All Who Are Called

12.15.10
J.A. Matteson

He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

καὶ αὐτὸς ἱλασμός ἐστιν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων δὲ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου.

1 John 2:2

The act of propitiation (ἱλασμός) displays the justice and grace of God. For by it a vicarious sacrifice is made, redirecting the wrath of God from objects justly deserving condemnation towards an innocent (Christ Jesus), making the Father propitious (favorable) towards the guilty. In his epistle the Apostle does not specify the objects of God’s propitiation as it was assumed by his readers as a result of prior teaching. In the present day, however, with the Arminian controversy in the Church, two pressing questions arise from the Apostle’s discourse, and the manor in which they are answered will as a consequence heavily influence the nature of the Gospel and how it is communicated.

Therefore, let us first ask what is the extent of the propitiation and what is its intended effect.  As to its extent the Apostle states that it is not only for “our sins, but also for those of the whole world”? Now, we disagree with the Arminian who claims the Apostle is speaking of the entire human race, as that conclusion finds no basis in fact when the context of the passage is considered. Certainly the Apostle is not speaking of “our sins” (τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν) in the sense of the entire human race as that assertion violates the context of his thesis. For the “our” and “ours” is contextualized in what precedes his declaration here, “but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). We see, then, that the Apostle is writing to the church, believers, Christians who have received the Gospel and God has propitiated His wrath towards them as a result of their expressed faith in the shed blood of His Son.

As expected the audience of the Apostle’s epistle finds consistent agreement in his subsequent letter, “The elder, to the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth” (2 Jn. 1:1). Here “lady” is the bride of Christ, His church, the called of God. In a further reference to the Church as being the object of God’s propitiation activity the Apostle continues in Chapter 4, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (v. 10). The Arminian has a serious problem for his proposed propitiation is merely a potential one and not an actual accomplishment by the Lord toward any individual. He is welcome, therefore, to keep his jaded propitiation with its fatal deficiencies. Where as the Arminian considers the propitiation to be potentially unlimited for “whosoever will”, its effect by default must be limited, for at this juncture the Arminian is forced to concede that the death of Christ is of no value to those who die in unbelief. Therefore the Arminian must admit that the propitiation of Christ is in fact limited in its extent to those who believe. To deny this he is forced to admit he is a universalist, an untenable position. On the cross Jesus Christ cried out “It is finished!” (Τετέλεσται), He did not utter “It is started”, or “The way is now open” with the implication that He had performed His half in procuring salvation by dying on the cross, and now it is the responsibility of “whosoever will” to perform their half by believing in Him apart from the initiative of the Holy Spirit in order for the propitiation to be applied to them personally. To make that claim is to confess that Jesus Christ performed the same atoning act for the multitude who are at this moment in hell as for those who are in heaven.

At this point the Arminian asserts that Christ died for every one in the world and that His shed blood atoned for all their sins, all of them, that nothing can inhibit His saving power,…except…! Here the Arminian falls into the pit of his own weird theology by adding an exception clause to the propitiation of Jesus Christ. By his confused reasoning he is again forced to admit the propitiation of Christ is in fact limited, and it is limited to those who believe and is no value to those who die in unbelief.  So he cannot rationally claim that Christ died for every mans sin as unbelief is sin.  We conclude, therefore, the Arminian does in fact by necessity hold to a specific or limited propitiation. And who, then, are those who believe to which this propitiation is applied? Believers. For what does the Apostle say in this regard?, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins….”

The verb “is” (ἐστιν) is in the present active indicative and speaks of the action happening today. The Greek is precise and leaves no room for the interpretation that the Apostle is speaking of a potential universal propitiation. A propitiation of that nature is untenable on many levels, not the least of which being that it denies the moral inability of unregenerate sinners to come to Christ apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture is clear that there are none who seek after God, none who understand, none who believe the Gospel except by the power of God. All are spiritually dead and in bondage to their sins and trespasses. All are spiritually deaf, blind, and at enmity towards God, disinclined to obey and inclined towards rebellion to their Maker.

