Lord’s Day 7
Q20. Are all people then saved by Christ just as all were lost through Adam?
No. Only those who by true faith are grafted into Christ and accept all his benefits are saved.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Matthew 7:14
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
John 1:12
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
John 3:16, 18, 36
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. … He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Romans 11:16–21
“For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
Having explained how our deliverance through Christ works, we must now carefully examine who actually receives this deliverance and how it comes about: whether all people share in it, or only some. If no one receives it, then it was accomplished for nothing. This twentieth question therefore serves as a gateway to the doctrine of faith, without which neither the Mediator nor the preaching of the gospel would benefit anyone. At the same time, it provides a remedy against spiritual complacency and answers the shameful accusation that Christ somehow enables sin.
The answer to this question has two parts: salvation through Christ is not given to everyone who perished in Adam, but only to those who, through true faith, are grafted into Christ and receive all His benefits.
The first part of this answer is clearly proven both by experience and by Scripture. "Whoever does not believe the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36). "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 7:21). "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The reason not everyone is saved through Christ has nothing to do with any insufficiency in His merit or grace, since Christ's atonement covers the sins of the whole world in terms of the dignity and completeness of the satisfaction He made. The real reason is unbelief: people reject the benefits Christ offers in the gospel, and so they perish by their own choice, not because of any deficiency in what Christ accomplished.