The covenant and Dordt (8): Head 2, the promise
Dykstra examines Head 2 of the Canons of Dort, demonstrating how the doctrine of Christ's effectual redemption for the elect alone establishes that God's covenant is exclusively with the elect rather than extended conditionally to all hearers. The article refutes Arminian teaching on universal atonement and addresses how the Protestant Reformed Churches applied these principles, including their 1953 condemnation of preaching a general conditional promise of salvation to all.
The second head of the Canons teaches that Christ's death on the cross was an effectual redemption of the elect. The Canons rejected the Remonstrants' (Arminian) teaching that Christ died "for all men and every man." The Remonstrants also maintained that not all for whom Christ died receive the saving benefits but only those who believe, which is to say, only those who fulfill the condition of faith. Accordingly, they perverted the preaching of the gospel, turning it into a general offer of...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org