Here is a new eBook concerning what Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection. 

Click on the photo for the pdf.  Also relating to this topic is my other eBook: The Parable of monergism.

For more resources on this subject see the bottom. 

              This essay started from a conversation on facebook from one of my Pilipino Christian brothers.  Praise God his biblical understanding is grounded in, well, God's revealed words and not in the culture's revealed feelings, and so he knew the answer to this question he posted.  But I wonder if you, my dear readers, have this same understanding?

             First, I find it disappointing that such questions must be asked in the first place.  The suffering love of Christ is mainly about the Fame of Glory of Jesus Christ -in His Person and His marvelous work.  Yet, because of rampant hatred for the free grace of Jesus Christ, concerning Him as a Person and His work there ends up being much time being spent bringing down irrational questions[1] and fable tales of sinful imaginations, whereas the opposite should be done.  There are times to answer questions and to bring down heresy, but concerning the suffering of our Lord the majority ought to be a positive exhibiting of the fame of His Person and work!  Thus, I will be doing both in this essay.      

           I enjoy answering questions like this for the sole purpose that it naturally sets up for me the platform to give a positive exhibition of Christ's fame and glory in His suffering love for me and His Church. 

           I have said this before, but the heart of this question is the heart of Calvinism; and that question is thus, what did Jesus Christ actually accomplish in His death and resurrection?  The answer of this question is paramount for it is the grounds for the church's faith in God and how much glory God will be given. 

           The Bible's and Calvinism's short answer to this question is such: Jesus Christ at a definite time and at a definite place actually accomplished salvation, in full, in His death and resurrection for all whom He personally intended it for.

           See, if salvation was actually accomplished in time, at Calvary, then such things as election and predestination must necessarily be true as well. (To know more about this concept see my new eBook: The Parable of Monergism.)[2]

           This is the central issue at hand with such doctrines as election and predestination.  Although they have much to do with the doctrine that God is God, (actually Sovereign that is), yet, as usual with practically all of God's doctrines, the cross is where the rubber-meets-the-road for them in the most profound way.

         It is obvious people, and in particular unbelievers, hate God's sovereignty, for this was largely the core prejudice man and angels had when they challenged the Almighty's right to rule over them.  Yet, their prejudices and hatred go deeper.  It is in particular against Jesus Christ concerning His (1) Person and His (2) work of grace.

         Already acknowledging the fact there are stray prejudices and hatred against God's beautiful sovereignty we move on to the aspect of the cross where, in a sense, God the Father, Son and Spirit actually "accomplished" election and predestination.  Of course election and predestination started "before time began", and so in a sense they are accomplished by God in His will (which is God's infinite energy and power itself) concerning His Divine Decrees during a past eternity ago.  This being so, these divine decrees are not publicly accomplished and irrevocably set in a public sense until the advent of the suffering love of Jesus Christ.  Ephesians tells us that God "in love predestined us to adoption by Jesus Christ."  Predestination was not "by" His secret will or power but "by" Jesus' death and resurrection.

        See, if my sins were "actually" paid for, at a particular time in the past and the receipt already printed off concerning my account, then of course! I was predestined and elected.  To the persons who Christ did die for, at that place and time, their destiny are set in stone.  God, the bank creditor, has already been paid for their sins; thus, they are free forever on God's part; and since it is only God who condemns then their destiny is set for heaven.  They have been elected and their destiny set.  God has already received payment for their sins! (Hebrews 9:12)   Men do not pay God, Jesus does, which is why He taught us to pray, "Forgive us our debts."  And His blood alone is payment, already given to God at a place and time in history (Hebrews 9:12); salvation is finished!  The receipt has already been printed off, the transaction done.  For the persons Jesus did not shed His blood for their destinies are likewise set.

         What this means is simply that when people hate election and predestination they cannot do this without, to some degree, hating Jesus Christ -concerning His Personhood and His work, for it was "He" who at a place and time paid for sins and it was "His hard work" that accomplished this.  A dislike for such doctrines is at its heart a dislike for the Person of Jesus Christ.  I will not expound here, but on my website I have an article titled, Despising God's Soul, where I show that it is "impossible" to hate any one particular action or quality of God without it being a hating of His Soul itself.  I do not wish to only pick on people who dislike God through these doctrines so if you feel left out, don't worry; I will pick on you and others later.  Because of our imperfections we all in some varying degrees dislike God Himself by not knowing and loving perfectly His truths, Nature and actions.  Thus, one the hallmark of maturity in a Christian is how much truth of God they seek out in order to love and worship Him as He really is!  

          It is at Calvary where our hatred and dislike of God Himself is exposed in a grand a horrifying exhibit.  For there we see it was His Son who paid for the churches sins, without asking them, and thus, electing and predestining them to heaven.  For some this a horror, because like the devil they feel God is stealing all the glory for Himself -God is simply in their way in their pursuit to glorify themselves through sin.  Yet, for any who is heavy and burdened with their own sin, their own shame, and their own self-inflicted guilt will find such a Person and His work glorious and infinitely beautiful!  Do you dear reader?

The question:

        The question, did Jesus died to save me, or did He died that I might be saved, could be likened to a man having the option to say to his bride, I will love you, or, I will try to love you.  I liken our question to this example because Jesus is the Divine Husband of the church.  Because of this I find examples are usually seen well (not perfectly, but well) in marital situations, for this is the situation with Christ and the Church, a divine marriage.

