Take from http://nwbingham.com/2009/11/11-arguments-for-limited-atonement/
11 Arguments for Limited Atonement
Dr. Robert Shaw offers 11 arguments for limited atonement as he comments on WCF 8:8:
The sacrifice of Christ derived infinite value from the dignity of his person; it must, therefore, have been intrinsically sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole human race had it been so intended; but, in the designation of the Father, and in the intention of Christ himself, it was limited to a definite number, who shall ultimately obtain salvation. This important truth may be confirmed by the following arguments:
1. Restrictive terms are frequently employed in Scripture to express the objects of the death of Christ: “He bare the sin of many.” “He gave his life a ransom for many.” (Isa. 53:12; Matt. 20:28). Does not this intimate that Christ died, not for all men, but only for many?
2. Those for whom Christ died are distinguished from others by discriminating characters. They are called the sheep, John x 15; the church (Eph. 5:25); God’s elect (Rom. 8:33); the children of God (John 11:52).
3. Those whom Christ redeemed by his blood are said to be “redeemed from among men” (Rev. 14:4), which, if Christ had redeemed all men, would be an unmeaning and inconsistent phrase; they are also said to be “redeemed out of every kindred,” &c. (Rev. 5:9), which certainly implies that only some of every kindred are redeemed.
4. The redemption obtained by Christ is restricted to those who were “chosen in him,” and whom the Father gave to him to redeem by his death (Eph. 1:4, 7; John 17:2).
5. Christ died in the character of a surety, and therefore he laid down his life only for those whom he represented, or for his spiritual seed (Isa. 53:10).
6. The intention of Christ in laying down his life was, not merely to obtain for those for whom he died a possibility of salvation, but actually to save them—to bring them to the real possession and enjoyment of eternal salvation (Eph. 5:25, 26; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Thess. 5:10). From this, it inevitably follows, that Christ died only for those who shall be saved in him with an everlasting salvation.
7. The intercession of Christ proceeds upon the ground of his atoning sacrifice; they must, therefore, be of the same extent with regard to their objects; but he does not pray for the world, but only for those who were given him out of the world; his sacrifice must, therefore, be restricted to that definite number (1 John 2:1, 2; John 17:9).
8. An apostle infers from the greatness of God’s love in delivering up his Son to death for sinners, that he will not withhold from them any of the blessings of salvation; we must, therefore, conclude that Christ did not die for all mankind (Rom. 8:32).
9. The same apostle infers the certainty of our salvation by the life of Christ, from our reconciliation to God by his death; now, since all are not saved by his life, we must conclude that all were not reconciled by his death (Rom. 5:10).
10. Christ, by his death, procured for his people not only salvation, but all the means leading to the enjoyment of it; consequently, his intention in dying must be limited to those who do repent and believe, and not extended to the whole human race.
11. The doctrine that Christ died for all men leads to many absurd consequences, such as: That Christ shed his blood for many in vain, since all are not saved; that he laid down his life in absolute uncertainty whether any of the human race would be eventually saved; that he shed his blood for millions who, at the very moment of his death, were consigned to the pit of everlasting destruction; that he died for those for whom he does not intercede; that he died for those to whom he never sent the means of salvation, yea, to some of whom he even forbade his gospel to be preached (Matt. 10:5; Rom. 10:14); and that God acts unjustly in inflicting everlasting punishment upon men for those very transgressions for which he has already received full satisfaction by the death of Christ. To affirm any of these things, would be blasphemous in the highest degree, and, therefore, that doctrine which involves such consequences must be unscriptural.
Taken from The Reformed Faith: An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (pp. 158-59)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Evidence#1
This is all mankind before the grace of regeneration, despite whatever external shells of morality, religion, piety, and restraint. This is the nature of the "old man". This is the "choice" of idolaters of self and pleasure. This will not be fixed by a quick Billy Graham crusade, nor 2 hour youth concert with lights..., powerpoint, and comedy. This will not be fixed by a church ski trip. This will not be fixed by a 28 minute sermon and 7 verses of "Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling."
By Sara Sidner, CNN
March 16, 2010 10:25 a.m. EDT
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Carine Exantus should be sitting in her college communications class. Instead, the 22-year-old is teaching herself how to avoid being attacked by the men who live in her new neighborhood -- a maze of makeshift shelters spaced so close together that it is hard to get between them but easy to get inside.
"I, like everybody else, live in a very precarious situation," said Exantus, who was forced to make her own shelter when her home was crushed in Haiti's January 12 earthquake.
