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“ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33)
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Written by Daniel S. McPherson II   
LESSON THREE: THE SECURING OF GRACE

God, in order to have a people for himself, had to deal with the problem of sin. He did this by sending the Lord Jesus Christ to live a perfect life and die on the cross in the place of sinners. But what did Christ’s death accomplish? Did it make it possible for God to pardon all sinners on the condition that they would believe? Or, did it secure salvation for certain sinners so that they would believe? Let’s see how the Bible describes this doctrine.

  1. Part One: What Does Christ’s Death Do?
    1. It Justifies: Read Romans 5: 8, 9
      1. What did Christ’s death do for sinners? (v. 9)
      2. Much more then, what are they now? (v. 9)
      3. By what are they justified? (v. 9)
      4. Shall those for whom he shed his blood be saved? (v. 9)
    2. Read Isaiah 53:10- 12
      1. For what was Christ’s soul made an offering? (v. 10)
      2. Was the offering satisfactory? (v. 11)
      3. Does Christ justify those whose iniquities he bore? (v. 11)
      4. Is everyone justified?
    3. It Reconciles: Read Romans 5: 10
      1. What did the death of the son do for those who were once enemies?
      2. Will these be saved?
      3. By what will they be saved?
      4. Is it possible that God is, through Christ’s death, reconciled to all men, but that only some men are reconciled to Him?
    4. It Cleanses: Read 1 John 1: 7
      1. By what are sinners cleansed?
      2. Does Christ’s blood cleanse from all sin, or some sin?
      3. If Christ’s blood cleanses an individual of all sin, what then could send him to hell?
    5. It Purchases: Read Acts 20: 28
      1. What did Christ do for the church?
      2. With what did he purchase it?
      3. Does every individual in the world belong to Christ’s church?
      4. Did Christ purchase every human being?
      5. It Redeems
      6. Read Colossians 1: 13, 14
      7. Because of Christ’s death, what has God done? (v. 13)
      8. Name the two things in verse 14 that we (believers) have.
      9. Through what have these two things been obtained? (v. 14)

    6. Read Hebrews 9: 12
      1. What did Christ’s death obtain?
      2. Is every individual redeemed?
      3. Did Jesus make salvation possible for every man, or did he obtain it for some?
The Bible describes the death of Christ as an actual atonement for sin, not a potential atonement. It is nonsense to think that Christ paid a ransom for every individual and yet some are not set free. The Bible calls the blood of Christ a price or a ransom (Matthew 20: 28). The purpose of a ransom is to obtain the deliverance of those for whom the price was paid. Nowhere does it speak of Christ’s death as making salvation a possibility. The shed blood of Jesus actually secured the salvation of the ones for whom he died.


  1. Part Two: Payment for Whom?
    1. His People: Read Matthew 1: 21
      1. What was Mary to call her son?
      2. Who will Jesus save?
      3. From what will he save them?
      4. Does this verse suggest that Jesus will provide an opportunity for salvation; or that he will actually save his people?
    2. His Church: Read Ephesians 5: 25- 27 *
      1. Husbands are love their wives as Christ loved whom? (v. 25)
      2. For whom did Christ gi ve himself up? (v. 25)
      3. Why did Christ give himself up? (v. 26)
      4. Are men permitted to love other women besides their wives?
      5. Would Christ then, loving the church as an example of how a man should love his wife, love others as well as the church as to die for them?
    3. His Elect: Read Romans 8: 32-34
      1. In these verses, to whom do the words "us" and "all" refer? (v. 33)
      2. Can anything be laid to the charge of those for whom Christ has been delivered up? (v. 33)
      3. What is Christ doing at the right hand of God for those whom he died. (v. 34)
      4. His Sheep: Read John 10: 11, 14-18, 24-29
      5. Who is the good shepherd?
      6. For whom did he lay down his life? (v. 15)
      7. Will Christ bring in all the sheep for whom he laid down his life? (v. 16)
      8. Will they heed his voice? (v. 16)
      9. Why didn’t the Jews to whom Christ was speaking believe on him? (v. 26)
      10. What does Christ give his sheep? (v. 28)
      11. Will they ever perish? (v. 28)
      12. Who gave the sheep to Christ? (v. 29)
      13. Since the men to whom Jesus was speaking were not of his sheep, did he lay down his life for them? (v. 11)
God declares that the wages (payment) of sin is death but his gift is eternal life through the death of Christ (Rom. 6: 23). Jesus Christ paid these wages and obtained eternal life for those whom the Father had given him. Christ did not come to try to save every individual. If so, he has failed in his purpose. He did not come to enable men to save themselves. If this were so, then salvation would be of works, not grace. Christ went to the cross to save his people, his eternal church, his elect, and his sheep, who were predestinated before the foundation of the world.
  1. Part Three: The High Priestly Prayer
    1. Read John 17
      1. For whom did Christ pray for eternal life? (vs. 2, 6, 9, 11, 24)
      2. What did he pray they might do? (v. 3)
      3. For what doesn’t Christ pray? (v. 9)
      4. For whose sakes did Christ sanctify himself? (v. 19)
      5. Christ not only prays for the disciples, but also for whom else? (v. 20)
      6. Does Christ pray for the ones who won’t believe?
      7. If the great high priest, Jesus Christ, was unwilling to pray for those who were not his own, would he then offer himself up for them?

        8. In John 17, Jesus, in his prayer, refers to his giving himself in death and his praying for his own whom the Father had given him. It is clear that his intercession must be for the same people as those for whom he died. These are God’s elect.

      8. "We can put the matter like this: Christ suffered for either, all the sins of all men, or all the sins of some men, or some of the sins of all men.
If the last statement is true, then all men are still left with some sins, and so no one can be redeemed. If the first statement is true, then why are not all men freed from sin? You may say, Because of their unbelief. But I ask, is unbelief a sin? If it is not, why are men punished for it? If it is a sin, then it must be among the sins for which Christ died. So the first statement cannot be true! So it is clear that the only possibility remaining is that Christ had laid upon him all the sins of some men, the elect, only. It is this that I believe is the teaching of the Bible."
–John Owen
In the Bible, God talks about "His church" in two ways. One way that he presents the church is as a corporate body. The corporate body of believers or the external church consists of all those from every denomination that have joined up with Christ by making a profession or becoming a member in a local church. Within this corporate visible church there are those who have not become saved. Corporately they may enjoy many privileges and blessings but personally they have not yet become born again. These are the ones that passages like II Peter 2:20 and Hebrews 10:26, 27 are referring to.

At other times in scripture, when God talks about the body of Christ or the church, He is referring to individuals who have personally become born again. These individuals are members of the eternal church. Theses are the ones who have had their sins paid. These are the ones for whom Christ prays for in John 17. These are the ones who have truly trusted in the Lord and have become new creatures in Christ Jesus. On the last day the tares (unbelievers) will be separated from the wheat (believers) and we will know those who belong to the eternal church (Matthew 13).
 
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