the world" (u), only intend the inhabitants of a city where a synagogue was, and, at most, only the Jews: and so this phrase, "all the world", or "the whole world", in Scripture, unless when it signifies the whole universe, or the habitable earth, is always used in a limited sense, either for the Roman empire, or the churches of Christ in the world, or believers, or the present inhabitants of the world, or a part of them only, Luke 2:1; and so it is in this epistle, 1 John 5:19; where the whole world lying in wickedness is manifestly distinguished from the saints, who are of God, and belong not to the world; and therefore cannot be understood of all the individuals in the world; and the like distinction is in this text itself, for "the sins of the whole world" are opposed to "our sins", the sins of the apostle and others to whom he joins himself; who therefore belonged not to, nor were a part of the whole world, for whose sins Christ is a propitiation as for theirs: so that this passage cannot furnish out any argument for universal redemption; for besides these things, it may be further observed, that for whose sins Christ is a propitiation, their sins are atoned for and pardoned, and their persons justified from all sin, and so shall certainly be glorified, which is not true of the whole world, and every man and woman in it; moreover, Christ is a propitiation through faith in his blood, the benefit of his propitiatory sacrifice is only received and enjoyed through faith; so that in the event it appears that Christ is a propitiation only for believers, a character which does not agree with all mankind; add to this, that for whom Christ is a propitiation he is also an advocate, 1 John 2:1; but he is not an advocate for every individual person in the world; yea, there is a world he will not pray for John 17:9, and consequently is not a propitiation for them. Once more, the design of the apostle in these words is to comfort his "little children" with the advocacy and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, who might fall into sin through weakness and inadvertency; but what comfort would it yield to a distressed mind, to be told that Christ was a propitiation not only for the sins of the apostles and other saints, but for the sins of every individual in the world, even of these that are in hell? Would it not be natural for persons in such circumstances to argue rather against, than for themselves, and conclude that seeing persons might be damned notwithstanding the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, that this might, and would be their case. In what sense Christ is a propitiation. The Jews have no notion of the Messiah as a propitiation or atonement; sometimes they say (w) repentance atones for all sin; sometimes the death of the righteous (x); sometimes incense (y); sometimes the priests' garments (z); sometimes it is the day of atonement (a); and indeed they are in the utmost puzzle about atonement; and they even confess in their prayers (b), that they have now neither altar nor priest to atone for them.

(l) Jarchi in Isa. liii. 5.
(m) T. Hieros. Nazir, fol. 57. 3. Vid. T. Bab. Succa, fol. 55. 2.
(n) T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 71. 2.
(o) T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 33. 2.
(p) T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 22. 2.
(q) T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 13. 2.
(r) Piske Toseph. Megilla, art. 104.
(s) T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 90. 2. & Kiddushin, fol. 47. 2. & 49. 1. & 65. 2. & Gittin, fol. 8. 1. & 60. 2.
(t) T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 48. 1.
(u) Maimon. Hilch. Tephilla, c. 11. sect. 16.
(w) Zohar in Lev. fol. 29. 1.
(x) Ib. fol. 24. 1. T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 38. 2.
(y) T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 88. 2. & Erachin, fol. 16. 1.
(z) T. Bab. Zebachim, ib. T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 44. 2.
(a) T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 87. 1. & T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 45. 2, 3.
(b) Seder Tephillot, fol. 41. 1. Ed. Amsterd.

John 1:29

and saith, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world: he calls him a "lamb", either with respect to any lamb in common, for his harmlessness and innocence; for his meekness and humility; for his patience; and for his usefulness, both for food and clothing, in a spiritual sense; as well as for his being to be a sacrifice for the sins of his people: or else with respect to the lambs that were offered in sacrifice, under the legal dispensation; and that either to the passover lamb, or rather to the lambs of the daily sacrifice, that were offered morning and evening; since the account of them best agrees with what is said of this Lamb of God, who was slain in type, in the morning of the world, or from the foundation of the world; and actually in the evening of the world, or in the end of it; and who has a continued virtue to take away the sins of his people, from the beginning, to the end of the world; and their sins, both of the day and night, or which are committed every day: for as they are daily committed, there is need of the daily application of the blood and sacrifice of Christ, to remove them; or of continual looking unto him by faith, whose blood has a continual virtue, to cleanse from all sin: the Jewish doctors say (d), that "the morning daily sacrifice made atonement for the iniquities done in the night; and the evening sacrifice made atonement for the iniquities that were by day:

and in various things they were typical of Christ, as that they were lambs of the first year, which may denote the weakness of the human nature of Christ, which had all the sinless infirmities of it; they, were also without spot, signifying the purity of Christ's human nature, who was holy and harmless, a lamb without spot and blemish; these were offered as a sacrifice, and for the children of Israel only, as Christ has given himself an offering and a sacrifice to God, both in soul and body, for the sins of the mystical Israel of God, the Israel whom God has chosen for himself, whether Jews or Gentiles; for Christ is the propitiation for the sins of both: and these were offered daily, morning and evening; and though Christ was but once offered, otherwise he must have often suffered; yet as he has by one offering put away sin for ever, so there is a perpetual virtue in his sacrifice to take it away, and there is a constant application of it for that purpose; to which may be added, that these lambs were offered with fine flour, oil and wine, for a sweet savour to the Lord; denoting the acceptableness of the sacrifice of Christ to his Father, to whom it is for a sweet smelling savour, Eph 5:2. And Christ is styled the Lamb "of God", in allusion to the same, whom the Cabalistic Jews (e) call the secret of the mystery, and כבשי רחמנא, "the Lambs of God"; because God has a special property in him; he is his own Son; and because he is of his providing and appointing, as a sacrifice for sin, and is acceptable to him as such; and to distinguish him from all other lambs; and to give him the preference, since he does that which they could not do, "taketh away the sin of the world": by the "sin of the world", is not meant the sin, or sins of every individual person in the world; for some die in their sins, and their sins go before hand to judgment, and they go into everlasting punishment for them; which could not be, if Christ took them away: rather, the sin which is common to the whole world, namely: original sin; but then it must be observed, that this is not the only sin Christ takes away; for he also takes away actual sins; and the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read in the plural, "the sins of the world"; and also that this he takes away, only with respect the elect; wherefore they are the persons intended by the world, as in John 6:33, whose sin, or sins, Christ takes away: and a peculiar regard seems to be had to the elect among the Gentiles, who are called the world, in distinction from the Jews, as in John 3:16, and the rather, since the lambs of the daily sacrifice, to which the allusion is, were only offered for the sins of the Jews: but John here signifies, that the Lamb of God he pointed at, and which was the antitype of these lambs, not only took away the sins of God's people among the Jews, but the sins of such of them also as were among the Gentiles; and this seems to me to be the true sense of the passage. The phrase "taking away sin", signifies a taking it up, as Christ did; he took it voluntarily upon himself, and became responsible to divine justice for it; and also a bearing and carrying it, for taking it upon himself, he bore it in his own body on the tree, and carried it away, as the scape goat did under the law; and so likewise a taking it quite away: Christ has removed it as far as the east is from the west, out of sight, so as never to be seen any more; he has destroyed, abolished, and made an utter end of it: and this is expressed in the present tense, "taketh away": to denote the continued virtue of Christ's sacrifice to take away sin, and the constant efficacy of his blood to cleanse from it, and the daily application of it to the consciences of his people; and which is owing to the dignity of his person, as the Son of God; and to his continual and powerful mediation and intercession: this must be a great relief to minds afflicted with the continual ebullitions of sin, which is taken away by the Lamb of God, as fast as it rises; and who, for that purpose, are called to "behold", and wonder at, the love and grace of Christ, in taking up, bearing, and taking away sin; and to look to him by faith continually, for everlasting salvation; and love him, and give him the honour of it, and glorify him for it,

 

[chestertonrules]

And he is the propitiation for our sins,.... For the sins of us who now believe, and are Jews:

and not for ours only; but for the sins of Old Testament saints, and of those who shall hereafter believe in Christ, and of the Gentiles also, signified in the next clause:

