Celebrating Limited Atonement

This week in my New Religions class we had a discussion on Calvinism, TULIP, and what we don't like about it. I guess I was a bit surprised to hear that a lot of my classmates don't like the idea of Limited Atonement (the 3rd point of Calvinism). I guess I'm still figuring out that if I like something that doesn't mean everyone in the world likes it...

Most people struggle with the Limited part of the doctrine, so I'll start on the part that I would wager most Christians like: Atonement. I've heard this concept explained simply as "at one ment", the state of being at one with God.  Christ has paid the  price for our sins and as a result we are put in to right standing with God. To this I believe all Christians can say amen. 

Now the Limited part. Many see this as meaning A Select Few, A Small Group, it means not all people will be saved. People have issues with this because it seems to place a limit on the breadth (the amount of people that are saved) of the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross. I would argue the opposite. (Here's my thesis) The concept of Limited Atonement, when understood as Definite Atonement, lends itself to imply a larger breadth of atonement than does the opposing Arminian view: Unlimited Atonement. Let me tell you why I think this way.

In one of my doctrine courses we discussed TULIP in depth. My professor made it easier for us to understand by replacing the L with a D. They mean the same thing, but in our current culture and the with the way we use the word Limited now-a-days the word Definite more clearly communicates what the word Limited, in the context of TULIP, is meant to say. To explain further, the word limited in this context has little to do with the size of the number of the elect, rather it has to do with the fact that there is a defined number of elect. This is why the word Definite fits better. Definite Atonement more clearly emphasizes the fact that the breadth of atonement depends on God's sovereignty. God has defined how wide the breadth of atonement is, and this is good. You might agree with me if I talk about the alternative, Unlimited Atonement.

At first this concept sounds nice. Unlimited Atonement is the third point of Arminianism (the five points of Calvinism were written to refute the five points of Arminianism). According to the five points of Arminianism, salvation is for all who believe (I agree). The Arminians would say that the expanse of atonement, since it is dependent on the amount who believe on Jesus, has the potential to be unlimited, because there is a potential for all mankind to believe. What Arminians seems to over-look is the fact that there is also the possibility that none will believe and that Christ would have died for naught.  I don't like that idea. Unlimited Atonement de-emphasizes Christ's Sovereignty when it comes to carrying out His plan for our salvation, and emphasizes man's role in obtaining his salvation. We should not be ok with leaving the breadth of Christ's Atoning sacrifice up to man. 

Since Arminianism and the concept of Unlimited Atonement leaves the amount of people who will be saved by Christ's sacrifice up to man's decision I would argue that if that were true it would undoubtedly result in a smaller breadth of atonement than Definite Atonement would. Man is fallen, we can make good decisions, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather trust God to define who is saved and who is not... I think that that way many more people will be saved. 

Imagine we are all on a football team. God is the quarterback, we are all His team mates. Scoring a touchdown and winning the game represents God's purposes and plan of salvation for the world. Limited Atonement does not limit God's ability to win, it emphasizes God's power to win. Unlimited Atonement places the ball in man's hand. And if history is any indicator of human tendencies, we will definitely fumble and fail to score. Praise God for the fact that He see's fit to hold onto the ball Himself, remain the star of the game, ensure victory, and then allows us to join in the victory celebration.

This concept should comfort us when we think about our loved ones who do not believe the Gospel. It is tempting to feel anger towards God for not "electing" them. But I would argue that we should praise God for the fact that their salvation does not depend on their ability to understand the gospel, rather it depends on God's sovereignty. We should pray that God may chose our friends for salvation and praise God when it becomes clear that He has, and plea with God in their last days when it seems He hasn't. My non-christian friends' salvation does not depend on my ability to articulate the Gospel and their ability to understand it, rather it rest's solely on God's Sovereignty. However, this is no excuse for me not to make an attempt at sharing the Gospel with them. Let's go back to the football analogy. We as blockers on the team who will undoubtedly win cannot simply decide not to block. Sure, God will score the winning touchdown regardless of our efforts, but we cannot use that as an excuse to get lazy in our efforts to help. We do God a disservice by not doing our best to assist in scoring. And when we fail and miss our block, God will undoubtedly make some sort of spectacular play because it is in our "weakness that God's power is made perfect (2 Cor. 12:9)." Praise God for that!