        Thus, which wedding vow would you give to your spouse?  I would assume most, if not all, have and would give "I will love you no matter what."  I would also assume you would choose this because you believe the strong love that you have for your spouse demands such a vow! I would also assume that with the strong love you have for your spouse you would hope beyond all measure that they would vow, I will love you, instead of, I will try to love you?

        It is disappointing to find we demand such a high glory be given for human love, yet, deny God the right to show this type of glorious love!  Many, sadly, even within the church only ascribe Jesus Christ and His love on Calvary with a love that "tries" to save and not a love that "does" save.  Those who are guilty of this do not see themselves in this way, but nonetheless this is the result.

        Did God love enough to love us or merely tried to love us?  This is the heart of the issue!  Does God's love succeed or does it try - with some success and with some failures?  If the latter then how is God's love no better than human love which also sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails?  Is this not the definition of paganism that God is no greater, no more successful or glorious than man or fallen angels?

        If God's truly tried save every last man, woman and child and all are not, then is not God the biggest Epic Fail of all time with millions and billions of failures on His record?  Some say so-called free-will prevented God, but this does not help to cover up the horrific scene before us.  The frank matter is that according to many God tried, yet because of free will (or whatever it might be) God did not actually accomplish His own goal!  What a horror this is.  This is the theology of demons.  Demons would love for this to be the case.  If true, then like them, God also had a goal did not fully succeed; it would give precedent for God to be mocked, for God often mocks idols for this very reason -they fail.

        Furthermore, it is this type of blaspheme that destroys such things as prayer.  I mean, why in the world would you pray for God to help you in your goals when He is unable to help Himself in His own goals?  What hope does a sinful failure have when he prays to a Heavenly Failure for help?

        Let it be know this preacher believes so such thing; Man is a failure, angels are failures, but God is a perfect success.  Man reaches for his goal, yet, he comes up empty handed; God merely thinks about His goal and it materializes out of nothing!; Nothing can separate God from accomplishing His desires and goals; No spiritual or physical or created thing can separated God from His plans; Man (including his will) is a created thing, and thus, cannot separate God from His desires or goals; He designs, but He also accomplishes; He sows, but He also gathers a harvest; He initiates, but He always sees through; He sets sail, but He always finds His harbor of achievement; He runs the race, but He wins the prize; He named sinners by name and said to them as they struggled in their blood, live! and, through His Son's death His net of salvation brings every last one of them home.

          To answer the question how the bible says Jesus Christ only died for a certain number of persons we must probe the role of Jesus Christ as High Priest.  One indicator to me that few professing Christians have not read and re-read the bibles carefully is due to their lack of understanding of what it means for Jesus Christ to be a high priest.  Not only is the Old Testament full of this but the New Testament book of Hebrews is a full length gospel sermon which heavily deals with this subject.  Hebrews is not coded, but written to help us understand and un-code mystery concerning Jesus as our high Priest.  I have written heavily about this in my book, The Divine Decrees, in the Appendixes.  Yet, I will deal with it over the next few pages intergrading the below from my book.

        "The chief Author of the whole creation and of our great salvation is the eternal blessed Trinity.  Before time began, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit were in perfect joyous communion and love, without want or need.  The reason They did create was simply due to the nature of infinite perfection choosing to simply spill over in abundance and communicate its worth and beauty.  That God, although needing nothing, would make man in His own image and give him dominion over the works of His creation, filling this earth with good things, is credited to the overflow of God's free choice of His pleasure in His Himself. 

            The Father delighted in the Son and in the Holy Spirit as They planned out, from a past eternity, the entire creation and the end designed for it.  It had been in our Great God, from a past eternity, to glorify the attributes of His Love, Wisdom, Mercy, Justice, and Holiness.  All creation was brought into being above all things for God's Glory and Worth to be perfectly displayed in an infinitely glorious manifestation.

        1.) God the Father sent His Son and planned by eternal wisdom this marvelous salvation resulting in His Glory being displayed.  2.) God the Son in His incarnation, death, and resurrection was the actual means by which this was accomplished.  3.) By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Son was conceived and lived on Earth.

           There are two clear acts of the Father in the working of our great redemption. Both of these have been devised from His infinite wisdom and counsel.  First, God sent His Son.  John 13:20, "Most assuredly, I say to you ... he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." Romans 3:25, [Jesus] is He "whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood."  The Father loves His elected children, thus He "sent his Son into the world ... that the world through Him might be saved" John 3: 16,17.  The second act of the Father in this redemption is applying the punishment of ours sins on His Son. Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin."

          To see better the office of Christ our High Priest, we must see the agreement and promises given from the Father to the Son.  It is important to listen to those ancient and sacred counsels that They took together.

          I ask my readers to note the magnitude of what is happening here.  We are about to peer into the most ancient recorded conversation known to mankind.  We will read an actual conversation between God the Father and God the Son as They discuss our salvation.  There are few things more awe inspiring for me than to reflect on these ancient words, which were spoken about my redemption before the first water drop had quenched the dry and barren Earth and its dusty planes.  The book of Hebrews, which is nothing less than a sermon, dives much into this conversation, and so I encourage my readers to work through this sermon carefully.  This is a great tool to help us understand who our God is and what is this redemption He decreed to accomplish.  Therefore, tremble, rejoice, and awe at the preciousness of this with me.  The mere fact that God would give us a glimpse at these actual conversations is a demonstration of His kindness to us

          The Holy Father's eternal promise concerning the separation of His Son for the incarnation and redemption is recorded as the following:

"You are My Son....  Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession" (Psalm 2:7).

