Two important concepts must be understood at the outset: substitution and imputation. Substitution denotes an exchange of places. Jesus Christ took the place of certain sinners. Jesus Christ suffered on behalf of certain sinners. He represented certain sinners. He suffered as a vicarious sacrifice. "But He was wounded for our transgressions; [He was] bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His wounds we ourselves are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). "... For also Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). "... This is My body being given for you ... My blood, which is being poured out for you" (Luke 22:19-20). "... this is My body which is broken on behalf of you ..." (1 Corinthians 11:24). "... for even Christ suffered on our behalf ..." (1 Peter 2:21). "Truly [He] who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up on behalf of us all ..." (Romans 8:32). "... our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself on our behalf ..." (Titus 2:13-14). "... He has been manifested for putting away of sin through the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). "Because even Christ once suffered concerning sins, the just for the unjust ..." (1 Peter 3:18). "... Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us ..." (Ephesians 5:2). "... the Son of God, the [One] loving me and giving Himself over on my behalf" (Galatians 2:20). "... Christ also loved the Assembly and gave Himself up on its behalf" (Ephesians 5:25). "... The Good Shepherd lays down His life on behalf of the sheep ... I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:11,15). "... by [the] grace of God He might taste death for every [son]" (Hebrews 2:9). "... if One died for all, then all died" (2 Corinthians 5:14). "For if by the deviation of the one the many died, much more the grace of God, and the gift in grace, which [is] of the one Man, Jesus Christ, did abound to the many. ... For if by the deviation of the one death reigned through the one, much more those who are receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall rule in life by the One, Jesus Christ. So then, as through one deviation [it was] toward all men to condemnation, so also through one effected righteousness toward all men to justification of life. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many shall be constituted righteous" (Romans 5:17-19).
Imputation denotes a legal charging to one's account. All of the sins of certain sinners, with all their guilt and condemnation, were charged to Jesus Christ. For He made the [One] who knew no sin [to be] sin for us ..." (2 Corinthians 5:21). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us ..." (Galatians 3:13). "... Christ having been once offered to bear [the] sins of many ..." (Hebrews 9:28). "who Himself carried up in His body our sins onto the tree ..." (1 Peter 2:24). "Surely He has borne our sicknesses, and He carried our pain ... and Jehovah made meet in Him the iniquity of all of us. ... He shall bear their iniquities. ... He bore the sin of many ..." (Isaiah 53:4-12).
The differences between Gospel Atonement and the false gospel of universal atonement in the areas of substitution and imputation are as follows: In Gospel Atonement, Jesus Christ was the substitute of all whom God chose before the foundation of the world to be saved, and the sins of these people and these alone were imputed to Jesus Christ. In the false gospel of universal atonement, their "jesus christ" took the place of and took on the sins of every single human being without exception. We will see how this universal atonement rips out the very heart of the gospel.
Having established that the sins of Jesus Christ's people were imputed to Him and He suffered in the place of His people, let us go into what The Atonement actually accomplished and compare The Atonement to the false gospel of universal atonement, which is really no atonement at all.