Imago Dei: The Building Blocks of Humanity (Minecraft and the Bible?)

Yeah. So what. I'm a nerd. I really like playing Minecraft.
It's a fun game, and in a second you're going to understand why it is in Biblical human nature to like the concept behind the game Minecraft. No, this is not a post intended to justify the 3 hours of my life I just wasted playing computer (My wife and I were building an epic cathedral)... Rather I want to draw a connection between a game that I like and the book that I love. 

Maybe you'll ponder anew the Image of God that we were created in, or re-think the cultural mandate, or perhaps even look into the game Minecraft.

In my theology classes I've learned a lot about the Image of God (Imago Dei). Thanks to Dr. Kroeze, Dr. Felch, and Dr. Flikkema I've had my fair share of lectures on the Imago Dei. Luckily for you I don't remember many details about those lectures. Here's what I do remember.

In Genesis 1:27 God creates man in His image. Male and Female He created them. 
For the sake of brevity and at the risk of over simplifying, this image of God in mankind is often identified through three different relationships. 
Man's relationship with God, 
Man's relationship with other men, 
and Man's relationship with the rest of creation.

When these relationships are in perfect order that state is known as Shalom which according to Neil Plantinga is the webbing together of God, man, and all creation in justice fulfillment and delight... I like the sound of that.

The first two relationships (God, and other humans) are spoken about clearly in scripture and most evangelicals have a clear concept of how these relationships are meant to function... After all the first greatest commandment (Love the LORD your God with all your heart soul and mind) is referring to the first relationship, and the second (Love your neighbor as yourself) refers to the second relationship. Think about it... it makes sense that the whole Bible would be instructing us on how to work towards God's original purpose for mankind. After all, all the Law and Prophets hang on these two commands.

Lets go back to Genesis 1. If you look closely at the verses directly before and after verse 27 you'll notice a theme. Verse 26 talks about God making us in His image that we may rule. In verse 28 God instructs us (through the cultural mandate) to fill the earth and subdue it.
Both of these verses speak on the third relationship having to do with the Imago Dei, our relationship to creation. It is in God's nature to create. We have reason to believe that since God has invited us to participate in creation (through the cultural mandate) it is also in our nature to be creative.

It is these verses that remind me of Minecraft. Confused?
Maybe I should explain the game. 
To summarize, you are dropped in the middle of a virtual earth made of various types of blocks (Genesis and the garden). You are meant to gather resources, create shelter, create tools, create technology, and the further along in the game you get, the more and more your settlement looks like a city (Revelation and the New Jerusalem). You can even create art and music... Hows that for filling the block earth and subduing it?
Its like you're dropped off in the garden and God says to you. Go nuts. Make something. Advance and create culture.

It is because of the third relationship implied in the Imago Dei that it is Biblical to like the concept of the game Minecraft. (Im not claiming its Biblical to like Minecraft, calm down) Even if we don't like playing computer games we should like creating and advancing culture.

God may I never get so caught up in carrying out my virtual call to fill and subdue the blocks that I forget to participate in the Biblical Cultural Mandate.

Who am I and why YOU should read my blog.

My name is AJ, I am a student at Kuyper College (in Grand Rapids Michigan). I like to think about things, and often times find myself thinking "Wow, I should write something about that." My goal is to observe how my worldview (which is hopefully formed by scripture) relates to life as a young man in his 20's. I will attempt to accomplish this goal in spite of my terrible spelling and lack of attention to detail regarding "grammatical correctness (who needs it)."

Hopefully you'll find my posts interesting, and maybe even insightful.

So, if you were ever wondering about the relationship that the game minecraft has with the Imago Dei (image of God) and the Cultural Mandate,

or maybe how darts relate to the current climate of worship in the American Church,

or maybe why the dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper seemed to have some sort of pensieve (excuse my Harry Potter reference) that could look into the future,

or how about how some Christians may be called to creating and brewing craft beer (or even normal boring beer),


than you might want to read my blog.

Also heres a picture of my dog