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Definite Atonement
The author sees no purpose, benefit, or comfort in a redemption that does not redeem, a propitiation that does not propitiate, a reconciliation that does not reconcile; neither does he have any faith in a hypothetical salvation for hypothetical believers. Rather, he has faith in a redemption which infallibly secures the salvation of each and everyone for whom it was designed, namely, “the children of God that were scattered abroad” (John 11:52), which is such a multitude of sinners declared righteous that no man can number them. God forbid, therefore, “that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). Gary D. Long is Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Ministries, Inc. He holds degrees from the University of Missouri (B.S. in Agriculture 1959) and from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M. in Systematic Theology, 1969; Th.D. in Historical Theology, 1972). He is a retired U.S. Army Field Artillery Colonel having 22 years of active duty service. His published theological works include Context! Evangelical view on the Millennium Examined, Biblical Law and Ethics, The Christian Sabbath-Lord’s Day Controversy and The Doctrine of Salvation.
- GenresTheology
147 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 26, 2023
Long has (in the most loving way I think possible) clearly stated the theological problems of the Arminian and 4 point calvinist view of Christ’s atonement from a Scriptural standpoint. To read this and not walk away with a deep humility and love for our God and His work on Calvary is to miss the essence of His grace and gift - may we never cheapen it as the church so recently has.
June 22, 2019
Many consider this to be the gold standard when it comes to particular redemption. After reading the book I can certainly understand why. There is a lot of compelling information in this short book and many avenues of study. An overall great read with compelling arguments all the way through.
June 11, 2012
From the back cover: "The author sees no purpose, benefit, or comfort in a redemption that does not redeem, a propitiation that does not propitiate, a reconciliation that does not reconcile; neither does he have any faith in a hypothetical salvation for hypothetical believers. Rather, he has faith in a redemption which infallibly secures the salvation of each and everyone for whom it was designed, namely, "the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52), which is such a multitude of sinners declared righteous that no man can number them. God forbid, therefore, "that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14)."
This book set out to establish and defend the doctrine that answers the question, for whom did Christ die? - popularly known as "Limited Atonement." The reason the book is not called "Limited Atonement" is because that can give people a false view of what the doctrine actually is. Whether the "limited" or "unlimited" doctrine, both teachings limit the atonement in one way or another. Limited atonement limits its scope, but gives it full efficacy. Unlimited atonement gives it unlimited scope, but limits its efficacy. So to make it more clear, the author prefers the terms definite atonement or particular redemption.
On the whole, this book is very convincing and sets out good arguments for the case of definite atonement/particular redemption. He sets his proofs in three categories:
The Love and Eternal Purpose of God
The Redemptive Work of Christ
The Applicatory Work of the Holy Spirit
In each of these categories Long exegetes Scripture using original language and historical context combined with sound reasoning. My only complaint is his communication style. While using sound arguments, he sets most of them up in question form rather than simply making declarative statements. This is pretty obtuse and makes his arguments much more difficult to understand than they need to be.
So while it is not the easiest book to read, it's certainly a solid contribution to theology, which is a solid contribution to knowing the eternal God. The appendices at the end are very helpful - I would say indispensable from the rest of the book. They demonstrate that the three "problem passages" of holding to particular redemption (2 Peter. 2:1; 1 John 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:19) are very easy to understand when seeing them in their proper Biblical, historical, linguistical context.
Highly recommended for those wanting to know what the Bible means when it uses the words: all, world, every, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation.
This book set out to establish and defend the doctrine that answers the question, for whom did Christ die? - popularly known as "Limited Atonement." The reason the book is not called "Limited Atonement" is because that can give people a false view of what the doctrine actually is. Whether the "limited" or "unlimited" doctrine, both teachings limit the atonement in one way or another. Limited atonement limits its scope, but gives it full efficacy. Unlimited atonement gives it unlimited scope, but limits its efficacy. So to make it more clear, the author prefers the terms definite atonement or particular redemption.
On the whole, this book is very convincing and sets out good arguments for the case of definite atonement/particular redemption. He sets his proofs in three categories:
The Love and Eternal Purpose of God
The Redemptive Work of Christ
The Applicatory Work of the Holy Spirit
In each of these categories Long exegetes Scripture using original language and historical context combined with sound reasoning. My only complaint is his communication style. While using sound arguments, he sets most of them up in question form rather than simply making declarative statements. This is pretty obtuse and makes his arguments much more difficult to understand than they need to be.
So while it is not the easiest book to read, it's certainly a solid contribution to theology, which is a solid contribution to knowing the eternal God. The appendices at the end are very helpful - I would say indispensable from the rest of the book. They demonstrate that the three "problem passages" of holding to particular redemption (2 Peter. 2:1; 1 John 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:19) are very easy to understand when seeing them in their proper Biblical, historical, linguistical context.
Highly recommended for those wanting to know what the Bible means when it uses the words: all, world, every, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation.
April 20, 2009
Excellent.
October 20, 2011
To come ...
November 8, 2012
Excellent.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews