Hence, those who presume to tell us when the end of the world is coming are simply speaking without knowledge. In view of the fact that it has now been nearly 2,000 years since Christ came the first time, it may, for all we know, be another 2,000 years before he comes again, perhaps a much longer, perhaps a much shorter time. In this connection, Dr. S. G. Craig has well said, we are told that certain events, such as the preaching of the gospel among all the nations, Matthew 24, 14, The conversion of the Jews, Romans 11, verses 25-27, the overthrow of even rulership in every authority and power opposed to Christ, 1 Corinthians 15, 24, are to take place before the return of our Lord. It seems clear, therefore, that while the time of our Lord's return is unknown, yet it still lies some distance in the future. just how far in the future we have no means of knowing. No doubt, if events move as slowly in the future as in the past, the coming of our Lord lies far in the future. In view of the fact, however, that events move so much more swiftly than formerly, so that what formerly was accomplished in centuries is now accomplished in a few years, it is quite possible that the return of Christ lies in the comparatively near future. Whether it comes in the near or remote future as measured in the scale of human lives, we may be certain that it lies in the near future as measured in the scale of God, according to whom a thousand years is as one day. In the view of present conditions, however, there seems to be little or nothing in the Scriptures to warrant that notion that Jesus will return within the lifetime of the present generation. The world is perhaps yet young. Certainly God has not yet given any adequate exhibition of what He can do with a world truly converted to righteousness. What we have seen so far appears to be only the preliminary stage, a temporary triumph of the devil, whose work is to be completely overthrown. God's work spans the centuries. Even the millenniums are insignificant to him who inhabits eternity. When we associate our theology with our astronomy, we find that God works on an unbelievably vast scale. He has spaced millions, perhaps billions, of fiery suns throughout the universe. Something like 10 million have already been cataloged. Astronomers tell us, for instance, that the Earth is 92 million miles from the sun, and that the light traveling at the rate of 186,000 miles per second requires only 8 minutes to traverse that distance. They go on to tell us that that the nearest fixed star is so far away that four years are required for its light to reach us, that the light which we now see coming from the North Star has been on its journey for 450 years, and that the light from some of the most distant stars has been on its way for millions of years. In view of what modern science reveals, we find that the period during which man has lived on Earth has been comparatively insignificant. God may have developments in store for the race which shall be quite startling, developments of which we have scarcely dreamed. 9. The vastness of the redeemed multitude. The decree of God's electing and predestinating love, though discriminating in particular, is nevertheless very extensive. I saw and behold a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes and palms in their hands. And they cried with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God, who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb." Revelation 7 verses 9 and 10. God the Father has elected untold millions of the human race to everlasting salvation and eternal happiness. Just what proportion of the human family He has included in His purpose of mercy we have not been informed. But in view of the future days of prosperity which are promised to the church it may be inferred that much the greater part will eventually be found among the number of his elect. In the nineteenth chapter of John's Revelation, A vision is recorded, setting forth in figurative terms the struggle between the forces of good and evil in the world. Concerning the description there given, Dr. Warfield says, The section opens with the vision of the victory of the Word of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, over all his enemies. We see him come forth from heaven, girt for war, followed by the armies of heaven. the birds of the air are summoned to the feast of corpses that shall be prepared for them in armies of the enemy. The beasts and the kings of the earth are gathered against him and are totally destroyed, and all the birds are filled with their flesh." Chapter 19, verses 11-21. It is a vivid picture of a complete victory, an entire conquest that we have here. and all the imagery of war and battle is employed to give it life. This is the symbol. The thing symbolized is obviously the complete victory of the Son of God over all the hosts of wickedness. Only a single hint of this signification is offered by the language of the description, but that is enough. On two occasions we are carefully told that the sword by which the victory is won proceeds out of the mouth of the conqueror, verses 15 and 21. We are not to think, as we read, of any literal war or manual fighting. Therefore, the conquest is wrought by the spoken word. In short, by the preaching of the gospel. In fine, we have before us here a picture of the victorious career of the gospel of Christ in the world. All the imagery of the dreaded battle and its hideous details are but to give us the impression of the completeness of the victory. Christ's gospel is to conquer the earth. He is to overcome all his enemies. To us who live between the first and second coming of Christ, it is given to see the conquest taking place. As to how long the conquest continues before it is crowned with victory, or as to how long the converted world is to await her coming Lord, we are not told. Today we are living in a period that is relatively golden as compared