Assurance & Particular Redemption - Does Believing Particular Redemption Hurt Assurance?
Disclaimer: I know that this topic is very controversial and complicated. If you already oppose this view, please know that I am not sharing this to try and change your mind. I am quite happy to agree to disagree amicably. This post is a result of thinking through the linked chart's implications, and is not meant to be an exposition on whether or not the doctrine of particular redemption is biblical. I will include links at the end of this post to the materials I found valuable in helping me to think through this.
It has been a while since my last post that addressed the Reformed emphasis on the third use of the law. This post will address the implication of how believing Limited Atonement ( I like using the term Particular Redemption) might impact my assurance. You can find the chart my friend made here for more context as well as my last post here.
Limited Atonement (Christ died only for the elect). Implication: How do I know Christ died for me?
Reformed Response:
According to the Canons of Dort (Article 8:The Saving Effectiveness of Christ's Death), limited atonement (or particular redemption) can be summarized like this:
"For it was the entirely free plan and gracious will and intention of God the Father that the enlivening and saving effectiveness of his Son's costly death should work itself out in all his chosen ones, in order that he might grant justifying faith to them only and thereby lead them without fail to salvation. In other words, it was God's will that Christ through the blood of the cross (by which he confirmed the new covenant) should effectively redeem from every people, tribe, nation, and language all those and only those who were chosen from eternity to salvation and given to him by the Father; that he should grant them faith (which like the Holy Spirit's other saving gifts, he acquired for them by his death); that he should cleanse them by his blood from all their sins, both original and actual, whether committed before or after their coming to faith; that he should faithfully preserve them to the very end; and that he should finally present them to himself a glorious people, without spot or wrinkle."
Particular Redemption is often charged with undermining a believer's assurance because it leads them to question if Christ really died for their sins. I love the way Sinclair Ferguson answers this implication from his essay found in the book From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective:
"Assurance of salvation is not rooted in the knowledge of either election or the identity of those for whom Christ died; it comes exclusively through faith in Christ as he offers himself to us in the gospel as able to save all who come to him" (Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine? - Definite Atonement and the Cure of Souls - Sinclair B. Ferguson pg. 623 (kindle edition)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" - John 3:16
"Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" - Matthew 11:28-29
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out" - John 6:37
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" - Romans 10:13
"Come all who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost" - Isaiah 55: 1
The above promises are available to us to believe and cherish. How can I know that Christ died for me? Because Jesus says he will never cast out those who come to him.
How does Particular Redemption help with my assurance?
1. I know that the objective reality of Christ's death and resurrection were completely for me and outside of me because faith comes to me from outside of me as well.
The above statement from the Canons of Dort presents justifying faith as a gift granted by the Holy Spirit that was acquired by Christ's death and resurrection. That is a remarkable statement! Reading this assures me that the Gospel truly gives everything that is required for life and godliness - even the subjective faith needed to personally appropriate the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection. Faith comes to me from outside of me by the Holy Spirit through the hearing of the objective words of the Gospel. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" Romans 10:17. The Gospel really is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" Romans 1: 16.
2. I know that my salvation is planned, complete, total, secure, and personal.
"Knowing that our salvation was planned out by the Triune God before the foundation of the world gives us unspeakable comfort. If you are a Christian, it is because the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit covenanted together in eternity to save you. You are not a Christian because you are better, smarter, or possess a softer heart than other people. You are a Christian because the Father chose you in the Son, the Son fulfilled the conditions for your salvation, and the Spirit applied to you the redemptive benefits of the Son's work" (Sacred Bond Covenant Theology Explored - Michael G Brown & Zach Keele - pg. 37)
Understanding that it was Christ's intention (through the covenant of redemption) to die specifically for my sins, gives me a sense of great awe and wonder of God's mercy and love for me. Christ was my surrogate in keeping the law in my place. Christ died on the cross in my place, absorbing the wrath of God, and paid the penalty specifically for my sins. Christ was buried and was raised for my justification. I can have great confidence in the personal objective facts of this truth while the subjective implications are being worked out in my life by the Holy Spirit. I know that Christ intercedes for me before the Father. I know that when He said "It is Finished', he meant every last word. My Christian life comes with many ups and downs and I often doubt the validity of my faith. However, the underlying knowledge that Christ is the one who chooses and clings to me, serves as my anchor for comfort and stability:
"I am persuaded by the texts which particularize what Christ did (He died for his church, his bride, his sheep, etc. Ephesians 5, John 10 and so on. If the atonement was truly universal, then the cord of assurance and joy which links me as a sheep to my shepherd in such verses is decisively cut. Why should 'he loved me and gave himself for me' (Galatians 2:20) be any comfort to or help to me if he actually loved everyone and gave himself for everyone (even those who will end up in hell?).
Christ is the one who clings to all those who trust Him. Christ's work is complete, giving us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Christ's work is total because He lived, died, was buried, was raised, ascended, and is coming again. Christ's work is secure because He is our Surety. (Surety as defined by dictionary.com means “a person who takes responsibility for another’s performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt). Christ's work is personal because He intercedes for us praying that our faith does not fail. He truly is our great High Priest and Mediator who is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to Him in faith. (Hebrews 7:25) Particularizing the atonement does not mean that Christ is offering Himself to me with His fingers crossed because anyone who flees to Christ for salvation and refuge can have great assurance that He has died specifically for their sins.
I love the way Lee Gatiss in his book, "For Us and For Our Salvation" describes the pastoral implications of particular redemption:
"If people can be shown from scripture and delight in the fact that God had a particular, personal, and effective design in sending Jesus to do everything necessary for salvation, then they can be liberated from fear of their own substandard religious performance"
"The atonement was not conditional. Like election, it was unconditional because the love of God is unconditional. Christ did not atone for those who did their part. The statement is not effective when we meet a condition. Rather, Synod celebrated Christ the Bridegroom who came for his bride, who redeemed her, who sent his Holy Spirit to regenerate his bride, unite her to himself, and who will certainly take her to himself at the last day. We may be sure of that because he sealed our redemption with his own blood when he laid down his life for the elect." - R Scott Clark Canons of Dort 19: Unconditional Atonement"
Very reassuring. Thank you
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