Paul's Passing Thoughts

Of course, if God predetermines the salvation of every human being before the foundation of the earth, it wouldn’t make sense that Christ died for everyone. Hence, so-called “limited atonement,” the “L” in TULIP. Protestant scholars are utterly dogmatic on this point. Only problem is…limited atonement is clearly dead wrong. Why?

First, the folks who came up with the concept or endorse it don’t even know what salvation is. Salvation is not a covering for sin (atonement); salvation is the ending of sin. And, furthermore, Protestant soteriology is predicated on atonement, which makes it fundamentally false. You see, if your sin is not ended, you need some sort of perpetual remedy for “present” sin, and that’s Protestantism. It is a complicated system that perpetually reapplies your original salvation through a church process until you die to keep you saved. It’s basically salvation by church authority and not Christ. And the authority part is important because Protestant soteriology is biblically illogical on every point, so it’s only true because a pompous stuffed shirt says it’s true.

Secondly, Christ is the end of the law for all those who believe, and the written code was blotted out by his death on the cross. So, who is born under the law? Everyone, therefore, obviously, Christ died for everyone. Even if you believe the law is only ended for those God predestined, that’s a problem because Calvin believed that “Christians” remain under law (CICR 3.14.10,11).

Thirdly, Jesus didn’t die specifically for individuals per se, but more for groups of people. For certain, people groups are predestined for salvation. This isn’t a limited atonement, and remember, isn’t an atonement to begin with, but Jesus dying for a group of people without limitation. In Romans 7 and 8, Paul begins his line of reasoning in 7:1 and is talking about the Jews. He is arguing against a law-based justification (which is also Protestantism). Note what he states in those passages:

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Were the Jews, as a race, called for a purpose? Of course they were. But the idea that God predetermines all individuals for either salvation or damnation isn’t supported by scripture.

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