with the first century of the Christian era, and this progress is to go on until those on this earth shall see a practical fulfillment of the prayer, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. As we get the broader view of God's gracious dealings with the sinful world, we see that He has not distributed His electing grace with niggered hand, but that His purpose has been the restoration to Himself of the whole world. The promise was given to Abraham that his posterity should be a vast multitude. In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. Genesis 22, 17 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if man can number the dust of the earth, then may thy seed also be numbered. Genesis 13, 16 And in the New Testament we discover that this promise refers not merely to the Jews as a separate people, but that those who are Christians are in the highest sense the true sons of Abraham. Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham. And again, if ye are Christ, then ye are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise, Galatians 3.7 and 29. Isaiah declared that the pleasure of Jehovah should prosper in the hands of the Messiah, that he should see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. And in view of what he suffered on Calvary, we know that he will not be easily satisfied. The idea that the saved shall far outnumber the lost is also carried out in the contrasts drawn in Scripture language. Heaven is uniformly pictured as the next world, as the great kingdom, a country, a city. While on the other hand, hell is uniformly represented as a comparatively small place, a prison, a lake, a fire and brimstone, a pit, perhaps steep, but narrow. Luke 20, verse 35. 1 Timothy 6, 17. Revelation 21, verse 1. Matthew 5, 3. Hebrews 11, 16. 1 Peter 3, 19. Revelation 19, 20, and chapter 20, verse 10, 14, and 15, chapter 21, verses 8 through 27. When the angels and saints are mentioned in Scripture, they are said to be hosts, marriages, an innumerable multitude, ten thousand times ten thousand, and many more thousands of thousands. But no such language is ever used in regard to the lost. and by contrast their number appears to be relatively insignificant. Luke 2.13 Isaiah 6.3 Revelation 5.11 The circle of God's election, says Shedd, is a great circle of the heavens and not that of a treadmill. The kingdom of Satan is insignificant in contrast with the kingdom of Christ. In the immense range of God's dominion, good is the rule and evil is the exception. thin as a speck upon the azure of eternity, a spot upon the sun. Hell is only a corner of the universe. Judging from these considerations, it thus appears, if we may hazard or guess, that the number of those who are saved may eventually bear some such proportion to those who are lost as the number of free citizens in our commonwealth today bears to those who are in the prisons and penitentiaries. or that the company of the saved may be likened to the main stalk of a tree which grows and flourishes, while the lost abut as the small limbs and prunings which are cut off and which perish in the fires. Who even among non-Calvinists would not wish that this were true? But it may be asked, Do not the verses narrow as the gate and straighten the way that leadeth unto life? And few are they that find it, and many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 7.14 and chapter 22 verse 14. Teach that many more are lost and saved. We believe these verses are meant to be understood in a temporal sense, as describing the conditions which Jesus and his disciples saw existing in Palestine in their day. The great majority of the people about them were not walking in the ways of righteousness. And the words are spoken from the standpoint of the moment rather than from the standpoint of the distant judgment day. In these words we have presented to us a picture which was true to life as they saw it, and which would, for that matter, describe the world as it has been even up to the present time. But asks Dr. Warfield, as the years and centuries and ages flow on, can it never be, is it not to be, that the proportion following the two ways shall be reversed? These verses are also designated to teach us that the way of salvation is a way of difficulty and of sacrifice, and that it is our duty to address ourselves to it with diligence and persistence. No one is to assume his salvation as a matter of course. Those who enter into the kingdom of heaven do so through many tribulations. Hence the command, strive to enter in by the narrow door. Luke 13 24. The choice in life is represented as a choice between two roads. One is broad, smooth, and easy to travel, but leads to destruction. The other is narrow and difficult, and leads to life. There is no more reason to suppose that this similitude teaches that the saved shall be fewer than the lost than there is to suppose that the parable of the ten virgins, Matthew 25 verse 1 and following, teaches that they shall be precisely equal in number. And there is far less reason to suppose that this similitude teaches that the saved shall be few comparatively to the lost than there is to suppose that the parable of the tares and the corn Matthew 13, 24 and following, teaches that the lost shall be inconsiderable in number in comparison with the saved. For that, indeed, is an important part of the teaching of that parable. And we may add that there is no more reason to suppose that this reference to the two ways teaches that the number of the saved shall be fewer than the number of the lost than there is to suppose that the parable of the lost sheep teaches that only one out of a hundred goes astray, and that even it shall be eventually be brought back, which would indeed be absolute restorationism. 10. The world is growing better. The redemption of the world is a long, slow process, extending through the centuries, yet surely approaching an appointed goal. We live in the day of advancing victory and see the conquest taking place. There are periods of spiritual posterity and periods of depression, yet overall there is progress. Looking back across 2,000 years since Christ came, we can see that there has been marvelous progress. The course shall ultimately be completed, and before Christ comes again we shall see a Christianized world. This does not mean that all sins shall ever be eradicated. There shall always be some tears among the wheat until the time of the harvest and even the righteous, while they remain in this world, sometimes fall victim to sin and temptation. But it does mean that as today we see some Christianized groups and communities, so eventually we shall see a Christianized world. The true way of judging the world is to compare its presence with its past condition and note in which direction it is moving. Is it going backward or forward? Is it getting better or worse? It may be wrapped in gloomy twilight, but is it the twilight of the evening or of the morning? Are the shadows deepening into starless night, or are they fleeing before the rising sun? One glance at the world as it is today, compared with what it was ten or twenty centuries ago, shows us that it has swept through a wide arc and is moving toward the morning. Today there is much more wealth concentrated to the service of the church than ever before. And in spite of the sad defection toward modernism in many places, we believe there is far more really earnest evangelistic and missionary activity than has ever been known before. The number of Bible schools, Christian colleges and seminaries in which the Bible is systematically studied is growing much more rapidly than the population. Last year, over 11 million copies or portions of the Bible in various languages were distributed in the home and foreign lands by the American Bible Society alone. A fact which means that the Bible is being broadcast over the earth as never before. The Christian Church has made great progress in many parts of the world, and especially during the last two or three centuries, it has developed thousands upon thousands of individual churches and has been a powerful influence for good in the lives of millions of people. It has established innumerable schools and hospitals. Under its benign influence, ethical culture and social service have greatly advanced in the world, and the moral standards of the nations are much higher today than when the Church was first planted here. Already the Church has penetrated every continent and planted itself on every island and flung its outposts around the equator and from pole to pole. It is now the greatest organization on earth, the one world enterprise, and it has results to show that are not unpromising. In our own country Christianity has grown at least five times faster than the population. One hundred years ago there was one professing Christian to every fifteen of the population. And there now is one in every three, and excluding children, one in every two. In the world at large the results are astonishing. In 1500 A.D. there were 100 million nominal Christians in the world. In 1800 there were 200 million. And the latest statistics show that out of the total world population of 1,646,491,000, there are now 564,510,000 nominal Christians, or about one-third of the population of the globe. Christianity has grown more in the last 100 years than in the preceding 1800. The statement that Christianity has grown more in the last 100 years than in the preceding 1800 seems to be approximately correct. According to the late statistics, 1950, Christianity has a considerably larger number of nominal adherents than the combined total of any other two-world religions. These figures state that there are approximately 640 million Christians, 300 million Confucianists, including Taoists, 230 million Hindus, 220 million Mohammedians, and 150 million Buddhists, 125 million animists, 20 million Shintoists, and 15 million Jews. And while many of these who are listed as Christians are only nominally such, the proportion of true Christians is probably as great or greater than is the proportion of any of the pagan religions. All these other religions, with the exception of Mohammedanism, are much older than Christianity. Furthermore, Christianity alone is able to grow and flourish under modern civilization, while all of the other religions soon disintegrate when brought under its glaring light. Only within the last 100 years have foreign missions really come into their own, as they have recently been developed, the great church organizations behind them, they are in position to carry on a work of evangelism in heathen lands such as the world has never yet seen. It is safe to say that the present generation living in India, China, Korea, and Japan has seen greater changes in religion, society, and government than occurred in the preceding 2,000 years. And when we contrast the rapid spread of Christianity in recent years with the rapid disintegration that is taking place in all of the other world religions, it appears very plain that Christianity is the future world religion. In the light of these facts, we face the future confident that the best is yet to be. 11. Infant Salvation Most Calvinistic theologians have held that those who die in infancy are saved. The Scriptures seem to teach plainly enough that the children of believers are saved, but they are silent or practically so in regard to those of the heathens. The Westminster Confession does not pass judgment on the children of heathens who die before coming to years of accountability. Where the Scriptures are silent, the Confession, too, preserves silence. Our outstanding theologians, however, mindful of the fact that God's tender mercies are over all His works, and, depending on His mercy, widened as broadly as possible, have entertained a charitable hope that since these infants have never committed any actual sin