John 10:14
John 10:14-16 (see also Ephesians 5:25)
“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”
Calvinist, Erwin Lutzer: “This simply means that Christ did not die for all men in general but gave himself only for the church, the elect.” (The Doctrines That Divide, p.183, emphasis mine)
Erwin Lutzer: “If God from all eternity purposed to save one portion of the human race and not another, the purpose of the cross would be to redeem these chosen ones to himself. We can know whether we belong to that number.” (The Doctrines That Divide, p.187, emphasis mine)
Erwin Lutzer: “But does the Bible actually teach that Christ died only for the elect? … Christ came for the specific purpose of paying a ransom only for those whom God had chosen … Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her. (Eph. 5:25, emphasis mine) Husbands should be willing to die for their wives, just as Christ died for the church. Neither would die for spurious lovers. … Christ came not to pay a ransom for all, but to ‘save His people from their sins.’” (The Doctrines That Divide, pp.185-186, emphasis mine)
Question: Scripture often speaks of people as sheep (John 10:14-16), goats (Matthew 25:32-33) and even wolves. (John 10:12; Acts 20:29) Does John 10:15 mean that Jesus died only for the sheep?
Answer: You cannot always take a positive statement and infer a negative conclusion. For instance, if Jesus died for the whole world, then there is no problem with discussing aspects of the fact, that Jesus died for a specific part of the whole. Therefore, it is wrong for Calvinists to insist that passages which speak of Jesus having died for part of the whole, namely, His sheep or the Church, must restrict His sacrifice to only that part. A perfect example is found at 1st John 4:10 which states: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Therefore, it would be an error to take a positive affirmation and infer a negative conclusion, so as to suggest that God loved only us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for only our sins. Such an unwarranted conclusion, often made by Calvinists, is clearly shown to be in error at 1st John 2:2, which states: “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” If John had not made his clarification, the initial portion of his statement, still would have been true, because he was asserting a fact concerning a specific part of the whole. Therefore, yes, Jesus loved and died for His sheep, but that is not to take away from the fact that Jesus loved and died for everyone, so that anyone can become one of His beloved sheep.
Another great example is Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Just because Paul personalized Calvary by saying that Jesus died for him, you don’t want to take that and assume that he meant only himself. Paul is part of the whole. In the same way, we can say that Jesus died for the Church, but we don’t want to infer that it’s for only the Church. The Church is part of the whole. As an illustration, consider the following thought-provoking satire:
Did Jesus only die for Paul? (Satire)