but also for the sins of the whole world; the Syriac version renders it, "not for us only, but also for the whole world"; that is, not for the Jews only, for John was a Jew, and so were those he wrote unto, but for the Gentiles also. Nothing is more common in Jewish writings than to call the Gentiles עלמא, "the world"; and כל העולם, "the whole world"; and אומות העולם, "the nations of the world" (l); and the word "world" is so used in Scripture; see John 3:16; and stands opposed to a notion the Jews have of the Gentiles, that אין להן כפרה, "there is no propitiation for them" (m): and it is easy to observe, that when this phrase is not used of the Gentiles, it is to be understood in a limited and restrained sense; as when they say (n), "it happened to a certain high priest, that when he went out of the sanctuary, כולי עלמא, "the whole world" went after him;'' which could only design the people in the temple. And elsewhere (o) it is said, "amle ylwk, "the "whole world" has left the Misna, and gone after the "Gemara";'' which at most can only intend the Jews; and indeed only a majority of their doctors, who were conversant with these writings: and in another place (p), "amle ylwk, "the whole world" fell on their faces, but Raf did not fall on his face;' ' where it means no more than the congregation. Once more, it is said (q), when "R. Simeon ben Gamaliel entered (the synagogue), כולי עלמא, "the whole world" stood up before him;'' that is, the people in the synagogue: to which may be added (r), "when a great man makes a mourning, כולי עלמא, "the whole world" come to honour him;'' i.e. a great number of persons attend the funeral pomp: and so these phrases, כולי עלמא לא פליגי, "the whole world" is not divided, or does not dissent (s); כולי עלמא סברי, "the whole world" are of opinion (t), are frequently met with in the Talmud, by which, an agreement among the Rabbins, in certain points, is designed; yea, sometimes the phrase, "all the men of the world" (u), only intend the inhabitants of a city where a synagogue was, and, at most, only the Jews: and so this phrase, "all the world", or "the whole world", in Scripture, unless when it signifies the whole universe, or the habitable earth, is always used in a limited sense, either for the Roman empire, or the churches of Christ in the world, or believers, or the present inhabitants of the world, or a part of them only, Luke 2:1; and so it is in this epistle, 1 John 5:19; where the whole world lying in wickedness is manifestly distinguished from the saints, who are of God, and belong not to the world; and therefore cannot be understood of all the individuals in the world; and the like distinction is in this text itself, for "the sins of the whole world" are opposed to "our sins", the sins of the apostle and others to whom he joins himself; who therefore belonged not to, nor were a part of the whole world, for whose sins Christ is a propitiation as for theirs: so that this passage cannot furnish out any argument for universal redemption; for besides these things, it may be further observed, that for whose sins Christ is a propitiation, their sins are atoned for and pardoned, and their persons justified from all sin, and so shall certainly be glorified, which is not true of the whole world, and every man and woman in it; moreover, Christ is a propitiation through faith in his blood, the benefit of his propitiatory sacrifice is only received and enjoyed through faith; so that in the event it appears that Christ is a propitiation only for believers, a character which does not agree with all mankind; add to this, that for whom Christ is a propitiation he is also an advocate, 1 John 2:1; but he is not an advocate for every individual person in the world; yea, there is a world he will not pray for John 17:9, and consequently is not a propitiation for them. Once more, the design of the apostle in these words is to comfort his "little children" with the advocacy and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, who might fall into sin through weakness and inadvertency; but what comfort would it yield to a distressed mind, to be told that Christ was a propitiation not only for the sins of the apostles and other saints, but for the sins of every individual in the world, even of these that are in hell? Would it not be natural for persons in such circumstances to argue rather against, than for themselves, and conclude that seeing persons might be damned notwithstanding the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, that this might, and would be their case. In what sense Christ is a propitiation. The Jews have no notion of the Messiah as a propitiation or atonement; sometimes they say (w) repentance atones for all sin; sometimes the death of the righteous (x); sometimes incense (y); sometimes the priests' garments (z); sometimes it is the day of atonement (a); and indeed they are in the utmost puzzle about atonement; and they even confess in their prayers (b), that they have now neither altar nor priest to atone for them.

(l) Jarchi in Isa. liii. 5.
(m) T. Hieros. Nazir, fol. 57. 3. Vid. T. Bab. Succa, fol. 55. 2.
(n) T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 71. 2.
(o) T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 33. 2.
(p) T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 22. 2.
(q) T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 13. 2.
(r) Piske Toseph. Megilla, art. 104.
(s) T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 90. 2. & Kiddushin, fol. 47. 2. & 49. 1. & 65. 2. & Gittin, fol. 8. 1. & 60. 2.
(t) T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 48. 1.
(u) Maimon. Hilch. Tephilla, c. 11. sect. 16.
(w) Zohar in Lev. fol. 29. 1.
(x) Ib. fol. 24. 1. T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 38. 2.
(y) T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 88. 2. & Erachin, fol. 16. 1.
(z) T. Bab. Zebachim, ib. T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 44. 2.
(a) T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 87. 1. & T. Hieros. Yoma, fol. 45. 2, 3.
(b) Seder Tephillot, fol. 41. 1. Ed. Amsterd.