The Atonement fully and perfectly accomplished complete, absolute, entire remission of all the sins of all the people for whom Christ died. To remit means to cancel, to forgive, to pardon, to take out of the way. Jesus Christ's bloody death on the cross totally canceled, totally purged, totally paid the debt for the sins of His people. Jesus Christ is "The Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He "was revealed that He might take away our sins" (1 John 3:5). His blood was "poured out for remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). He "made purification of our sins through Himself" (Hebrews 1:3). His mission was"to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity" (Daniel 9:24), and to "undo the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8), that "through death He might cause to cease the [one] having the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). Jesus Christ"has been manifested for putting away of sin through the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). He "washed us from our sins by His blood" (Revelation 1:5). He has "forgiven you all the offenses, blotting out the handwriting in the ordinances against us, which was contrary to us, even [He] has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-14). His blood "cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). In Him there is "the remission of sins" (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). His blood was shed once, because "apart from shedding of blood no remission occurs. ... But where remission of these is, there [is] no longer offering concerning sins" (Hebrews 9:22; 10:18). God in Christ was "not charging their trespasses to them" (2 Corinthians 5:19), and "with His wounds we ourselves are healed" (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
What of the "christ" of universal atonement? The "christ" of universal atonement died for everyone without exception. Did this death actually accomplish the appeasement of God's wrath for everyone without exception? Did it actually accomplish reconciliation between God and everyone without exception? It did not do anything even close to that. There are people in hell for whom this "christ" died, for whom this "christ" atoned, who were supposedly "reconciled" to God by the blood of this "christ," for whom God was supposedly "propitiated." Universal atonement advocates use 2 Corinthians 5:19 and 1 John 2:2 to try to prove that their "christ" was reconciling everyone without exception to God and that their "christ" was a propitiation for everyone without exception. Yet they also say that there are some who are burning in hell. Did this "christ" appease the wrath of God for those who are burning in hell? Did the blood of this "christ" make peace between God and those who are burning in hell? Did this "christ" reconcile to God those who are burning in hell? If so, why are they burning in hell? It is because their "christ" actually accomplished NOTHING on the cross. There are people burning in hell who are still under the wrath of God, who are not at peace with God. Their god is a liar when he says that this "christ" reconciled everyone without exception to himself and propitiated for everyone without exception. The blood of their "christ" is of no effect in and of itself. And they blaspheme the true Jesus Christ by using His Name in their damnable heresy, claiming that the true Jesus Christ of the Bible reconciled everyone without exception to the true God of the Bible and was the propitiation for everyone without exception. They hate the true God and the true gospel. They are unregenerate.
At the end of Jesus Christ's suffering on the cross, He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Jesus Christ had finished the work He came to do. All the sins of all His people were imputed to Him, and He suffered as a substitute and representative for His people. His suffering unto death actually accomplished full pardon, redemption, propitiation, and reconciliation for every single person whom He represented on the cross. Christ's atoning death was absolutely, totally effectual. This, THE Atonement, is the very heart of the gospel. If there is not THIS Atonement, The One True Atonement, there is no gospel. If there were only one person for whom Christ died who ended up in hell, the entire gospel would be meaningless, and the blood of Christ would be of no effect.
Consider the passage that was quoted in the first paragraph of this article. Do universal atonement advocates believe "that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3)? Not even close. Far from it. Their "christ" died for everyone without exception, not to accomplish salvation but merely to make salvation possible if the sinner would only do his part. This is not the atonement of the gospel. This is blasphemy. Those who believe that Jesus Christ died for those who are burning in hell spit in the face of Christ, trample underfoot the blood of Christ, and treat the blood of Christ as nothing. They do not believe that the blood of Christ was effectual to accomplish anything in and of itself.
The motto of every Christian is this: "But may it never be for me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). Whoever walks by this rule, this canon, this doctrine, is the one who has peace and mercy on him and is a person to whom all true Christians will speak peace; whoever boasts in anything else does not have peace and mercy on him and is a person to whom all true Christians will not speak peace (Galatians 6:16-17). Whatever one believes makes the difference between salvation and damnation is what one boasts and glories in. The one who believes that it is the work of Jesus Christ alone that makes the only difference between salvation and damnation boasts and glories in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and does not boast or glory in self. What of those who believe that Jesus Christ died for everyone without exception? They do not believe that it is the work of Jesus Christ alone that makes the difference between salvation and damnation; instead, they believe that it is the effort of the sinner that makes the ultimate difference between salvation and damnation. They do not boast or glory in the cross of Christ; they boast and glory in themselves. They might say they "give all glory to God" and that it is "the cross that makes the difference" and that it is "nothing but the blood of Jesus," but if they believe that Jesus Christ died for people who are burning in hell, then they DO NOT believe that it is the work of Christ alone that makes the difference between salvation and damnation. They DO NOT believe that the work of Christ was effectual to secure and ensure the salvation of everyone for whom Christ died. They DO NOT believe the very heart of the gospel. They are unregenerate boasters in self. "But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ toward all and upon all those believing; for there is no difference, for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth [as] a propitiation through faith in His blood, as a demonstration of His righteousness through the passing over of sins that had taken place before, in the forbearance of God, for a demonstration of His righteousness in the present time, for His being just and justifying the [one] that [is] of the faith of Jesus. Then where [is] the boasting? It was excluded" (Romans 3:21-27).
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