EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/19/2024 10:04 PM
My Worship
Time Focus: PT-4 “The Perfect Propitiation”
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: 1
John 2:2
Message
of the verse: “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins;
and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
Notice the following part of this verse “and not for
ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Some people who have read this portion of
this verse think that this means an unlimited atonement, by which Christ
provides a potential salvation for all people without exception. This is the kind of problem when people take
a portion of a verse and not do some research on the surrounding verses of to
compare this with other verses that teach us the opposite because of only
looking at a portion of a verse.
MacArthur writes “Logically, such an interpretation strips the work of
Christ on the cross of any actual atonement for anyone specifically, and it
provides only a potential satisfaction for God’s wrath.” John MacArthur then writes “For an analysis
of other aspects of the extent of the atonement, see John MacArthur, 2 Peter & Jude, MacArthur New
Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody,
2005], 72-76.)
This
is very important for us to understand this and so I continue to quote from
MacArthur’s commentary to help us best understand it. “To be faithful to the truth revealed in
Scripture, the whole world must be comprehended as a generic expression that
refers to humanity throughout the earth, but not necessarily to every
individual. World simply identifies the
earthly realm of mankind to which God directed His reconciling love and
provided propitiation (cf. John 1:29; 3:16; 6:51; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Titus 2:11;
Heb. 2:9). The language of Scripture is
strong and clear, stating that Christ’s death actually satisfies fully and
eternally the demands of God’s wrath for those who believe (John 10:11, 15;
17:9, 20; Acts 20:28; Rom. 8:32, 37; Eph. 5:25). Though the Savior’s death intrinsically had
infinite value, it was designed to actually (not potentially) secure the
satisfaction for divine justice only on behalf of those who would believe.”
The
Jewish believers would certainly understood propitiation, and the reason was
because they were familiar with the Old Testament sacrificial system, the
function of the mercy seat, and the meaning of the Day of Atonement, as
recorded in the following verses from Leviticus 16:15-17:
He [the high priest] shall slaughter the goat
of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the
veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it
on the mercy seat and n front of the mercy seat. He shall make atonement for the holy place,
because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions
in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which
abides with them in the midst of their impurities. When he goes in to make atonement in the holy
place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may
make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of
Israel.
However the children
of Israel understood “The assembly of Israel” as including proselytes. In Christ all national limitations were
abolished “When they heard this, they quieted
down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles
also the repentance that leads to life’” (Acts 11:18). “For in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man
SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (Rom. 1:17). “28 For he is not a Jew who is one
outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is
a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by
the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God”
(Rom. 2:28-29).
MacArthur writes “Jesus’ propitiatory death is for
all classes of God’s elect, which He is calling out for His name ‘from every
tribe and tongue and people and nation’ (Rev. 5:9; cf. John 10:16; Acts
15:14-18; 26:23; Rom. 9:25-26; Titus 2:14).
Christ’s work on the cross atoned for all those who would be sovereignly
drawn by God to repent and believe (cf. Rom. 5:18)” “So then as through one transgression there
resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness
there resulted justification of life to all men.” “not for those believers only who constituted
the church in John’s day. However, His
death did not atone for or satisfy divine justice regarding the unrepentant,
unbelieving millions who will appear before the Judge at the great white
throne, from where they will be sentenced to eternal punishment in the lake of
fire (Rom. 20:11-15).”
Lord
willing I will finish this section in the next SD.
9/19/2024 10:40 PM
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