and saith, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world: he calls him a "lamb", either with respect to any lamb in common, for his harmlessness and innocence; for his meekness and humility; for his patience; and for his usefulness, both for food and clothing, in a spiritual sense; as well as for his being to be a sacrifice for the sins of his people: or else with respect to the lambs that were offered in sacrifice, under the legal dispensation; and that either to the passover lamb, or rather to the lambs of the daily sacrifice, that were offered morning and evening; since the account of them best agrees with what is said of this Lamb of God, who was slain in type, in the morning of the world, or from the foundation of the world; and actually in the evening of the world, or in the end of it; and who has a continued virtue to take away the sins of his people, from the beginning, to the end of the world; and their sins, both of the day and night, or which are committed every day: for as they are daily committed, there is need of the daily application of the blood and sacrifice of Christ, to remove them; or of continual looking unto him by faith, whose blood has a continual virtue, to cleanse from all sin: the Jewish doctors say (d), that "the morning daily sacrifice made atonement for the iniquities done in the night; and the evening sacrifice made atonement for the iniquities that were by day:

and in various things they were typical of Christ, as that they were lambs of the first year, which may denote the weakness of the human nature of Christ, which had all the sinless infirmities of it; they, were also without spot, signifying the purity of Christ's human nature, who was holy and harmless, a lamb without spot and blemish; these were offered as a sacrifice, and for the children of Israel only, as Christ has given himself an offering and a sacrifice to God, both in soul and body, for the sins of the mystical Israel of God, the Israel whom God has chosen for himself, whether Jews or Gentiles; for Christ is the propitiation for the sins of both: and these were offered daily, morning and evening; and though Christ was but once offered, otherwise he must have often suffered; yet as he has by one offering put away sin for ever, so there is a perpetual virtue in his sacrifice to take it away, and there is a constant application of it for that purpose; to which may be added, that these lambs were offered with fine flour, oil and wine, for a sweet savour to the Lord; denoting the acceptableness of the sacrifice of Christ to his Father, to whom it is for a sweet smelling savour, Eph 5:2. And Christ is styled the Lamb "of God", in allusion to the same, whom the Cabalistic Jews (e) call the secret of the mystery, and כבשי רחמנא, "the Lambs of God"; because God has a special property in him; he is his own Son; and because he is of his providing and appointing, as a sacrifice for sin, and is acceptable to him as such; and to distinguish him from all other lambs; and to give him the preference, since he does that which they could not do, "taketh away the sin of the world": by the "sin of the world", is not meant the sin, or sins of every individual person in the world; for some die in their sins, and their sins go before hand to judgment, and they go into everlasting punishment for them; which could not be, if Christ took them away: rather, the sin which is common to the whole world, namely: original sin; but then it must be observed, that this is not the only sin Christ takes away; for he also takes away actual sins; and the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read in the plural, "the sins of the world"; and also that this he takes away, only with respect the elect; wherefore they are the persons intended by the world, as in John 6:33, whose sin, or sins, Christ takes away: and a peculiar regard seems to be had to the elect among the Gentiles, who are called the world, in distinction from the Jews, as in John 3:16, and the rather, since the lambs of the daily sacrifice, to which the allusion is, were only offered for the sins of the Jews: but John here signifies, that the Lamb of God he pointed at, and which was the antitype of these lambs, not only took away the sins of God's people among the Jews, but the sins of such of them also as were among the Gentiles; and this seems to me to be the true sense of the passage. The phrase "taking away sin", signifies a taking it up, as Christ did; he took it voluntarily upon himself, and became responsible to divine justice for it; and also a bearing and carrying it, for taking it upon himself, he bore it in his own body on the tree, and carried it away, as the scape goat did under the law; and so likewise a taking it quite away: Christ has removed it as far as the east is from the west, out of sight, so as never to be seen any more; he has destroyed, abolished, and made an utter end of it: and this is expressed in the present tense, "taketh away": to denote the continued virtue of Christ's sacrifice to take away sin, and the constant efficacy of his blood to cleanse from it, and the daily application of it to the consciences of his people; and which is owing to the dignity of his person, as the Son of God; and to his continual and powerful mediation and intercession: this must be a great relief to minds afflicted with the continual ebullitions of sin, which is taken away by the Lamb of God, as fast as it rises; and who, for that purpose, are called to "behold", and wonder at, the love and grace of Christ, in taking up, bearing, and taking away sin; and to look to him by faith continually, for everlasting salvation; and love him, and give him the honour of it, and glorify him for it,

It's amazing how much work a Calvinist will perform in order to distort the clear meaning of scripture.

It's quite sad.