Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings (Heb. 2:8-10).
HYPO-CALVINIST
ARGUMENT:
This text is sometimes appealed to by Romanists, Arminians, Amyraldians, and Moderate Calvinists in support of a death of Christ for all men head for head, including the reprobate, at least in some sense.
(I)
George C. Lubbers (1909-2001)
[Source: Comm. on Heb. 2:9-10, in The Glory of the True Tabernacle: Jubilee Exposition of Hebrews (Self-Published, 1984), p. 49]
The
divine motive and purpose for exalting the Son, and in Him exalting man, is
that God would show forth His grace. God would manifest the glory of His grace
in Jesus Christ. Writes the Hebrews epistle here: “in order that by the grace
of God he might taste death in behalf of all.” It is quite evident that this
grace here is God’s grace to those for whom Christ must taste death. This is
God’s saving grace whereby the sinner is brought all the way from death to
life, and from sin and guilt to righteousness and glory. The question is: who
are the “all” [rendered “every man” in the KJV] here in the text? Does this
teach general atonement? It ought to be clear to the believing students of the
Bible that “all” is ever limited by the context and its teaching. And, then,
when we read verse 11, we notice that the “all” are “all” of the “many sons”
which are to be brought to glory. These are the many sons of Abraham, which are
as the multitude. These are all the children of God, the sons according to
election, whom Jesus calls brethren unashamedly. For all of these sons of God,
these brethren, Christ must taste death on the Cross.
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(II)
Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)
[Source: The Sovereignty of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008), p. 70]
“But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste
death for every man” (Heb. 2:9). This passage need not detain us long. A
false doctrine has been erected here on a false translation. There is no word
whatever in the Greek corresponding to “man” in our English version. In the Greek
it is left in the abstract—“He tasted death for every.” The Revised Version has
correctly omitted “man” from the text, but has wrongly inserted it in italics.
Others suppose the word “thing” should be supplied—“He tasted death for every
thing”—but this, too, we deem a mistake. It seems to us that the words which
immediately follow explain our text: “For it became Him, for whom are
all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to
make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” It is of “sons”
the apostle is here writing, and we suggest an ellipsis of “son”—thus: “He
tasted death for every”—and supply son in italics. Thus, instead of
teaching the unlimited design of Christ’s death, Heb. 2:9, 10 is in perfect
accord with the other scriptures we have quoted which set forth the restricted
purpose in the Atonement: it was for the “sons” and not the human race our Lord
“tasted death.”
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(III)
John Owen (1616-1683)
[Source: The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2013), pp. 237-238]
3. Heb. ii. 9, “That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
Ans. That ὑπὲρ παντὸς [hyper pantos], “for every one,” is here used for ὑπὲρ πάντων [hyper pantōn], “for all,” by an enallage of the number, is by all acknowledged. The whole question is, who these all are, whether all men universally, or only all those of whom the apostle there treateth. That this expression, every man, is commonly in the Scripture used to signify men under some restriction, cannot be denied. So in that of the apostle, “Warning every man, and teaching every man,” Col. i. 28; that is, all those to whom he preached the gospel, of whom he is there speaking. “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal,” 1 Cor. xii. 7; namely, to all and every one of those who were endued with the gifts there mentioned, whether in the church at Corinth or elsewhere. The present place I have frequently met withal produced in the behalf of universal redemption, but never once had the happiness to find any endeavour to prove from the text, or any other way, that all here is to be taken for all and every one, although they cannot but know that the usual acceptation of the word is against their purpose. Mr More spends a whole chapter about this place; which I seriously considered, to see if I could pick out any thing which might seem in the least measure to tend that way,—namely, to the proving that all and every one are in that place by the apostle intended,—but concerning any such endeavour you have deep silence. So that, with abundance of smooth words, he doth nothing in that chapter but humbly and heartily beg the thing in question; unto which his petition, though he be exceeding earnest, we cannot consent, and that because of these following reasons:—
First, To taste death, being to drink up the cup due to sinners, certainly for whomsoever our Saviour did taste of it, he left not one drop for them to drink after him; he tasted or underwent death in their stead, that the cup might pass from them which passed not from him. Now, the cup of death passeth only from the elect, from believers; for whomsoever our Saviour tasted death, he swallowed it up into victory.
Secondly, We see an evident appearing cause that should move the apostle here to call those for whom Christ died all,—namely, because he wrote to the Hebrews, who were deeply tainted with an erroneous persuasion that all the benefits purchased by Messiah belonged alone to men of their nation, excluding all others; to rot out which pernicious opinion, it behoved the apostle to mention the extent of free grace under the gospel, and to hold out a universality of God’s elect throughout the world.
Thirdly, The present description of the all for whom Christ
tasted death by the grace of God will not suit to all and every one, or any but
only the elect of God. For, verse 10, they are called “many sons to be brought
to glory;” verse 11, those that are “sanctified,” his “brethren;” verse 13, the
“children that God gave him;”—none of which can be affirmed of them who are born,
live, and die the “children of the wicked one.” Christ is not a captain of
salvation, as he is here styled, to any but those that “obey him,” Heb. v. 9;
righteousness coming by him “unto all and upon all them that believe,” Rom. iii.
22. For these and the like reasons we
cannot be induced to hearken to our adversaries’ petition, being fully
persuaded that by every one here is meant all and only God’s elect, in
whose stead Christ, by the grace of God tasted death.
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(IV)
More to come! (DV)
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