Concerning the Father sending His Son to His Priestly office and the foundation for the salvation of the church given in Christ, He says:

 "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool / Your people shall be [ready] In the day of Your power  / The LORD has sworn And will not relent /  "You[Christ] are a priest forever / According to the order of  Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:1,4).

           The decree of the Father inaugurating His Son for the purposed end is a dual promise.  The first promise is the Father giving His Son for the church as a mediator, king, and Priest, for Genesis 3:15 says the following concerning this irrevocable promise: "The seed of woman shall break the serpent's head."  Also, "the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, till Shiloh [the one to whom it belongs] come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (Genesis 49:10).  The second promise is the Father giving the guarantee and pledge of His Son's triumph.  This consists of the mediator office of Christ, especially with all its good being inevitably bestowed on His beloved church without fail.  The promise given in Isaiah 49:6 from the Father to His Son (before the creation of the world) is then confirmed and set in motion with Abraham: "I will bless... And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3).

          Therefore, it is contradictory for a person to say God would have died for you if you were the only one to believe; for as this verse states by the unchanging promise of God blessing all nations, that would be impossible.  If God had already promised through Christ that all the families (people, groups, or nations) will be blessed or saved, then it will happen without a .00000001% of failure.  Any promise of God will come about perfectly as God planned it.  God never fails!  Job 33:13 states that "God is Greater than man."  Not only is God greater than man is, but also God is greater than man's will. 

          This is why the foundation laid for the saving of the church in the eternal covenant of God is stated like the following: "God who cannot lie" has said "eternal life [was] promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2).  Therefore, to express the eternal purpose of the Father's actual promise and its perfect accomplishment, "grace" has been said to be "given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Timothy 1:9).  Our God delights in the actual accomplishment of His works and eternal wisdom, as do all beings. If we think of God's eternal decrees as either having the chance of failure from being inescapably accomplished or as no more than their mere outcome, then we think of God's decrees wrongly.  The reason is that these eternal decrees of wisdom are centered on, as their end, the Glory that is displayed in their accomplishments.

          To reveal further the intended end of the Father in sending the Son shall now be explored.  First, the Father's infallible promise is to His Son to protect and support Him in this work.  This is done so that both His Glory is perfectly displayed and the actual saving and adopting the children He set out to save is finished without failure.  The second intended end is the promise of the success of all the Son's sufferings.  The Father directed His power upon His Son Jesus Christ and His mission of salvation.  The Father personally saw to it that the Son was not lacking in any assistance in the hardships and suffering for which He sent His Son to walk through.  The Father, in Isaiah 63:8-9, makes it clear that hardships and suffering where to fall upon the Son: "So He became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted."  Also, Zechariah 13:7 states: "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd."  This last verse was spoken by the Father concerning His Son's suffering, and was accomplished when the world saw the Son crying out: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  Now where did our Savior's confidence come from concerning His commitment in such hard trials?  It arose from the guarantee of His Father's promise to Him about the redemption of man.  The Father promised never to leave the Son and, therefore, bound Himself in the eternal Covenant of Grace!

Isaiah 50:7

, " For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.  Surely the Lord GOD will help Me."

          Therefore, it is with this confidence in His Father's promises and covenant to Him that He "committed Himself to Him that Judges righteously" 1 Peter 2:23.  It was with this assurance that Jesus Christ went as a "lamb to the slaughter."  Therefore, what was the ground of His confidence regarding the triumph of this great redemption in relation to His sufferings and of the proposed end being successful?  It was in the Father's word of oak in the eternal covenant and treaty of "love" to Him.  Jesus Christ testifies of the Father's promise to Him:

"I will put My trust in Him"

"Here am I and the children whom God has given Me"

(Hebrews 2:13; Isaiah 8:18).

          Again, the confidence of Jesus Christ was in His Father's promise that the success of the purposed end would be accomplished.  All of this was in the Father's bound of oak and covenant to Him.

          Isaiah 49:6, "Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth."

           Isaiah 53:10-12, "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand....  By His knowledge, My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.... He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors."

           Therefore, the question must be asked, "What was this end that our beloved Savoir wanted to come to the children whom the Father gave Him?"  Our Savoir wanted none other than their successful salvation, for which He paid in full with His blood:

John 17:24, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

            What did our Savoir endure to see to this end for which He wanted so badly to happen?  This end was that all the good He intended to come to His children would be successful, without fail!  First, we were under a curse; therefore, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us," Galatians 3:13.  Second, we were people bound and lost in sin; therefore, "the [Father] made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Likewise, we were in our natural state darkness itself, "without hope"; therefore, (Ephesians 2:13) "now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ," and (Ephesians 5:8) " you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." (Colossians 1:13) "The [Father] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."  Thirdly, we were sons of the Devil and of disobedience; therefore, "God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5), and "[The Father] in love having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, [did this] according to the good pleasure of His will"(Ephesians 1:5).  (See also 1 John 3:8.)

            The aim of the Father and the Son in Their pre-creation covenant of grace was the actual achievement, not just the intention of bringing in sons and daughters to be with Them forever.  When Christ died for us, He did not only aim for our good but directly died in our place.  The sacrificing of the lamb by the high priest in the Old Testament did not merely aim at appeasing God's anger of the people.  Instead, it reliably appeased God's anger, because the lamb died in their place.  Moreover, in hope the people looked for in faith the promised future sacrifice that would eternally pacify God's anger.  The act of the high priest in the sacrificing and interceding did not merely bring the possibly of temporarily appeasing God's anger of the people, but directly took the punishment of the people as the animal died in their place.  Not one time is there recorded in the Old Testament of a high priest, when faithfully and righteously serving his office, after following the law with the sacrificing and intercession, that it turned out unsuccessful in appeasing the Lord's anger (temporarily).  How unnatural then to say that God heard these sinners, but that Christ being our High Priest was unsuccessful in His request that everyone whom He died for would infallibly be with Him.

            Christ dying for His church did not just aim at the good for her, but He was directly the substitution Lamb for Her.  He purchased with His blood the complete accomplishment of good for the church He loved.  It is His right to see the full effect of good laid upon those for whom He died; He paid in full the payment required for it!  How can the Father, who is the creditor, not give to Christ the things He directly paid for?  Hebrews 2:13, "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."  Christ is shown to be Glorious and Famous because He was perfectly successful in His aim.  This perfect success shows our God's grandeur and splendor.

Psalm 130:3, "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"

Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

             Therefore, Jesus Christ, being appointed to High Priest by the Father, suffered and was a direct substitute for all the sins of the elect.  "If [not], why then, are not all [mankind] freed from the punishment of all their sins?  You will say, Because of their unbelief, they will not believe."  But this unbelief, is it a sin or not? [John 16:9, "sin, because they do not believe in Me."]   If [unbelief is] not [a sin], why should they be punished for it?  If it is, then Christ underwent the punishment [as the substitution lamb] due to it.  If [Christ did die for the sin of unbelief], then why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which He died, from partaking of the fruit of his [substitution] death?  If He did not [die for the sin of unbelief], then did He not die for All their sins? Let them choose which part they will."[3]

NIV Hebrews 10:7

"Then I said, 'Here I am.... I [Christ] have come to do your will, O God."

Psalm 40:6-8,

"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I[Christ] said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."

           Our representative Jesus Christ accomplished the saving of the church.  The Father deemed all other ways as lacking.  Therefore, what was the response of the Lord Jesus Christ to this work given to Him by His Father?  "Behold ... I delight to do your will," Psalm 40:8.  Christ with His love and voluntary sacrifice took up the office of High Priest to redeem for Himself and His Father a glorious church.  This office of being a mediator and High Priest was forged of three parts: (1) the incarnation in becoming one of us, (2) His suffering as being the eternal Passover lamb, and (3) His intersession as a High Priest in the Holy of Holies.

Psalm 2:8: "Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession."

           This absolute promise was given to Christ by the Father concerning Their eternal covenant in saving a glorious Church.  Christ responses in Psalm 40:6-8: "I delight to do your will."

Hebrews 9:15-27:

15. And for this reason, He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, ... that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

16. For where there is a testament [Will or Covenant], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator [the person who the will belonged to].

17. For a testament [Will or Covenant] is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.

18. Therefore, not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.

24. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

25. Not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another --

26. He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

28. So, Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

           Here in Hebrews 9:15-17 we are told that Christ had a will or had signed into a covenant.  It had particular promises addressed to the Father, which were to be implemented by His Father after He died, as do all wills.  Therefore, Christ did give a response to the Father's question, "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations." And it was the same as His Father's. In the gospel of John we learn Jesus is going to save all the Father has given Him without losing one (John 6:40). It was written in His will.  It was written and signed upon in the eternal covenant of grace and now the Father was bound to fulfill His promises of the covenant.

           The Father loves His Son Jesus Christ with an Eternal and Infinite love.  The Father loves the Son as much as He loves Himself since the Son is the shining forth of the beauty of His Glory and Majesty.  Therefore, the Father has infinite love and pleasure toward His Son, who is His Glory!  Before time began, it had long been in the Father's mind to honor His Son, and do it publicly so that the whole cosmos would see how deep the Father loves His Son.  Accordingly, our Heavenly Father gave Christ the nations as an inheritance. 

           Likewise, the Son loves the Father equally.  Therefore, when He was faced with His Father's request of stepping into the mediator office He said, "I delight to do Your will, O my God."  This delightful willingness of the Son to undertake the form of a servant infinitely delights the Father forever.  It is in this manner God the Father and His Glory are shown to be infinitely Magnificent.  Although Jesus had to face the crucifixion, He loved the Father so much that He still said it would be His delight to be our High Priest.  Therefore, the Father was pleased to give the request of His Son when the Father said, "Ask of Me."  The Father made it that, " [Christ] is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through him to reconcile to Himself all things"(Colossians 1:18-19).

           Therefore, Christ our High Priest died for the children whom God gave Him.  The Father and the Son entered in a covenant of Love, which had a specific end for which they aimed.  The Father asked and the Son replied in His will and covenantcovenant" signed upon by Christ (verse 24), that He agreed to "appear in the presence of God for us," for He did this suffering and intersession: "To bear the sins of many" (Ver. 28). whom He desired to be with Him forever beholding His Glory.  It is in this "

           It is clear in this light that God intended to absolutely save the "many" for whom Christ asked in His will and covenant with His Father.  Therefore, it is additionally clear Christ did not die for the whole human race.  It was for this "many" Christ suffered and interceded in the completion of His office, which is why Christ as our High Priest refused to even pray for the whole world: "I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours" (John 17:9).  Therefore, there was no foundation for the whole world being saved if their High Priest did not intercede for them.

           Job 23:13:  "And whatever His soul desires, that He does."  Because Christ is the Almighty God, the beginning and end, then the same is true of Him.  Conceder then when Christ says in John 11:42, "And I know that You [Father] always hear Me."   The Father always gives the Son what He asks for.  If this is not true, then the Almighty God does not do "whatever His soul desires" as Job tells us.  Some might say Christ asked the Father not to let Him be crucified, but the Father did not grant this.  I say Christ did not ultimately ask for that.  He expressed as a weaker desire that He did not what to face the torment of the cross.  Nevertheless, He then expressed His greatest desire, "Not my will but what your be" (Mark 14:36).  This was His greater desire because Christ loved His Father and loved obeying His Father more than His desire not to face cross and all the hatred of men.  Therefore, the Father answered the Son's greater desire. Job 23:13: "And whatever His soul desires, that He does."

           If Christ in the fulfillment as our High Priest died and then interceded for all, then surly the entire world would be in Heaven, right?  Christ says, "You [Father] always hear Me."  If Christ did pray for all mankind to be saved and they are not, then 1 Corinthians 13:8 is wrong.  In this light love did fail.  If the Son interceded the whole world in the presence of God the Father, in the throne room of heaven, and the Father denies this request, it must be for two reasons: (1) The Father does not love the Son enough to grant this intercession, or (2) for lack of power and wisdom, the Almighty Father cannot grant His Son's request.  This is ridiculous, for God "does all He pleases" and the Father "always" hears Christ.  What this means is that if Christ asked for something then He received it.

           The intercession of Christ is His appearing to God for us where He presents His scarred body in God's presence.  He does this until His prior suffering has its full success, when all the children God gave Him are before Him face to face for, "He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrew 7:25), and "Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us"(Hebrews 11:9).

           Therefore, all the saints who are in heaven are the "many" which the Father gave His Son before time began.  John 17:24: "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am."  Notice Christ did not "desire" or intercede for the mere possibility but interceded to the Father that all those of whom the Father gave Him would be with Him absolutely.

          Some say the Father directly gave to Christ all of humanity to suffer and intercede on the behalf of.  But, this is not the case for Christ denies it, "I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me" (John 17:9). Jesus prays this because it was only for these that He asked in His last-will and testament to be saved, the same the Father gave Him.  The sacrifice and intercession of a high priest is inseparable!  If one or the other is left out, then no atonement is accomplished.  Therefore, if Christ did not intercede for the whole world, then Christ did not sacrifice Himself for the whole world to begin with.  The only way this can be refuted is if the sacrificing and intercession of Christ can be separated in His office of High Priest.  This is impossible for the Father has already sworn by Himself, "The Lord has sworn And will not relent, "You[Christ] are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"(Psalm 110:4).  The prophet Isaiah speaks plainly of this inseparable sacrificing and intercession of Christ as a High Priest, "He (1) bore the sin of many, And made (2) intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).  Therefore, Christ as our High Priest plainly says He did not intercede for the world, "I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me ... that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me"( John 17:9,24).  Therefore, Christ did not aim as High Priest to save the whole world but only those the Father Himself chose in His mercy to save and give as a gift to His Son, so that they will behold the Son's Glory forever."[4]

A Recap:

          As High Priest Jesus only prayed for a certain amount, which means He only died for a certain amount.  As High Priest, Christ only died for the people He prayed for.  It's just that simple.  Sometimes we forget, but without the prayer the sacrifice alone will not atone for sin!  The blood must be brought to the Holy of Holy's and then presented before the real mercy seat and then interceded by the high Priest.  Jesus did just this as Hebrews 9:12, 7:25 demonstrates.  Accordingly, Hebrews 9:7 refers to the "Day of Atonement" which is found in detail in Leviticus 16.  Hebrews mentions this because Leviticus 16 gives us the pattern and procedure that Christ would do in order to save us.  Meaning, in order to complete the atonement He must intercede to God the Father and tell Him who His blood was shed for -for this is the substance of a high priest prayer.  In John 17 we clearly see Jesus interceding to God the Father telling Him that as High Priest His blood is not for all. -verse 9, "I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me."

           The "interceding" of the High Priest can almost be looked upon as a person telling a bank teller where they want the money go to.  Christ's blood was the infinitely valuable currency[5] and the Father was the Bank Creditor who held all the record of debts against us.  See, even Jesus told us to pray for God to forgive us our "debts."

          For example, if I went to the bank and placed a brief-case with a million dollars on the counter and then just walked off, how would the bank know where to put the money?  They would not.

          See, for the High Priest, He [1] sacrifices to get the blood, (which is the currency for life), and [2] then goes to the Holy of Holy's (the bank) and [3] then intercedes (tells the bank to whose account He wants the money to go.) Now, what I just said was very simplified, but for some I hope it helps you to understand.  Or to put it in pure layman's terms -Jesus gets the money (His blood) then He goes to the Bank (Heaven) and tells (intercedes) the bank to whose account He wants the money to go to.

          If you get hung up on that fact that Christ did not died for everyone, I would suggest this sinful attitude arises from 2 reasons.  First, you have yet to face up to the Biblical teaching concerning "your" sinfulness and worthlessness and ugliness.  You must see that it is a "good" thing; no, it is a "beautiful" thing for God to punish sinners!  So beautiful in fact that the saints in heaven will sings glorious songs about God's punishment (Revelation 19:1-4).  Do not miss this point!  If you do not see and taste the beauty in this fact then the whole gospel of Christ is tainted and twisted from the get-go.  

         Secondly, a huge part of Christ's supremacy and glory arises from the fact that He is not a failure like we are.  "Love Never Fails!"  Everyone for whom He lovingly "died for" absolutely receives the full benefits of His love and kindness, without one exception.  This glory and supremacy only belongs to the suffering love of Jesus Christ!  The fact is that we are such sinful losers and failures that we hate to see God and His Son so supreme.  As Christians we must not give into these old sinful desires to lower God and overhype man.

         Furthermore, I have never liked the phrase "limited atonement."  It's like saying "limited universe." Sure, God could have created the universe a little bit bigger I guess, but that's not the point.  The universe is about grandeur, God's grandeur.

        Sure, God could have chosen (i.e. elected more) if He wanted, but that's not the point.  The Church being saved in Jesus' suffering bloodshed is about endless fame, power, grace and Supremacy being displayed -His.

Lastly, I will give this warning!

          The particular-ness of Christ atonement, although it has much to deal with the doctrine of election, yet, the main theme and glory of this doctrine is about showcasing the supremacy of Christ's accomplishment as Savior and God.  Yet, like all things, a person can take a good doctrine such as this and make it bad by over-emphasizing it over the "Glory" of Christ's full accomplishment as Savior to all whom He died for!  An in-depth understanding of Covenant theology, election and of Christ as High Priest is "mainly" intended to for saints to trace out the glory and fame of Jesus Christ as a Savior who "always" succeeds in bringing the "full amount of love" on all whom He suffered for!  Love never fails!

A Conclusion of Exhibited Glory:

         The reason people do not like election arises from the sinful displeasure that by Jesus' own choosing many will end up in hell when He could have saved them.  As discussed earlier this dislike is sinful, but also irrational.  It is God's right do what He wishes with His creation.  On top of this we are sinful. Therefore, it is both sinful and stupid to complain and feel one moment of displeasure about such things.  We should actually rejoice that our Creator is free to do what He wants with His own creation.  As vessels of mercy we should have nothing but humble love and affection for God and all that He does, for by definition all that God does is good.

           Although, many would not dare tell their wife that they are ugly, yet, many would be so bold to tell Jesus that election and predestination and His sovereignty make Him ugly.  Still, others who are not quite so bold in their dislike of Jesus (of His Person and works) will coward behind phrases as mystery or paradox or incomprehensible to mask their true dislike of God. 

          For some, they actually realize these truths make Jesus appear ugly to them, and are smart enough to grasp that this is a bad thing.  Therefore, they cry mystery in order to keep themselves from having to deal with the horror that they actually dislike the Lord Jesus.  It is an attempt from having to deal with this sinful issue.  As long as they and those around them cry mystery then they get a free pass from having to face the reality lurking around in their hearts.  For others it is simply an attempt to cover up their intellectually inadequacies.  They cannot understand these truths, therefore, to keep others from seeing their mental short comings they cry mystery and incomprehensible.  They are more willing to suffer others from growing in love and understanding of Jesus and let their pride suffer.

         There are things which are mysteries, but this is not one of them, because the bible actually address it!  God said the revealed things are for us, but the secret things are for Him.  Meaning, that anything God has revealed is no longer a secret or mystery, but meant to be understood, loved and obeyed.  In fact Jeremiah 9:24 says if there is one thing a man should boast in it is in the fact that they understand and know God!  Jesus in John 6:45 says that all saints will be taught by God Himself.  And it is because the Father teaches people that they come to Jesus in the first place.  And from what I have heard God is a good teacher indeed!  Also in 2 Timothy we learn that all Scripture is profitable for correction and instruction.  Meaning, the hard parts are so clear and understandable that even they are profitable for rebuke, correction and instruction. Mysteries cannot be used to rebuke a person or used for instructed, because, well, they are mysteries.

         Peter said in his second Letter that Paul wrote some hard things to which unstable and untaught people twist and argue about; thus, we such expect such.  The point was not that these hard sayings are mysteries or paradoxes, but that stupid and unstable persons see hard things as paradoxes or make them about to be as such.  Yet, for godly stable and wise saints these scriptures are not mysteries but truth to be understood, believed, used for correcting other Christians and loved.  Thanks be to God all scripture is God's revelation and given as truth to be profitable to us.  The gospel was called a mystery from the Old Testament perspective, but now from our viewpoint it is known in the New Testament!

           Some say that issues of God's sovereignty in election and predestination and certain passages of scripture have been debated for years.  So what!  The bible says we are to expect this, so that long debts are to have no bearing on how quickly we are to believe, love and obey all of God's word.  Besides, the issue of free grace in Christ's death has most likely been the most debated doctrine ever, so based on the past history of debating we should above all call Jesus and His grace a mystery and throw up our hands.  I mean, lets be fair, if we are going to call God's election, sovereignty, decrees, and predestination a mystery because of all the debating then we need to first throw the gospel in this mystery cesspool, for is the most debated of them all!  Needless-to-say, to consider whether a doctrine is mysterious just because it has been debated over is stupid and unbiblical, because it is a submitting to man who confuses rather than obeying God who reveals.   

           Now if God has not revealed something, then of course it is a mystery, because God has not told us about it!  But if God has revealed it in His word, then it is very knowable - and not just knowable but is to be loved, trusted and obeyed.

           Concerning election some say they believe it because the bible says it, but then turn around and say it is a "mystery" to why God elects.  This is nonsense.  Does the bible truly not address the why? 

         Concerning to why God has elected one person over another individual is a mystery, because God has not revealed this.  But to why He elects at all, this God has revealed-thus it belongs to us, and is profitable for edification, correction and instruction -these are the secret things that belong to God.  

