The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is John Owen’s definitive work on the extent of the atonement. It is a polemical work, designed to show among other things that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive of the gospel. It was called forth by the progress in England of Arminianism and the half-way house of Amyraldianism adopted by Baxter, Davenant and Usher. There is no work written by any Calvinist throughout the ages that can begin to compare with Owen's treatment of the death of Christ, and His procurement of eternal redemption thereby. And there is no work written by any Arminian throughout the ages that can begin to answer Owen's book. To do this, it would be necessary to show that the Scriptures present Christ's death as obtaining a mere possibility of redemption, instead of having actually obtained eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12), an absolute impossibility. Owen's argumentation and exegesis are simply outstanding. He spends ten pages of a detailed, Puritan examination of John 3:16 alone. He also examines virtually every text cited by the Arminians in this controversy, coming to the same inescapable conclusion every time: "No Universalism Here."