themselves, their inherited sin would be pardoned and they would be saved on holy evangelical principles. Such, for instance, was the position held by Charles Hodge, W. G. T. Shedd, and B. B. Warfield. Concerning those who die in infancy, Dr. Warfield says, their destiny is determined, irrespective of their choice, by an unconditional decree of God, suspended for its execution on no act of their own, and their salvation is wrought by an unconditional application of the grace of Christ to their souls. through the immediate and irresistible operation of the Holy Spirit prior to and apart from any action of their proper wills. And if death and infancy does depend on God's providence, it is assuredly God and His providence who selects this vast multitude to be made participants of His unconditional salvation. This is but to say that they are unconditionally predestinated to salvation from the foundation of the world. If only a single infant dying in irresponsible infancy be saved, the whole Arminian principle is transversed. If all infants dying, such are saved, not only the majority of the saved, but doubtless the majority of the human race hitherto, have entered into life by a non-Arminian pathway. Certainly there is nothing in the Calvinistic system which would prevent us from believing this. And until it is proven that God could not predestinate to eternal life all those whom He is pleased to call in infancy, we may be permitted to hold this view. Calvinists, of course, hold that the doctrine of original sin applies to infants as well as to adults. Like all other sons of Adam, infants are truly culpable because of race sin and might be justly punished for it Their salvation is real. It is possible only through the grace of Christ, and is as truly unmerited as is that of adults. Instead of minimizing the demerit and punishment due to them for original sin, Calvinism magnifies the merit of God in their salvation. Their salvation means something, for it is the deliverance of guilty souls from eternal woe. and it is costly, for it was paid for by the suffering of Christ on the cross. Those who take the other view of original sin, namely that it is not properly sin and does not deserve eternal punishment, make the evil from which infants are saved to be very small, and consequently the love and gratitude which they owe to God to be small also. The doctrine of infant salvation finds a logical place in the Calvinistic system. that the redemption of the soul is thus infallibly determined irrespective of any faith, repentance, or good works, whether actual or foreseen. It does not, however, find a logical place in Arminianism or any other system. Furthermore, it would seem that a system such as Arminianism, which suspends salvation on a personal act of rational choice, would logically demand that those dying in infancy must either be given another period of probation after death in order that their destiny may be fixed, or that they must be annihilated. In regard to this question, Dr. S. G. Craig has written, We take it that no doctrine of infant salvation is Christian that does not assume that infants are lost members of a lost race for whom there is no salvation apart from Christ, It must be obvious to all, therefore, that the doctrine that all dying in infancy are saved will not fit into the Roman Catholic or Anglo-Catholic system of thought with their teaching of baptismal regeneration. as clearly most of those who have died in infancy have not been baptized. It is obvious also that the Lutheran system of thought provides no place for the notion that all dying in infancy are saved because of the necessity it attaches to the means of grace, especially the word and the sacraments. If grace is only in the means of grace, in the case of infants in baptism, it seems clear that most of those who have died in infancy have not been the recipients of grace. Equally clear is it that the Arminian has no right to believe in the salvation of all dying in infancy. In fact, it is not so clear that he has any right to believe in the salvation of any dying in infancy. For according to the Arminians, even the evangelical Armenians, God in His grace has merely provided men with an opportunity for salvation. It does not appear, however, that a mere opportunity for salvation can be of any avail for those dying in infancy. Though rejecting the doctrine of baptismal regeneration and turning the baptism of the non-elect into an empty form, Calvinism, on the other hand, extends saving grace far beyond the boundaries of the visible church. If it is true that all those who die in infancy in heathen as well as in Christian lands are saved, then more than half of the human race, even up to the present time, has been among the elect. Furthermore, it may be said that since Calvinists hold that saving faith in Christ is the only requirement for salvation on the part of adults, They never make membership in the external church to be either a requirement or a guarantee of salvation. They believe that many adults who have no connection with the external church are nevertheless saved. Every consistent Christian will, of course, submit himself for baptism in accordance with the plan of scripture command and will become a member of the external church. yet many others, either because of weakness of faith or because they lack the opportunity, do not carry out that command. It has often been charged that the Westminster Confession, in stating that elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ, Chapter 10, Section 3, implies that there are non-elect infants who, dying in infancy, are lost Concerning this, Dr. Craig says, the history of the phrase, elect infants dying in infancy, makes clear that the contrast implied was not between elect infants dying in infancy and non-elect infants dying in infancy, but rather between elect infants dying in infancy and elect infants living to grow up. However, in order to guide against misunderstanding, furthered by unfriendly controversialists, The Presbyterian Church in the USA adopted in 1903 a declaratory statement which reads as follows, with reference to Chapter 10, Section 3 of the Confession of Faith, that it is not to be regarded as teaching that any who die in infancy are lost. We believe that all dying in infancy are included in the election of grace and are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who works when and where and how He pleases. Concerning this declaratory statement, Dr. Craig says, it is obvious that the declaratory statement goes beyond the teaching of Chapter 10, Section 3 of the Confession of Faith. inasmuch as it states positively that all who die in infancy are saved. Some hold that the declaratory statement goes beyond the scripture in teaching that all those who die in infancy are saved. But, be that as it may, it makes it impossible for any person to even plausibly maintain that Presbyterians teach that there are non-elect infants who die in infancy. No doubt there have been individual Presbyterians who held that some of those who die in infancy have been lost. But such was never the official teaching of the Presbyterian Church, and as matters now stand, such a position is contradicted by the Church's creed. It is sometimes charged that Calvin taught the actual damnation of some of those who die in infancy. A careful examination of his writings, however, does not bear out that charge. He explicitly taught that some of the elect die in infancy, and that they are saved as infants. He also taught that there were reprobate infants, for he held that reprobation as well as election was eternal, and that the non-elect come into this life reprobate. But nowhere did he teach that the reprobate die and are lost as infants. He of course rejected the Pelagian view, which denied original sin, and grounded the salvation of those who die in infancy on their supposed innocence and sinlessness. Calvin's views in this respect have been quite thoroughly investigated by Dr. R. A. Webb, and his findings are summarized in the following paragraph. Calvin teaches that all to reprobate procure, that is, his own word, procure their own destruction, and they procure their destruction by their own personal and conscious acts of impiety, wickedness, and rebellion. Now, reprobate infants, though guilty of original sin and under condemnation, cannot, while they are infants, thus procure their own destruction by their personal acts of impiety, wickedness, and rebellion. They must, therefore, live to the years of moral responsibility in order to perpetrates the acts of impiety, wickedness, and rebellion, which Calvin defines as the mode through which they procure their destruction. While, therefore, Calvin teaches that there are reprobate infants, and that these will be finally lost, he nowhere teaches that they will be lost as infants, and while they are infants. But on the contrary, he declares that all the reprobate procure their own destruction by personal acts of impiety, wickedness, and rebellion. Consequently, his own reasoning compels him to hold, to be consistent with himself, that no reprobate child can die in infancy, but all such must live to the age of moral accountability and translate original sin into actual sin. In none of Calvin's writings does he say, either directly or by good and necessary inference, that any dying in infancy are lost. Most of the passages which are brought forth by opponents to prove this point are merely assertions of his well-known doctrine of original sin, in which he taught the universal guilt and depravity of the entire race. Most of these are from highly controversial sections where he is discussing other doctrines and where he speaks unguidedly, but when taken in their context, the meaning is not often in doubt. Calvin simply says of all infants what David specifically said of himself, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalm 51.5 Or what Paul said, in Adam all die. 1 Corinthians 15.22 Or again, that all are by nature the children of wrath. Ephesians 2.3 We believe that we have now shown that the doctrine of election is in every point scriptural and a plain dictate of common sense. Those who oppose this doctrine do so because they neither understand nor consider the majesty and holiness of God, nor the corruption and guilt of their own nature. They forget that they stand before their Maker not as those who may justly claim His mercy, but as condemned criminals who deserve only punishment. Furthermore, they want to be independent to work out their own scheme of salvation rather than to accept God's plan which is by grace. This doctrine of election will not harmonize with any covenant of works, nor with a mongrel covenant of works and grace. But it is the only possible outcome of a covenant of pure grace. 12. Summary of the Reformed Doctrine of Election 1. 1. Election is a sovereign, free act of God through which He determines who shall be made heirs of Heaven. 2. The elective decree was made in eternity. 3. The elective decree contemplates the race as already fallen. 4. The elect are brought from a state of sin and misery into a state of blessedness and happiness. 5. Election is personal, determining what particular individual shall be saved. 6. Election includes both means and ends. The election to eternal life includes the election to righteousness, living here in this world. 7. The elective decree is made effective by the efficient work of the Holy Spirit, who works when and where and how He pleases. 8. God's common grace will incline all men to good if not resisted. 9. The elective decree leaves others who are not elected, others who suffer the just consequences of their sins. 10. Some men are permitted to follow the evil which they freely choose to their own destruction. 11. God, in His sovereignty, could regenerate all men if he chose to do so. 12. The judge of all the earth will do right and will extend his saving grace to multitudes who are undeserving. 