2
Doctrines of Grace
DOCTRINE OF LIMITED ATONEMENT
“EFFECTS OF ATONEMENT (2)”
John 12: 31
Sermon by:
Rev. P. den Butter
Published by the
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(May 2003)
LITURGY:
Votum
Psalter 392: 3, 4
Law of God
Scripture: Hebrews 2: 5 – 18
Psalter 381: 4
Text: John 12: 31
Now is the judgement of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Congregational Prayer
Offering
Psalter 420: 1, 2
Sermon
Psalter 353: 3
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 92: 1
Benediction
Doxology: Psalter 396: 6
DOCTRINES OF GRACE - SERMON # 9
THE DOCTRINE OF LIMITED ATONEMENT
“Effects of Atonement (2)”
We will continue our study in the Doctrine of Limited Atonement. So far, we have seen why atonement is necessary. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. The wrath of God rests upon the sinner and that wrath of God must be removed. But how can it be removed? Atonement must be made. Then the sins that cover the sinner must be taken away, and that can be done only through blood. The only covering that the Lord accepts is the covering of the blood of the Mediator, and therefore atonement is necessary. In the second place, we have seen what the nature of atonement is. The Bible tells us that Christ has made atonement for sins by offering up Himself. So by a self sacrifice of the Son of God, the sins of God’s people are being removed. In our last study of this doctrine we have seen what the effects of atonement are, or rather we have looked at one of the effects of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, namely what we found recorded by the apostle Peter in his first epistle, in these words, that Christ suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. The effect of the atonement is that the sinner is brought back to God, that he is restored into the communion with God. So far we have come with this doctrine of the Limited Atonement. And so far we have come with the aspect of the effects of the atonement. Certainly this is a tremendously important effect, that the sinner through the blood of Christ can be brought again to God, and that there is communion with God again for the lost sinner. But when we speak about the effects of the atonement, the Bible informs us that there is much more than only this, that the sinner is brought to God. Today, we will have a second study in the effects of the atonement.
Our text for today is found in John’s Gospel, chapter 12 and verse 31, where the Lord Jesus speaks these words - Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
Now it is clear from the context, that this word from John 12:31 has reference to the work of Christ which He did upon the cross. Look at verse 33. There is John’s comment upon the words of Christ spoken in verses 31 and 32. This, John says, He said, signifying what death He should die. And of course this comment in verse 33 has reference to verse 32 in the first place, where the Lord speaks about His being lifted up on the cross – and so by being lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself. But the comment in verse 33 does not only refer back to verse 32 about the drawing of all men by the crucified Saviour; it has also reference to verse 31. That too is effected by the cross of Christ, namely the judgment of this world and the casting out of the prince of this world. These words too, He spoke signifying what death He should die. The judgment upon the world and the casting out of the prince of the world are also effects of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, I think I can be very brief as far as the context of this text is concerned. You know, it is at the occasion that the Greeks requested to have that interview with the Lord Jesus. When this request was brought before the Lord Jesus, the Lord by this request was reminded of the necessity of His death. He knew that He was that corn of wheat that had to fall into the ground and die. And if that would not take place, if the corn of wheat would not fall into the ground and die, then it would remain alone. Then the Lord Jesus could do nothing for the Greeks and He could do nothing for the Jews. He could do nothing for anyone. He was reminded of the necessity of His death. But when He thought upon His death, then these thoughts caused His soul to be in great agony and for the moment He does not know what to say or to pray. But then He sees the real issues. His Father’s name must be glorified, and how can the name of the Father be glorified? - Only when He willingly sacrifices Himself upon the cross, and when He dies that shameful death to so bring satisfaction to the justice of God and to atone for the sins of His people. And again, He is perfectly willing to do all of this. He is willing to go all the way to the cross and to pour out His soul into death. And He is even more willing when the Father speaks again in answer to His prayer. Then the Son is fully persuaded that He will be faithful to the end. Then He also knows that His labours will not be in vain. He will see His seed, and conscious of the fruit upon His labours, conscious of the seed that will be seen by Him, conscious that the Father will give Him reward upon His labours, He speaks about that reward in the words of verse 32, I will draw all men unto Myself. He speaks about that reward also in verse 31, where He speaks about other effects of the atoning work that He is going to do, namely the judgment upon the world, and the casting out of the prince of the world.
Well, let us look at these two aspects of the work of Christ, as well. First of all, the judgment upon the world. Now we first of all need to know what He means by the word ‘world’. The word ‘world’ does not always have the same meaning in the Scriptures. Sometimes the word is used in a commendable way. God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son. Then the word ‘world’ means the created world. Then the created world is the object of God’s love. But that is not the meaning of the word in our text. Here the Lord uses the same word, but the word ‘world’ now has a different meaning. It cannot mean the created world which is the object of God’s love, for the Lord Jesus speaks about the judgment that will be upon the world. What does the word ‘world’ mean in our text? Well, it means the same as in John 15:18, a word spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ, which characterizes the world as a world full of hatred. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. So, what kind of world is it that the Lord Jesus is speaking about? It is a hostile world, a world which is full of hatred against Christ. (It hated Me before it hated you.) It is a world which is also filled with hatred against the people of Christ – a hostile world.
