day no. 15,684: buying the field for the sake of the treasure

While reading the John MacArthur Handbook of Effective Biblical Leadership, I came across a message by Phil Johnson titled The Extent of the Atonement where he referred to an illustration Curt Daniel gave regarding Matthew 13:44 which says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

"Buying the field ensures that the man buys the treasure. The treasure was the object and the aim of his purchase. The treasure was the reason for His great joy. The treasure was the reason He made this deal in the first place. But He did not purchase the treasure only; He purchased the whole field... That is a very clear statement that there is a universal ramification of the atonement. Christ's death, in some sense, purchased Him an exalted position of lordship over all. There is a true sense in which Jesus purchased the whole world in order to get the treasure, the church."

Jesus bought the entire field, but He pays particular attention to the treasure buried in it. The whole field is benefited by being owned by Him, but the treasure benefits especially.

1 Timothy 4:10
To this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe

The treasure is dug up and unearthed out of its darkness; it is lifted and exalted up from the ground. It is resurrected to see the light of day. It is brought into the Master's home and elevated to a position of honor. It is treasured because it has particular value. The entire field benefits in general because of the particular love the Master has for the treasure.

"We believe that by His atoning sacrifice, Christ bought some good things for all men and all good things for some men." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

In other words, we can fully expect the world to be improved and benefited by the grace of God for the sake of His elect. For the sake of the especially, everyone experiences salvation. The salvation of the one, however, is qualitatively different from that of the other. The field is saved from being under the deed of the previous possessor, but the treasure is possessed by the new owner in a way that the field isn't. The treasure is saved in a way that is unique. It too is no longer under the deed of the darkness, but it is delivered from it in ways manifestly different than the dirt that was dug up along with it. The Treasure Hunter rescues the prize from the ground and carefully brushes the dust off of the object of His pursuit, but He does not attend to the dust as it falls. 

"The design of God in the atoning work of Christ pertained primarily and directly to the redemption of the elect, but indirectly and secondarily it included all the blessings of common grace." -- R.B. Kuiper

God provides for many when providing for the elect. Many ate bread in the desert and drank water from the rock and were led by fire by night and a cloud by day and were saved from Pharaoh and from slavery in Egypt who would not enter into the promised land. For the sake of the elect, many are blessed. For the sake of the saved, the whole world is baptized and the flood of His goodness covers the entire landscape. No one can escape some of His grace. Just as He promised not to flood the world again in wrath, He did promise to flood the world with grace. And everywhere we look, we can see the sea is rising and His tide is coming in.

Habakkuk 2:14

The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.