"As a young woman," Exantus said, "I am afraid because I notice a lot of young men being aggressive toward women at night."
In her camp, there has already been trouble. The camp leaders told CNN that two cases of attempted rape have been reported in the past few days and one suspect has been arrested.
"When the guys don't have no money, their brain is not good," said camp leader Jean Joseph Rudler. "When they have no work or food and just sit around, it is bad. When a guy is drunk, he will do anything [to a woman]."
Women can be easily preyed upon when their four walls consist only of bed sheets or thin tents. But camp conditions, a government official said, isn't the underlying problem in Haiti when it comes to violence against women.
"I'm gonna be blunt," said Aby Brun, a member of Haiti's Commission for Reconstruction. "Promiscuity resulting in absolutely condemnable violence and abuse against women is something that has been going on in the slum areas and other levels of society for years. It's a cultural problem."
Exantus says she is often jarred awake by what she hears through the thin shelter wall. "There are some men who beat their girlfriends at night," she said.
During the day, women from the camp bathe topless in an outdoor fountain, their naked children trying to make a game of bath time by skidding around on the wet tiles in the blinding sun. Men sit nearby -- watching and sometimes make lewd comments.
Before the earthquake, Haiti was in the midst of implementing what the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) called an impressive five-year plan to curb violence against women and change the culture.
"It was a very ambitious achievement for Haiti to create a five-year plan," which began in 2006 and was to be complete by 2011, said Lina Abirafeh, the UNFPA gender-based violence coordinator in Haiti. "It looks at response to cases, data collection, monitoring and prevention. It really is a very robust plan."
Abirafeh says the quake destroyed many of the services for women, such as rape counseling centers and Haiti's Ministry for Women's Affairs. It also took the lives of three of Haiti's most revered female leaders.
Steps are being taken to safeguard women in the camps now. Solar flashlights are being handed out, proximity to bathrooms and lighting are being worked on, and security patrols increased.
Authorities point out that rape is by no means an epidemic in the camps. Citywide, police say, they have received 20 reports of rape and made 10 arrests. But it is common knowledge among experts that most of these types of incidents go unreported.
"Figures for sexual violence are underreported everywhere in the world. Every country has an issue with this, and the figures are only the tip of the iceberg. They tell us very little," said Abirafeh. "As far as I'm concerned, even one rape is one too many."
Whatever the numbers, young women like Carine Exantus say it's hard to sleep well at night.
"We have to be afraid," she said, "because we don't know when somebody may have bad intentions."
This is all mankind before the grace of regeneration, despite whatever external shells of morality, religion, piety, and restraint. This is the nature of the "old man". This is the "choice" of idolaters of self and pleasure. This will not be fixed by a quick Billy Graham crusade, nor 2 hour youth concert with lights..., powerpoint, and comedy. This will not be fixed by a church ski trip. This will not be fixed by a 28 minute sermon and 7 verses of "Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling."
By Sara Sidner, CNN
March 16, 2010 10:25 a.m. EDT
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Carine Exantus should be sitting in her college communications class. Instead, the 22-year-old is teaching herself how to avoid being attacked by the men who live in her new neighborhood -- a maze of makeshift shelters spaced so close together that it is hard to get between them but easy to get inside.
"I, like everybody else, live in a very precarious situation," said Exantus, who was forced to make her own shelter when her home was crushed in Haiti's January 12 earthquake.
"As a young woman," Exantus said, "I am afraid because I notice a lot of young men being aggressive toward women at night."
In her camp, there has already been trouble. The camp leaders told CNN that two cases of attempted rape have been reported in the past few days and one suspect has been arrested.
"When the guys don't have no money, their brain is not good," said camp leader Jean Joseph Rudler. "When they have no work or food and just sit around, it is bad. When a guy is drunk, he will do anything [to a woman]."
Women can be easily preyed upon when their four walls consist only of bed sheets or thin tents. But camp conditions, a government official said, isn't the underlying problem in Haiti when it comes to violence against women.
"I'm gonna be blunt," said Aby Brun, a member of Haiti's Commission for Reconstruction. "Promiscuity resulting in absolutely condemnable violence and abuse against women is something that has been going on in the slum areas and other levels of society for years. It's a cultural problem."
Exantus says she is often jarred awake by what she hears through the thin shelter wall. "There are some men who beat their girlfriends at night," she said.