           Before we dive right into the scripture about this subject I would like to address this one issue.  There are some who wrongly assume that God's highest virtue or highest moral beauty is mercy or loving-compassion.  This is simply not the case.  This is an unbiblical concept which both sinners and sadly Christians use against the biblical worldview and God.  It might come in a question like this: what about people who have never heard of the gospel or were raised by their parents to only hear of another religion?  Will God and His Son Jesus judge them and send them to hell?

          Such a question usually assumes God's highest virtue is compassion and mercy and so sees a predicament that God does not show mercy to all.  See, for wicked people they want God's highest virtue to be mercy, for then God must show them mercy no matter what they do; they now have a free pass to be wicked.  Wicked men are always on the prowl to find ways to back God into a corner in order to give them the freedom to be wicked.  Such attempts are futile.

          God does have a highest virtue and that is love to Himself, or His Son that is.  In fact righteousness for God means having a highest regard and love to Himself above all things.  In a public world this virtue is seen when God, above all things, seeks to display and put His beauty and glory in a grand exhibit.  Take for example Ezekiel 36:22-25, "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. [For] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols."

          Here God says I do not save you because I have love or compassion for you above all things, but because of love for my Holy Name to be gloried in this public world.  In a time of such severe sin God goes to the deepest virtue He has and it was not compassion for sinners, but love for Himself.  Likewise, it is on this virtue that sinners will either stand for fall.  It is this virtue that is the greatest nightmare of wicked men and also the greatest hope for the repentant!  For the repentant God is "just" (1 John 1:9) and will forgive them.  For those who repent in Jesus God shows supreme regard and love to Himself by justly forgiving all for His Son's sake.  Jesus showed an infinite love for His Father on the cross, thus, for God to forgive all repentant sinners is a displaying of this infinite public love Christ displayed.  For the wicked God shows supreme regard for Himself and love to His Son by casting all such into eternal darkness and fire.  

           God is saying in our passage: I love my Name, the very Name you disgraced with your wickedness. I will now step in and take care of this Myself.  I will have My Name on a great showcase in all the earth.  And you need to be thankful that the manner in which I am going to exalt My Name is by showing many of you mercy!

           See, compassion and mercy are infinitely high moral beauties of God, and it is for this very reason, therefore, that God's greatest moral beauty is love regard to Himself.

           With this in mind it will be much easier for us to receive the reason God gives us for why He elects people for heaven and others for hell.  By knowing that God's highest moral beauty is love to Himself and that for this public world this translates into Him, at all cost to all other things, to display His Glory and Name -should greatly aid sinful minds to embrace His revealed words.

           Romans 9:19-24, "You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"

           For God, a full displaying of wrathful justice against sin and unending mercy for others is the best way to show regard and love to His Holy Name.  It bests showcases the full character and mind of God.  

           For example in Exodus 34:6-7 God's describes His glory as full of merciful compassions and wrathful justice against sin.  Thus, it is no surprise to find that Jesus in His death displays above all the glory of God's justice and mercy (Romans 3:26).

           This might not be they way some would naturally see it, but this is how God sees it.  Therefore God, as a free Creator, from the same lump "prepares" and chooses some as vessels of destruction and some for vessels for mercy so that by this His glory is best showcased. This is this answer for why God chooses or elects, in the broad sense.  

           Thus, in order for His plan for vessels of justice and of mercy to display His glory, God from another lump creates the physical world giving commands with rewards and consequences.  Furthermore, God likewise decreed and planned the fall of man so that the stage might be properly set up for the above goals. (To know more about this see my book: The Divine Decrees).

          God does not “need” (in the truest sense) a public world to communicate truths about His glory to us or angels; yet, God concluded, by infinite wisdom, that having the medium of a public world best suits the communicating of His glory in profound ways.[6]  There must be a public consequence for sin; there must be real danger, there must be real punishment for sin, there must be real rewards for loving God.  There needs to be a real danger, a real god of this age to fear so that the glory of God and His Salvation is properly seen and loved to the fullest!  There needs to be a person born blind for Christ to heal so that God's glory might be seen through him.  There needs to be sinners so that Jesus Christ is sent to earth to save people who desperately needed to be saved.  There needs to be a cross of suffering so that the Son's infinite regard for His Father and endless love to sinners (justice and mercy) are properly and perfectly displayed.

           It is not sin to fear something, you are suppose to!  We are to fear things that deserve to be feared!  Why, because there things worth fearing.  There is a devilish lion on the prowl and he is ready to devour any whom he comes across.  Yet, there also is a Judge who is able to destroy both the body and the soul!  There is a curse of death that wins everyday and every time unless there is a savior to step in.

           See, for the thirsty, there is a fountain that never runs dry.  For the hungry there is bread that satisfies. For the repentant, there are nail scarred hands to kiss.  For the weak, there are strong hands ready to reach down and hold.  For those surrounded by enemies, there is a Samson who with one mighty push destroys them all in a moment.  For the tormented soul like Lot, there is One who knows how to deliver.  For those seeking honor, glory and immortality, there is a place to find it.  For those desperate for wisdom, there is one greater Solomon who is ready to both share and even be their wisdom.  For those who need a father, there is a Father ready to adopt.  For those in need of a brother, there is one ready even to be closer than a brother.  For those lost in darkness, there is a light shining.  For those beaten down by the sun, there is a cloud gladly casting a shade.  For those who shiver in the night, there is a fire ready to share its heat.  For those tossed in the sea, there is a voice able to calm.  For those tormented and thrown on the ground by the devil, there is one who he trembles before.  For the reed that is bruised, there is One willing to be gentle.  For the sick, there is a physician with healing in His hands.  For he who is lost there is a way; for he who is confused there is a truth; for he who is dead there is a life!   For the one drowning and struggling in their blood, there is One who is able to say Live!  Who the one who cries, there is a finger able to wipe away their tears and bottle them up.  For the humbled and cast down, there is a mighty hand able to rise up.  Those in need of healing, in Gilead awaits a healing balm.  For the poor and despised, there is One who owns a thousand cattle on a thousand hills.  For the totally rejected, there is an infinitely beautify Spouse who is ready to walk the aisle.  For the homeless, there is carpenter who is able to build mansions.  For the one without clothes, there is One ready to give away His robe of righteousness.  For the wild branch, there is a natural vine willing to be grafted. Those with nowhere to call home, there is a promise land and a city called Zion.  For the one who is tried, there is rest.  

