Here are some
notes from last Sunday morning’s sermon on Hebrews 2:5-9:
At the close of Hebrews 2:9, we see the wonder of
the substitutionary atonement: “that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man.”
The suffering
death of Jesus was not the death of a martyr.
It was not the death of a man who merely dies for a righteous
cause. It was a death that had spiritual
significance and gained a tangible reward for others.
We need to
acknowledge that there have been those who have misunderstood the meaning of
this final phrase. In particular, it is
argued that this final statement contradicts or refutes the doctrine of limited
atonement or particular redemption. When
it says Christ “tasted death for every man” it is argued that this means
universal atonement.
To rightly
divide the Word of God here we need to consider the following:
1. “Every
man” does not mean every person without exception.
“Every man”
is the translators’ rendering of one Greek adjective pantos. Christ tasted death “for
every man [hyper pantos].” Rather
than assuming that the only possible meaning of this phrase is “every person without
exception,” on a purely grammatical basis it must be admitted that the meaning
might just as well be “every one of God’s elect” or “every saint” or “every
believer” or “every redeemed man.”
2. If we
take the universal atonement interpretation, it leads to some troubling
theological conclusions.
Most
significantly such a view implies universal salvation or universalism. This “love wins” mindset is particularly
popular with many in our day. If Christ tasted death for the sins of every
single person without exception then this means that every single person
without exception has been saved. This,
however, is clearly not what Scripture teaches (cf. John 3:36).
Many
evangelical Arminians, of course, reject universal salvation and say this verse
teaches that though Christ tasted death for every single person without
exception there are still those who will reject Christ. The problem with this view is that it empties
the cross of its efficacy. According to
this view, Christ did not actually save anyone on the cross. He only potentially saved people. If the Arminian counters that Christ did indeed
die for actual sins on the cross, then it suggests the illogical and unseemly
notion that there are persons in hell for whose sins Christ died, but they are
still under the wrath of God.
3. We must
interpret Scripture by Scripture.
We can only
understand what Hebrews 2:9 means by looking to the whole counsel of Scripture,
which would include the following:
Isaiah 53:11 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.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their
sins.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.
John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers, to feed the church of
God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures;
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and
upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high;
The only
conclusion we can reach is that Hebrews 2:9 does not teach universal redemption
or hypothetic redemption.
John Owen in
his comments on this verse notes that the pantos
in v. 9 refers to “all and every one of the children unto whom he was a captain
of salvation” (Vol. 3, p. 322).
Thus, it is both
a solemn and a joyful reminder to the saints of God of what God in Christ has
done for us. The death of Christ was a
death which won freedom for every person who by the grace of God would come to
repent of his sins and turn to him in saving faith. He not only tasted physical death for the
elect, but he tasted spiritual death for us.
The wrath of God for our sin was laid upon his shoulders. By his stripes we are healed.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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