13. Election is not based on foreseen faith or good works, but only on God's sovereign good pleasure. 14. Much the larger portion of the human race has been elected to life. 15. All those dying in infancy are among the elect. 16. There has also been an election of individuals and of nations to external and temporal favors and privileges, an election which falls short of salvation. 17. The doctrine of election is repeatedly taught and emphasized throughout the scriptures. CHAPTER 12 LIMITED ATONEMENT PAGE 150 1. STATEMENT OF THE DOCTRINE 2. THE INFINITE VALUE OF CHRIST'S ATONEMENT 3. THE ATONEMENT IS LIMITED IN PURPOSE AND APPLICATION 4. CHRIST'S WORK IS A PERFECT FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW 5. A RANSOM 6. THE DIVINE PURPOSE OF CHRIST'S SACRIFICE 7. THE EXCLUSION OF THE NON-ELECT 8. The argument from the foreknowledge of God. 9. Certain benefits which extend to mankind in general. 1. Statement of the Doctrine. The question which we are to discuss under the subject of limited atonement is, did Christ offer up himself a sacrifice for the whole human race for every individual without distinction or exception? Or did his death have special reference to the elect? In other words, was the sacrifice of Christ merely intended to make the salvation of all men possible? or was it intended to render certain the salvation of those who had been given to him by the Father. Arminians hold that Christ died for all men alike, while Calvinists hold that in the intention and secret plan of God, Christ died for the elect only, and that His death had only an incidental reference to others insofar as they are partakers of common grace. The meaning might be brought out more clearly if we use the phrase limited redemption rather than limited atonement. The atonement is, of course, strictly an infinite transaction. The limitation comes in, theologically, in the application of the benefits of the atonement that is in redemption. But since the phrase limited atonement has become well established in theological usage and its meaning is well known, we shall continue to use it. Concerning this doctrine, the Westminster Confession says, Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed in Christ, are effectually called into faith in Christ by His Spirit, working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power through faith unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified and saved, but the elect only. It will be seen at once that this doctrine necessarily follows from the doctrine of election. If from eternity God has planned to save one portion of the human race and not another, it seems to be a contradiction to say that His work has equal reference to both portions, or that he had sent his son to die for those whom he had predetermined not to save, as truly as, in the same sense, that he was sent to die for those whom he had not chosen for salvation. These two doctrines must stand or fall together. We cannot logically accept one and reject the other. If God has elected some and not others to eternal life, then plainly the primary purpose of Christ's work was to redeem the elect. 2. The infinite value of Christ's atonement. This doctrine does not mean that any limit can be set to the value or power of the atonement which Christ made. The value of the atonement depends upon, and is measured by, the dignity of the person making it. And since Christ suffered as a divine human person, the value of His suffering was infinite. The scripture writers tell us plainly that the Lord of Glory was crucified, 1 Corinthians 2.8, that wicked men killed the Prince of Life, Acts 3.15, and that God purchased the church with His own blood, Acts 20.28. The Atonement, therefore, was infinitely meritorious and might have saved every member of the human race had that been God's plan. It was limited only in the sense that it was intended for and is applied to particular persons, namely for those who are actually saved. Some misunderstanding occasionally arises here because of a false assumption that Calvinists teach that Christ suffered so much for one soul and so much for another, and that he would have suffered more if more were to have been saved. We believe, however, that if many fewer of the human race were to have been pardoned and saved, an atonement of infinite value would have been necessary in order to have secured for them these blessings. And though many more, or even all men, were to have been pardoned and saved, the sacrifice of Christ would have been amply sufficient as the grounds or basis of their salvation. This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available, free and for sale, in audio, video, and printed formats. Our many free resources, as well as our complete mail-order catalog, Thank you by phone at 780-450-3730 by fax at 780-468-1096 or by mail at 4710-37A Edmonton, that's E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N Alberta, abbreviated capital A, capital B, Canada, T6L3T5. You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Kelvin, in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship, or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship, commenting on the words of God, which I commanded them not, neither came into my heart. From his commentary on Jeremiah 731, writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions, since He condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them, whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion. And if this principle is adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle, that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying his word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The Prophet's words, then, are very important, when he says that God had commanded no such thing, and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay, what he never knew.