Featured General Reconciliation

I do not advocate "universal atonement" but I do advocate "general reconciliation." The difference between general and universal is that universal suggests that the reconciliation is applied individually to everybody. I do not think this is what the bible teaches. But Jesus being the propitiation or means of salvation for the whole world, God reconciling the world (humankind) to Himself, indicates redemption is available to everybody; Jesus having paid the ransom for all. If you read in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, you see that being reconciled in the general sense, does not indicate you have "received" the reconciliation individually, that is why we have the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore the difference between general reconciliation and individual reconciliation is in who has "received" the reconciliation. And this occurs when God places us individually "in Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Here is a summary of Particular Reconciliation and General Reconciliation

Particular Reconciliation:
(1) God preselected folks for salvation before creation
(2) Christ came and died for those folks - limited atonement
(3) God gives those folks faith in Christ, then accepts their faith and places them in Christ.

General Reconciliation
(1) God selected Christ to redeem believers before creation. Therefore those chosen and placed in Christ during their lifetime through belief in the truth were corporately chosen as the target group of His redemption plan before the foundation of the world.
(2) Christ came and died for humankind in general but not specifically for each individual.
(3) God chooses folks and places them in Christ after accepting their faith and reckoning it as righteousness.

The first point of difference centers on the meaning of Ephesians 1:4 which says we (born again believers) were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Particular Reconciliation maintains that being chosen in Him means being chosen as foreseen individuals. General Reconciliation maintains that being chosen in Him means Christ was chosen to be the Lamb of God before the foundation of the world and anyone subsequently redeemed by the Lamb was corporately chosen because you do not choose a Redeemer without a plan to redeem..

The second point of difference centers on the meaning of 1 John 2:2 which says He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. Particular Reconciliation maintains that Jesus is the propitiation not only for elect Jews but also for elect Gentiles. General Reconciliation maintains that Christ is the propitiation not only for believers, but also for everybody else, the whole world. Propitiation means that God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice provides the means of salvation, the mechanism of reconciliation. When God puts a believer spiritually in Christ they “receive” the reconciliation provided by Christ’s sacrifice.

The third point of difference centers on the meaning of Romans 4:5 which says but to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. Particular Reconciliation maintains the “his faith” was supernaturally given to him by God because the unregenerate are spiritually unable to trust in Christ. General Reconciliation maintains “his faith” is the individual’s trust in Christ, because if it were God’s gift of faith, it would not need to be reckoned as righteousness.

 

Calvinists love to smear others because they do not love truth.
If they did they would accept Christ died as a ransom for all.
If they did they would accept Christ became the propitiation or means of salvation for the whole world, all humankind.

 

That is exactly right, everyone given to Christ (transferred from the realm of darkness into His kingdom) becomes "My sheep."
What some do is construe this to mean exclusively, He only laid down His life for His sheep. But since He laid down His life as a ransom for all, the church made up of His sheep, are a part of that "all." Note 2 Peter 2:1 says Christ "bought" people heading for swift destruction. There the ransom bought all, but all do not receive the reconciliation provided when God credits a person's faith in Christ as righteousness.

John 10:11 says Jesus lays down His life (as the good shepherd) for "the" sheep, all mankind.
1) The sheep = all mankind in John 10:11
2) Of My sheep = all those open and receptive to God's word, they are the fields white for harvest.
3) My sheep = those after being given to Christ and thus then belong to Him.

 

Calvinists love to smear those presenting truth.

 

Why are you constructing faults and implying they are mine? Why not address the topic.
How are we saved? Does it in any way "depend" on our willingness to be saved? Nope We are saved by God alone, for it is God who either credits our worthless filthy rag faith as righteousness or not. This poppycock about robbing God of His glory is just another smear by Calvinism. The biblical truth is when we in our fallen and corrupt state turn to God and repent, we glorify God.

Reconciliation is available to everyone.