I have dared to enter the world of John Owen. I consider it part of my freedom in Christ
that I am now at liberty to read behind such theological giants as this great
Puritan. I mourn for those Christians
who relegate theology to the background, and rather spend their time checking out
the latest self-help book making the bestseller list. If they only knew the treasure of literature
that was left by these eminent men of old.
Owen is at times very difficult to understand. Pretty much everyone agrees on that. Yet the time spent is well worth it.
The following quotation is one of the best explanations for
the purpose of the general expressions in
the New Testament that I have found, and how they are not affirmations of universal atonement. If you aim to defend particular redemption yet wanted a good summary as to why we have
such terms as ‘whosoever’ and ‘world’ in the New Testament, read this carefully.
“A second thing to be
considered is, the economy or administration of the new covenant in the times
of the gospel, with the amplitude and enlargement of the kingdom and dominion
of Christ after his appearance in the flesh; whereby, all external differences being
taken away, the name of Gentiles removed, the partition wall broken down, the
promise to Abraham that he should be heir of the world, as he was father of the
faithful, was now fully to be accomplished. Now, this administration is so
opposite to that dispensation which was restrained to one people and family,
who were God's peculiar, and all the rest of the world excluded, that it gives
occasion to many general expressions in the Scripture; which are far enough
from comprehending a universality of all individuals, but denote only a removal
of all such restraining exceptions as were before in force. So that a
consideration of the end whereunto these general expressions are used, and of
what is aimed at by them, will clearly manifest their nature, and how they are
to be understood, with whom they are that are intended by them and comprehended
in them. For it being only this enlargement of the visible kingdom of Christ to
all nations in respect of right, and to many in respect of fact (God having
elect in all those nations to be brought forth in the several generations
wherein the means of grace are in those places employed), that is intended, it
is evident that they import only a distribution of men through all differences
whatsoever, and not a universal collection of all and every one; the thing
intended by them requiring the one and not the other. Hence, those objections
which are made against the particularity of the ransom of Christ and the
restraining of it only to the elect from the terms of all, all men, all
nations, the world, the whole world, and the like, are all of them exceeding
weak and invalid, as wresting the general expressions of the Scripture beyond
their aim and intent, they being used by the Holy Ghost only to evidence the
removal of all personal and national distinctions,--the breaking up of all the
narrow bounds of the Old Testament, the enlarging the kingdom of Christ beyond
the bounds of Jewry and Salem, abolishing all old restrictions, and opening a
way for the elect amongst all people (called "The fulness of the
Gentiles,") to come in; there being now "neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ
is all, and in all," Col. 3:11. Hence the Lord promiseth to "pour out
his Spirit upon all flesh," Joel2:28; which Peter interpreteth to be
accomplished by the filling of the apostles with the gifts of the Spirit, that
they might be enabled to preach to several nations, Acts 2:17, "having
received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all
nations" Rom. 1:5;--not the Jews only, but some among all nations,
"the gospel being the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek," verse 16; intending
only, as to salvation, the peculiar bought by Christ, which he "redeemed
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," Rev. 5:9, where
ye have an evident distribution of that which in other places is generally set
down; the gospel being commanded to be preached to all these nations, Matt.
28:19, that those bought and redeemed ones amongst them all might be brought
home to God, John 9:52. And this is that which the apostle so largely sets
forth, Eph. 2:14-17. Now, in this sense, which we have explained, and no other,
are those many places to be taken which are usually urged for universal grace
and redemption, as shall afterward be declared in particular.” ( The Death of
Death in the Death of Christ)
1 comment:
I love Owen too.
I believe that the words "unto all men" or "the world" means "all men without distinction, not all men without exception."
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Stephen
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