            And all these are summed up in the glorious Person of Jesus Christ!  See, greatness has a public name.  Mercy has a name, love has name, beauty has a name, salvation has a name, strength has a name -Jesus Christ the Lord!

              Still, for the guilty there is a judge.  For he who runs, the One who pursues is faster.  For the one stealing in secret, there is a One who sees in secret.  For the one ready to sacrifice to idols, there is also One ready to sacrifice them in the open field before the moon.  For the one who sins in another's face, there is One ready to repay to the face.  For the one who sins in secret, there is One who sets traps in secret.  To the one who builds a house out of blood and deceit, there is carpenter who has the hammer of justice in His right hand and Thor's mighty hammer in the left.  For the prideful Pharaoh, there is an ocean ready to swallow up.  For the arrogant king, there are worms ready to eat the flesh.  For the one who lies, there are men waiting at the door to carry off their dead body.  For wicked armies, there is a David ready to subdue.  For the harlot, there is a fire ready to give smoke for the praises of men and angles.  For he who has a lose hand for evil, there are chains ready to bind.  For the tongue that sets forests on fire, there is a fire ready to set them ablaze.  For those who eat and could not be satisfied, there is an unquenchable darkness ready to devour them.  For those who accused others, there is a Devil ready to accuse them one great day.  For the coward there is a bold One ready to give strong judgment.  For the one who does not have, there is One ready to take away what little he did.  For those ready to proclaim they see, there is One ready to blind.  For those who gave other people nightmares, there is One ready be become theirs.  For those stuffed with worldly pleasure and wine, there is One ready to tread the winepress in the fierceness of His wrath. 

             Vengeance has a name, dread has a name, terror has a name, wrath has a name - and His name is Jesus Christ!

             But Jesus Christ was a High Priest for many.  Therefore, for those who are under God's wrath, there is One who was also under God's wrath.   For those needing God's wrath to be removed, there is One who was a propitiation so that they may be forgiven.  For those who are dirty, there is One who was endlessly fifthly with their sin.  For those looking to be cleaned, there is One who was an expiation so that they may be clean.  For those needing the vengeance of God to pass over them, there stands one among them as a Passover Lamb.  For those under the curse, there is One who has been crushed under its power for them. For those needing God to be near, there is a baby laying in a manger as one of them.  For those under the fear of death, there is One who was victorious over  it.  For those weighted down with the shackles of sin, there is One ready to trade them for the bonds of peace and grace.  For those who are dead in their sins, there is a resurrection of life.  For sinners who are dry bones in a dark valley, there is One who is the light of life.  For those who entered into a covenant sin, there is a Mediator who has entered into the blood of the everlasting covenant.  To those who sacrificed to idols, there was One who was sacrificed for the people.  To those who need to reach God, there is One who has entered behind the veil and is ready to intercede for them.  For the guilty who deserve the ax of God, there is One who has already endured the Sword of God.  For those who recognize the law was against them, there is One who has nailed it to a cross.  For those who have painfully tried climbing staircase (of works) to heaven, there is One who has climbed it for them.  Even for the one who at first resisted salvations offer, there is still healing in the banks of Jordan.  To those who seek the right to stand in God's presences, there is One who is willing to clothe them in His righteousness so that they shine as stars in the heavens!

            But like a scared child who ran and grabbed their father, we Christians should now look up and see how Great our Father is!  With our faith steadfast in such a strong and ageless hand we should now boldly move from behind our Father's knee and with the sword of truth in our hands and the gospel surging in our veins charge ever forward for the honor of our Captain!  There is so much more land to be taken for His Kingdom!  For Aslan Charge!

For more reading: What is meant by God electing people. 

                            The Church was made FROM Jesus Christ

                            What Does God Predestine: Salvation

                            The Order of The Divine Decrees

[1] I will give this bit of advice.  A question can reveal more about your sinful intentions and stupidity than what a mere statement can.  The reason for this rests on fact that a question can reveal the many propositions you stand upon in order to ask such a question, and thus reveal much about what you believe.  Therefore, choose your questions carefully; let your words be few.

[2] www.osheadavis.com

[3]John Owens, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, page 62, printed by Banner of Truth Trust, 2002, P.O. Box 621, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 17013, U.S. (or) A 3 Murrayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6EL U.K.

[4]  Oshea Davis - The Divine Decrees.

[5] Leviticus 17:11, "The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."

  [6]Any knowledge that any creature has or receives is only by God's direct divine power. Creation and observation
do not have the ability to give knowledge. It is impossible to receive knowledge by observation.  Instead, God uses creation and observation as a medium, as an occasion, to divinely give us information. - to Know more see my eBook: The Undefeatable Worldview.