Well, in that sense the apostle John also speaks about it in his first epistle. In 1 John 5:19, we find the apostle speak about the world in that same sense, and there he adds another touch to that picture that the Bible draws of the wicked, sinful world. (1John 5:19) And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. So, it is a world that lies in wickedness. It is a world that is filled with wickedness and it is at the same time under the power of wickedness. Some of the wickedness of this world is described by John in this same epistle, in chapter 2 verse 16. There you see something of what wickedness it is that dwells in the world and in which the world is lying. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Well, this world – this present, evil, wicked, hateful world – this world, according to the words of Christ in our text, is judged. Judged? How? - By the death of Christ and by the manner of the death of Christ, and by the atoning work Christ did in this death. Ah, but you say, I don’t understand that. I can understand when someone makes the statement that the crucifixion is the judgment that the world pronounces upon Christ, but I cannot understand it when someone says that the crucifixion of Christ is the judgment that God passes on the world. See, the crucifixion of Christ is indeed the judgment that the world pronounces upon the Son of God. The Jews and the Romans worked together to bring Christ on the cross. They cast Him out. They were of the opinion that it was not fit for Him to live any longer, and they condemned Him to death - and His death must be the most painful and the most shameful death ever thinkable. So they condemned Him to the death by crucifixion. That’s the world’s judgment upon Jesus. And in this light the crucifixion of Christ is an expression of the hatred of the world against God and against His Son. And that is a terrible thing, no doubt. Sure, this is also an aspect of the Scriptural teaching. Here we see it – what the Lord Jesus means when He says that the world hates Christ – not only the pagan, Roman world, but also the religious Jewish world – also the world of temple goers. Without a renewed heart, man hates Christ, hates God. They pronounce Him to be accursed and to be worthy only to die the death of the accursed on the cross. Certainly this is an aspect that the cross is the judgment pronounced by the world upon Christ.
But this is not what the Lord Jesus is saying. He turns it around and He says, The crucifixion, My death is God’s judgment upon the world. But how do we understand this? What kind of light does the Lord Jesus let shine upon the cross by these words? Well remember, the cross is a symbol of … what? What does the cross speak about? What does the cross preach? The cross speaks about sin, about punishment, about guilt. The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is of course, a punishment that is meted out upon Him, and by doing so, by crucifying Him, they exhibit their enmity, right? But now don’t forget what must be the answer to this question. Sure, they crucify Him. They condemn Him to death. But are they doing justice? Is it righteous what they do? Is this what the Lord Jesus deserves to receive from their hands? Is He guilty of the things that He is being accused of? Was there a valid argument for Jews and Romans by which they could prove His guilt? No, but the Roman governor has repeatedly stated that he did not find fault in this Man. So, what does it mean when they yet crucify Him, after having determined that there is no fault in Him? What does it mean that He is yet crucified? Is that justice? No, this is the height of injustice! This is a crime. This is the crime of crimes! And by condemning Christ to this death, the world condemns itself. The world condemns itself. The cross of Christ convicts the world of being the guiltiest of the guilty, for they have murdered the Son of God. And that is the crime of crimes!
By doing this work, the world has given proof to be an atheistic world – a world not only full of hatred against Christ, and not only full of hatred against the disciples of Christ – but a world full of hatred against God. And if they would have been able to have also done this, they would have done it, namely - killed God! Do you see how by this sentence, how by the crucifixion of Christ, the world has brought judgment upon itself? By condemning Christ to this terrible death, the world has given clear evidence how wicked, how perverse this world is, lying in the wicked one.
And who, in this light, would still be willing to talk about human virtues and human dignity? How much dignity have we left if this is what mankind does - kill the innocent Son of God, who has done nothing but good, and who has been always kind and friendly? How much virtue can we expect from man, when he is a hater of God and a murderer of the Saviour?
We hear a lot of talk about human rights today. Human rights! But who dares speak about human rights, when he sees what humanity has done to the spotless, innocent, holy, loving Son of God. Human rights? You know where human rights are? Human rights are in hell! That’s where our rights are – in hell, because the world has cast out the Son of God who came to be the Saviour of the lost. So, the world is judged by the work of atonement of the Lord Jesus. This is only one aspect though.
The cross is the judgment of the world, the Lord Jesus says – not only because in this crucifixion the world has fully revealed how wicked and how bad she is, but also for some other reason. The world has crucified Christ, yes, - and that is the judgment that has been pronounced upon the Son of God. This is a crime as we saw. This is a terrible murder. But now look at the cross again, and do not only look at it from the perspective of what man has done. Now also look at the same cross from the perspective of what God has done. Is it accidental that Jesus dies on the cross? Is it simply because the Jews determined to demand that He die this death? Is it because Pilate, willing to give the Jews their wish this time condemned Him to the death of the cross? Is this man’s decision? No, this all belongs to the predetermined counsel of God. The cross of Christ and the crucifixion of Christ is part of the determinate counsel of God. Let me put it in these words. God wanted His Son to die on the cross. God wanted His Son to die this death of shame and ignominy – this death of the accursed. And what did God pronounce in this death? What did God tell when Christ was nailed to the cross? That the world exhibited their enmity – yes, and so make themselves worthy of judgment and bring judgment upon themselves. But by this cross and by this crucifixion, God also made a pronouncement, and He told the world, and He told every sinner, and He told every son and daughter of Adam, This is the place where you deserve to be. And this is what you deserve to receive – condemnation – the sentence of death – this death, the death of the accursed!