The total depravity of man is absolute and has polluted the entire person and left to his own devises he will never come to the Savior. It is for this reason the New Covenant was necessary, for the Lord promised, “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” ( Jer. 31:31-33). In his epistle to the Romans the Apostle Paul also addresses the propitiation of Christ and specifically limits it to believers, “[Jesus Chris]…whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith” (v. 25). Note the application of Christ’s propitiation is through faith and is of no potential universal value to unbelievers. Also, we see that the writer to the Hebrews limits the propitiation to the children of God, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (v. 17).

Now the Lord Jesus Christ serves as High Priest for His people and not the entire human race, for the High Priest offered sacrifices and intercessions on behalf of the people of God. Here too Christ offers up Himself as the final sacrifice for those whom the Father has given Him; namely, the elect. In the upper room the Lord Jesus Christ interceded for those with Him and limited His intercession to those given to Him by the Father, those foreknown to Him, those unconditionally elected for salvation, those who are recipients of a holy calling, “I have revealed You to those whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me and they have obeyed Your word. Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. For I gave them the words You gave Me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours” (Jn 17:6-9). Here the Arminian has a serious problem with the Lord’s statement, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours.” That prayer is rendered incoherent when the Arminian position of a potential universal propitiation is considered. As High Priest Jesus Christ was not concerned in His prayer for the “world” of the reprobate. Jesus Christ was no Arminian.

As has been already demonstrated the propitiation He offers is limited in its extent to the elect, but is unlimited in its effect to the elect which is why on the cross the Lord Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” In our passage under consideration “world” in context is a reference to the elect on the earth, those who believe and those who have yet to hear the Gospel of their salvation. World (κόσμου) includes all kinds of people: Jew and Gentile, free and slave, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, powerful and vulnerable. It is the consummation of God’s promise to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:18).

In Hebrew the nations (guii) is rendered in the Septuagint as τα εθνη (the ethnos) which speaks to various kinds of ethnicity’s or people groups on the earth. Not surprisingly it is all kinds of people to whom the Apostle John speaks of when he says, “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world”, which is to say the population of the elect in the earth being comprised of all kinds of people and not merely Jews. That world (κόσμος) is employed in this fashion is also used by the Apostle Paul in writing to Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4). Note again the context of the intercession, it is the same as Jesus in John 17. And unlike Christ the Church has no idea who the elect are but is informed that they make up all types of people in the “world” including kings and those in power, and it is not God’s will that any of His elect should perish.

Now, if as the Arminian’s assert “all people” here is a reference to a potential universal propitiation then they must harmonize it with John 17 and a multitude of other similar passages. And there is no danger in them doing that. We conclude, then, giving praise and glory to God for His completed propitiation on behalf of His people. And while we confess there remain mysteries within the secret counsel of God’s will, we can clearly discern that His propitiation is limited to those who believe—the elect—and unlimited in its effect in procuring their redemption.

In 1865 hymn writer Elvina Hall penned the familiar “Jesus Paid It All” and she rightly understood that the propitiation of Christ was absolute and complete towards her as a believer. It was not some vague potential promise or reference to something Christ started and now she must finish what He initiated or forfeit it. God’s promise to her was not in constant jeopardy due to her sinful weakness, but it was rather a sovereign decree offered by a gracious Father, one which cannot fail. And in her hymn she understood that Christ Jesus is her propitiation, and not hers only, but also to all who are the called of God.  Hear the words of the Apostle as he labored in broadcasting the Gospel to the called in the world, “…I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen [ἐκλεκτούς,unconditionally chosen by God before the foundation of the world to receive salvation through Christ], so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Tim. 2:10).

Beloved, like our Lord and the Apostles it is for these—God’s elect—that we labor in evangelism and intercession. We know not who they are and yet we remain confident that all who are called of God will respond positively to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be the power and the glory and majesty now and forever more. Soli Deo Gloria!

Copyright (c) 2010 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God endures forever." Isa. 40:8).