Are all already forgiven? Part 1

I have heard it proclaimed from the pulpit that God has forgiven all men.  It was suggested at the time that while God may not have purposed to save all men, He did purpose to forgive all men through Jesus Christ.  Thus, based on Christ’s atoning sacrifice, God has indeed forgiven all men.

This could be the logical basis for proclaiming that all men are then saved (which would at least be consistent); however, most do not go that far.  In fact, in order to avoid universal salvation, those who hold this view usually say that “what men do with Christ is the thing that determines men’s destinies.”  Since all are forgiven, sin is out of the picture and does not condemn any man.  The only issue is whether or not a person accepts Christ and accepts the fact that he is already forgiven.

Does this sound familiar?  Is this the gospel you are hearing?

This position (in my estimation) reflects a misunderstanding of the nature and extent of the atonement, and a view of forgiveness that fails to stand the test of Scripture.

Ponder the idea, and I will jot down some “opposing arguments” in Part 2.