It seems that so many false doctrines come about because man is determined about several things. He is determined to have a part of his salvation and he is especially determined to have a god of his own making. The Scripture speaks of that determination when it tells us that men worship the creature instead of the Creator. This god of his own making is a god that fulfills all of his desires, is a god that is only in control of ‘good’ and not evil, a god that sits in the heavens and wrings his hands hoping that ‘his will’ will come to pass. This god is altogether like himself. This god is frustrated because his love, his power, and his wisdom are meaningless attributes because they cannot accomplish what he wants. If you really think about universal atonement in depth, this god has no power to save a single soul because he is impotent to do so as the power actually lies within man.

It’s a disturbing thought to many, a truth that goes against everything they have ever been taught or believed and yet I wonder if they realize that there is no Scripture in the Word of God that teaches, explains illustrates or typifies that the atonement made by Christ Jesus is universal. 

Christ effectually purchased a people with His blood and they are called many things in Scripture. They are called the ‘Church’, (this is not the visible organized church), and they are called the elect, the beloved, His seed, the bride, the wheat, the righteous and the sheep to name a few. These elect people were given to Christ by the Father and their names were written in the Lamb’s book of life before the world began. 

The revealing words of Jesus Himself tell us the truth of the matter. He was not confused about whom He came to die for as a Substitute/Surety and for whom He accomplished redemption. A surety is a person ‘who makes themselves responsible for another, who makes himself liable for another’s debts’ and Christ is the Surety of His people as He is the Surety of the New Covenant (Heb 7:22). The redemption of His sheep was His purpose in coming, the purpose that the Father sent Him for.

Jesus was speaking unto the Jews in Chapter 10 of John explaining in a parable that He, the Christ is the true shepherd of the sheep and that they, the Scribes and Pharisees were the thieves and the robbers and not shepherds of the flock.  

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” John 10:14-15

These are the words of Jesus to the Jews in the temple when they asked Him, are you the Christ, tell us plainly:

“I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one. 

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him” John 10:25-31

The Jews were so offended by the words of Christ that they wanted to stone Him. He made himself to be the eternal God with His words that He and the Father were one and they accused Him of blasphemy and of being mad and having a devil. But they had not ears to hear; they couldn’t hear and never would hear because they were not sheep. Sheep are the only ones who hear Christ and His Gospel because they belong to Him and will not follow another. 

Not a single sheep shall perish in the way, not a single one. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of the sheep satisfied divine justice for His people when He died as our Substitute and the SURE RESULTS of His redeeming work is eternal salvation. 

Isaiah 53:10-11 “Yet is pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” 

Christ did not fail!

Grace and Peace!