Lunch Reservations: Christ’s Purposeful Redemption by Brian Montgomery

Picture this. You are in a lunch line. Everyone is waiting to get their food but before anyone can pay for their food, someone steps in and pays for every single person’s meal. Some people reply with, “I am not hungry, I wasn’t going to eat.” Regardless of whether or not they accept this gift, their meal is paid in full. This is a great scenario, isn’t it? But let me ask you this. What do you do when no one in line is hungry? Not only are all of these people lacking in hunger, but they are prideful. Every single person would rather starve than accept this generous offer. This person paying for everyone’s meal won’t change the people’s lack of hunger solely by paying that price. However, there is hope. It turns out, this person is not just any ordinary person. He owns the cafeteria! On top of that, he is the chief, and only, chef! Truly this man is extraordinary. Then, by name, the chef calls out to a select people in line. He presents to them the most exquisite dish to ever be prepared. The aroma coming off of this dish is a beguilingly sweet fragrance, causing all who were called out of line to desperately desire it. After being exposed to the dish and beholding its great value, the chef gives it to those chosen few at his own expense. Without hesitation, every single chosen person accepts this generous offer. Those who were once lacking in hunger have now developed a longing for this specific dish, only on the grounds that the chef revealed the great worth of this dish to them. Not only that, but it turns out that this chef had personally made lunch reservations for those specific people before the foundations of his cafeteria were ever layed.

The latter illustration is a more accurate explanation of what salvation is like. There are almost 7 billion people in the world, yet scripture tells us that not a single one hungers for God (Romans 3:12). Graciously, God has extended His love and mercy to a select few (Ephesians 1:4-5); opening their eyes to the great truth of the gospel (Psalm 146:8; Isaiah 35:5). By sending His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, redemption and an open door to right relationship with God became available to mankind (Romans 3:23). However, there is a lingering question here. Did Jesus die for every single person? Maybe the more correct question is, “Was Jesus the atonement for every single person?” The theological concept I speak of has been called many things, but I prefer “Christ’s Purposeful Redemption.” The stance I take on the issue is that Jesus desires for all to be saved, but His atonement is directed towards His chosen people for His own glory and purpose. It’s important to identify what I mean by “all.” In this instance, I am referring to “all” as meaning every single person. So, Jesus desires for every single person to be saved (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; John 3:17; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Timothy 4:10; 2 Peter 3:9), but He chooses to save some for His own glory and purpose (Matthew 22:14; Ephesians 1:4-5; John 15:16; Romans 8:29-30; Romans 8:33; Romans 9:11-13); in which His atonement is applied only to those He chose (John 10:11, 15; John 17:9; Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32-37; Ephesians 5:25; 1 John 2:2). Overall, the doctrine of Christ’s Purposeful Redemption is a logical conclusion of Humanity’s Radical Corruption, that men are spiritually dead in sin, and God’s Sovereign Choice, that it is God who chooses us and not us who choose God. (See my two previous notes in this series to see the consistent flow of these doctrines- “I’m Fallen and I Can’t Get Up: Humanity’s Radical Corruption,” and “When Pigs Fly: God’s Sovereign Choice.”)

Oppositions to Jesus only dying for those He chose, but rather dying for the whole world, are found in these following verses:

John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

1 Timothy 2:3-6
“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

1 Timothy 4:10
“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

Titus 2:11
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.”

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

1 John 2:2
“He [Christ] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

These verses provide an interpretive challenge to many theologians. However, I will attempt to provide a step-by-step explanation of each verse, which is consistent with the doctrine of “Christ’s Purposeful Redemption.” The verse, 1 John 2:2, is an appropriate place to start, and will provide a foundation of explanation for the other verses.

1 John 2:2
“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

At first glance, many have interpreted this to mean that John is claiming Christ died for the sins of the whole world. It seems pretty logical in light of, “and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” However, the word propitiation throws a huge flaw in that interpretation. The problem is that the text doesn’t say Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but rather that “He is the propitiation… of the whole world.” If there is one thing that stuck with me from my freshmen year of college, it is the definition of the word propitiation. I recall eating lunch at the BSU one Wednesday when a mentor of mine was discussing the unique difference in the words “atonement” and “propitiation.” The reason for this was because the word atonement is sometimes present in the NIV translation where in the Greek text the more accurate translation is propitiation. So what’s the difference? Don’t they basically have the same meaning? Actually, they have slightly different meanings. You see, the word atonement refers to a price being paid, or a wrong being compensated for. It is very true that Christ is the atonement for our sins, and that He paid for them in full. However, propitiation gives a slightly different perspective. Propitiation refers to satisfying the wrath of God, and carrying the weight of sin. It is a term that depicts an image of substitution. Christ stepped in and took our place. With that in mind, let’s look at the text again. “He is the propitiation… for the sins of the whole world” would imply that Jesus took the place of every single sinner, and that there is no need for anyone to satisfy the wrath of God through eternal condemnation. If translated this way, it would result in a heresy called “Christian Universalism.” Universalism would say that every single person will inherit eternal life, because Christ paid for all sins regardless of faith put in Christ. The only problem with this is found in verses such as Matthew 7:22-23, which says:

(22) “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
(23) “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Jesus clearly states here that there will be many who are condemned on that day. This proves even further difficulty in the interpretation of 1 John 2:2, because the ideas of people being condemned on that day and everyone being saved is contradicting. The answer to this difficult interpretation is found in the meaning of the phrase, “the whole world.” Does the phrase “whole world” literally mean what it says, or is there specification that is not mentioned? In view of the consistency of scripture and this passage, the phrase “the whole world” most likely means “mankind.” In other words, mankind in general is redeemed by the blood of Christ, but only the elect who have professed Him as Lord are covered by His blood. This flows consistently with Matthew 22:14 which says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” It’s an open call to all of mankind, but only few will actually respond to that call because only few have been chosen.

In light of this interpretation of 1 John 2:2, John 3:16-17 would also find it’s explanation. When Jesus says, “For God so loved the whole world,” He is speaking of salvation coming to the gentiles; that Christ will be the propitiation of people from every nation. Another faulty interpretation found in John 3:16 is that “whosoever” is a reference to people having the free choice to choose. However, in light of Humanity’s Radical Corruption, the only choice man can make is to sin and rebel against God. Rather than claiming “whosoever” as an open call of free choice, it is a logical explanation of those who are elect. “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” is a description of those whom God has chosen from before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4-5).

This same interpretation of “all” would explain the “all” used in 1 Timothy 4:10, Titus 2:11, and 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. However, another unique analysis is seen in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. “…therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:15). This passage is speaking specifically to people who have died to self, and was reborn as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, the all is described as being all who confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9). In addition, there is a confusing line found in 1 Timothy 4:10, “who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” Here Paul is referring to common grace shared by believers and unbelievers; such as breaths of life, patience, restraining of judgment, mainting of order in society’s governments, all materialistic blessings given to believers and unbelievers, compassion, and the revealing of His beauty and goodness in creation. These are all temporary mercies, but for the elect He is their substitution for wrath.

The most challenging verse against Jesus only dying for those He chose, is found in 1 Timothy 2:4. It reads, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Throughout the New Testament, there are two Greek words used for the English word, “will.” The first Greek word is found in 2 Peter 3:9– “boulomai.” This word refers to will as being a desire, or emotion; hence the reason why my stance is that God desires for all to be saved, but only chooses some. The second Greek word is found here in 1 Timothy 2:4– “̄theleō.” This word describes the definite plan of God that will undoubtedly occur. Again, this passage would lead to Universalism if “all” were to be undoubtedly saved. However, the meaning for “all” again refers to people from every nation and tribe. This is seen in 1 Timothy 2:2, where Paul mentions kings of all, and his call to the gentiles in 1 Timothy 2:7.

It is clear that Christ does not atone for all people. This is seen simply in the fact that if the blood of Christ covered the sins of those in Hell, those people would not be in Hell. Rather, Christ did not take the wrath intended for them and they must pay that price themselves. Another frequent misunderstanding with this doctrine is that most people who have a problem with “Jesus not being the atonement for all people,” is really not a problem with this view of atonement at all. How so? Whether you believe Jesus saves only those who choose, or whether you believe Jesus only saves the elect; the common ground of agreement is that He doesn’t save those who are condemned to hell. Therefore, the problem most people have is with God’s Sovereign Choice, not Christ’s Purposeful Redemption. Because the confrontation they find is that if God chose who would be saved, He also chose who He would allow to continue in sin; leading to condemnation. The final difficulty with this doctrine is found in a common question that has been asked by many people. The question is, “What do you tell someone who asks if Jesus died for everyone?” The answer to this, however, is simple. Jesus died for those who confess with their mouth that He is Lord, and believe in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). Once again, whether you believe in free choice or God’s Sovereign Choice, Jesus only died for those who profess faith in Him. To one it is a work of man choosing, to the other it is the evidence of the elect. Either way, Christ redeems and atones only for those of His flock. (John 10:11).