During the day, women from the camp bathe topless in an outdoor fountain, their naked children trying to make a game of bath time by skidding around on the wet tiles in the blinding sun. Men sit nearby -- watching and sometimes make lewd comments.
Before the earthquake, Haiti was in the midst of implementing what the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) called an impressive five-year plan to curb violence against women and change the culture.
"It was a very ambitious achievement for Haiti to create a five-year plan," which began in 2006 and was to be complete by 2011, said Lina Abirafeh, the UNFPA gender-based violence coordinator in Haiti. "It looks at response to cases, data collection, monitoring and prevention. It really is a very robust plan."
Abirafeh says the quake destroyed many of the services for women, such as rape counseling centers and Haiti's Ministry for Women's Affairs. It also took the lives of three of Haiti's most revered female leaders.
Steps are being taken to safeguard women in the camps now. Solar flashlights are being handed out, proximity to bathrooms and lighting are being worked on, and security patrols increased.
Authorities point out that rape is by no means an epidemic in the camps. Citywide, police say, they have received 20 reports of rape and made 10 arrests. But it is common knowledge among experts that most of these types of incidents go unreported.
"Figures for sexual violence are underreported everywhere in the world. Every country has an issue with this, and the figures are only the tip of the iceberg. They tell us very little," said Abirafeh. "As far as I'm concerned, even one rape is one too many."
Whatever the numbers, young women like Carine Exantus say it's hard to sleep well at night.
"We have to be afraid," she said, "because we don't know when somebody may have bad intentions."
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
BELIEFS
LEVEL ONE: NON-NEGOTIABLE
Christian
Paedobaptist
Calvinist in Soteriology, Supralapsrian, Double-Predestination.
thus: Total Depravity.
Unconditional Election
Particular Redemption, Definite Atonement
Effectual Grace to Regenerate
Preservation of the Saints
Five Solas: Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, God's Glory Alone
Women are not to be Elders, nor Deacons,yet a Woman's Servant-Ministry Group is presented in Scripture.
Elder, Deacon Ecclesiology.
A True Jew is one who is a Jew inwardly, a converted Gentile is no-longer a gentile, but a true son of Abraham.
The True Arminian follows a "different" Jesus and teaches a "different" Gospel.
Christ is Head of the Church, Head of the Husband, Husband is Priest and Head of the Family; Mutual Submission.
Freemasons & Order of the Eastern Star (and related brances) should not be members in a local Church until recanting Lodge Membership.
"Tongues" is hearing a human language, not a mysterious new divine gibberish.
Scripture never teaches having Santa-Claus on church property or at any Church event.
Scripture never teaches having Christmas Trees on Church property or at any Church event.
The Regulative Principle is good and should be examined and applied more often.
Gambling is a sin, and should not be viewed as a game or form of entertainment.
The Education Lottery is Scam, Sham, and Shame upon Mankind.
Strongly Prefer Weekly Communion, but at least Monthly.
Pro-Life, Anti Infant Genocide.
Lord's Day is not observed like the OT Sabbath, but more resembles Acts 2:42-47 as each day should.
LEVEL TWO: FIRM, BUT NOT FORCED UPON
Presuppositional Apologetics
Christian Home-Schooling is the best option, true Christian schooling is the 2nd best option,
Scripture does not indicate sending kids to Egypt, Babylon, or Rome for nurture.
We are not under a New Testament Tithe; rather, we submit all that we are stewards over to the Kingdom of God.Tentative Amillenial in Eschatology.
Head-Coverings are to be "Cloth" and not merely "hair" and should be observed in Corporate Worship.
Alcohol is not Forbidden, but Drunkenness is.Remarriage is Adultery unless the spouse has deceased.
Adultery is not permission to Divorce.
Offerings should be in Remembrance of Jesus Christ, not Annie Armstrong nor Lottie Moon.
The Best Bible is the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, not the King James of 1611.
The Gospel is a command to all mankind to "repent from sin and self-reliance and believe in Jesus Christ", it is not "an offer".
The most Scriptural and ideal setting is for the mother to stay at home with the children, if circumstances really deter then at least one parent should be home with the children.
Prayer and having the Ten Commandments in School is only deistic hypocrisy, not help.
God does give a "oiktirmon" mercy in Luke 6 to the reprobate, yet which only hardens them.
For Capital Punishment.
Zoho Papers
The Zoho Site (with all files, or listed below with newest papers listed first)
Questions to the Reformed
Total Depravity
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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