Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also
ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep
in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (I Cor. 15:1-4).
WELL-MEANT OFFER / UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT ARGUMENT:
One of the arguments of those who contend for the preaching of the gospel as a “Jesus died for you and for me” message—a message, they assert, which must be declared to each and every one that outwardly hears the preacher, whether in the church or on the mission field—is based on the wording of Paul’s gospel summary in 1 Corinthians 15: “The gospel which I preached unto you ... that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (vv. 1-3).
They argue that the apostolic gospel that was preached to every unconverted hearer on the mission field was not this: “Christ died the elect’s sins,” or “Jesus died only for the elect,” but rather this: “Christ died for OUR sins” (the “our” being interpreted as being inclusive of everyone who hears outwardly, bar none).
That, they say, must be the way in which we preach the gospel to the unconverted; and whether or not the particular individuals who hear that message are elect or not is none of our business—that being God’s prerogative alone—but as far as we and the preaching are concerned, the death of Christ must be preached as being for everyone ... because that is how Paul preached it; that is how he preached it to the formerly unconverted Corinthians—“Christ died for OUR sins” (i.e., for the sins that you [the unconverted] and I [Paul] committed)—and it was after they heard that message, and believed it, that they were then “saved” (v. 2); it was preached even to those who “believed in vain” (v. 2), i.e., those who were false converts and who didn’t truly have faith at all ... Christ died for their sins also!
But is this really a sound argument? It professes to
take Paul’s words literally and seriously ... or does it? ... Is it really
saying that, when we witness to the unconverted about the death of Christ, we
must speak of it as being for “our” benefit (i.e., it was for “us and them”)?
(I)
Prof. David J. Engelsma
With regard to the argument that Christ must be preached as having died for all men on the basis of I Corinthians 15:1-3, specifically, the statement that “Christ died for our sins,” the argument fails in that Paul is speaking to and of the church of confessing believers. Verse 1 addresses the passage to and identifies the “our” in the phrase “our sins” as “brethren.” The entire epistle is addressed to “the church of God…to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,” etc. (I Cor. 1:2). Christ died for the sins of the “brethren” of I Corinthians 15:1. He died for “our” sins—the sins of Paul and his fellow believers; not for the sins of everybody in Corinth.
And then, as do all the other epistles, the passage in chapter 15:1-3 addresses the church and its members from the viewpoint of the members’ confession, without recognizing that some members may be hypocrites.
The apostle did not proceed on the mission field by affirming that all of the as-yet unbelieving in his audience were persons for whose sins Christ had died. Rather, he humbled them all by exposing their sin. Then he set forth Christ as the sole savior from sin and called them all to repentance and faith. Only then did he assure those who believed that Christ died for their sins.
Consider what is implied by the doctrine that Christ died for the sins of all in Corinth, unbelievers and ungodly as well as penitent believers. First, the death of Christ failed to save many for whom that death was rendered up to God—gross blasphemy against that death and against the Christ who died that death. Second, the saving efficacy of that death depends upon the condition of faith by those who are saved by that death—the denial of the graciousness of salvation; this is the denial of the grace of the gospel of salvation.
(DJE, 25/03/2021)
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