Or, “Attention Theologians: There’s Blood in the Water!”

Although it’s been awhile since I’ve done it, I used to come up with what I called my “heresy of the month:” it was an idea, concept, or belief that was original with me and perhaps not so traditional. I would run it past trusted friends when I had the opportunity and would discover: (a) my idea was not biblical, for reasons X, Y, and Z; (b) my idea was not original, having been stated by someone else previously, or (c) my idea had some merit or was at least plausible, even if it didn’t have much value.

The last “heresy” I recall was my musing that perhaps what happened to Paul on the Damascus Road was that he got struck by lightning. His subsequent symptoms fit and God does seem to work through natural means quite frequently to accomplish spiritual ends. He used an electrical storm 1,500 years later with Luther, didn’t he?

Well, my friend and former professor Dr. James Beck of Denver Seminary laughed when he read it in an email and replied that I was always thinking outside the box. Actually, I don’t just think outside the box; I live outside the box.

I was reminded of one of my older heresies earlier today as I was reading “Taking the T.U.L.I.P. Out of the Garden”, a book review by Nathan Bierma of Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport: Making Connections in Today’s World by Richard J. Mouw.

I am not a Five-Point Calvinist (as they are sometimes called), parting company with them over the “L” and the “P.” The latter refers to the doctrine of the Perseverance of the saints, i.e., the “once saved, always saved” belief. I, too, believe in eternal security, but tweak the “P” to represent the Perseverance of the Savior, or the Preservation by the Savior. The emphasis is on Christ’s faithfulness, not my own. Many Calvinists may also mean this, but many do not and stress an evaluation of one’s works for assurance of salvation.

But that is not my point or heresy - or, at least, it’s not the one I’m talking about right now. Mine has to do with the “L” in the TULIP: Limited Atonement, or (as Mouw optimistically labels it), “mission accomplished.” This means that, although Christ’s death was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. (For more on the Five Points, go to The Calvinist Corner).

My belief is that Jesus Christ did make atonement for all but that the atonement is not efficacious unless it is united with faith. Christ died for all, but not all believe; thus, not all are saved and they are condemned for not exercising faith in Christ. Saving faith, however, is also a work of the Holy Spirit that enables the person to believe; salvation is a work of God: we are completely unable to either earn salvation or even choose salvation apart from His work.

This is where my heresy comes in. I asked one of my New Testament profs about it once, but there wasn’t enough time to get an answer. So now I throw it out to all of you for your consideration and (if necessary) correction.

In Jn 16, Jesus teaches the disciples about a particular ministry that the Holy Spirit will perform when He comes. Jesus says,

“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” – vv. 8-11

Tell me if I’m wrong here, but it seems that Jesus is saying that the sin that condemns a person is failure to believe in Him. His substitutionary death on the cross paid the price for every other sin of omission or commision, but to reject the work of the Holy Spirit is to be guilty of a sin that results in judgment.

The determinative factor in salvation is Jesus Christ, not how good a life we lived or how badly we treated others. It all comes down to a single issue: has a person trusted in the sacrifice that was made on his or her behalf by the Son of God?

When Christ’s atonement is united with faith, salvation is the result. Even as the blood of the lamb at the initial Passover had to be applied to the door to be effective, so must the Blood of Jesus Christ be applied by faith for it to be salvific.

Well, that’s it. As I said before, this is my “heresy of the month” (although I’ve thought about this for more than twenty years). If anyone can demonstrate to me biblically that I am truly wrong, I would greatly appreciate it so I can correct my error. I am not asking to be persuaded into a Limited Atonement position here – that might be a worthwhile discussion at another time – but am asking whether or not this notion of all sins being atoned for except for the rejection of Christ is valid.

I look forward to hearing from you.


2 Cor 1.13