I believe that here is revealed an error in the way many (perhaps even most) people see the sacrifice of Christ.
It seems that most see His suffering as exactly atoning for “X number” of sins and no more and no less.
It’s as if only, say,10% of humanity ends up being saved by His suffering. Therefore, God supposedly figured out before the foundation of the world, that Christ was to suffer 3 hours of punching, slapping and whipping and 6 hours of hanging on a cross. That is, supposedly, the exact atonement required, for the exact number of sins which will be or have been committed by that 10% of humanity.
Let’s say that 7 billion people end up saved. Those 7 billion people commit exactly 1 trillion sins throughout history.
God looked at those sins and dolled out one split second of whipping, one split second of punching, and 2 split seconds of hanging on the cross for each sin.
If Marvin commits another sin today it would add (or has added) so many split seconds of whipping and so many split seconds of hanging to Christ's punishment to atone for that sin.
If all 100% of humanity were to have their sins atoned for – there would have to be 30 hours of whipping etc. and 60 hours of hanging to atone for their sins – because there would be, say, 10 trillion sins to pay for instead of 1 trillion.
Now many apparently feel (limited atonement types) that He could not have atoned for all sins because there was a limited amount of suffering in the atonement process.
Oh – they give lip service to the idea that “Christ’s suffering was of infinite value”. But that is not what they teach by saying that He only suffered for some sins. Frankly, according to their doctrine, Christ’s blood is worth exactly zero value to some because it was not shed for their sins. It is only of value to the elect – no matter how one tries to spin things.
I won’t continue on in this vein. I will just say that I (like you apparently from what you’ve siad) feel that His suffering was of infinite value even if it was for one split second and with one single drop of blood shed.
It is precisely for that reason that I see the idea that He can’t have suffered for all or else all would have to be saved to be so faulty in it’s logic.
The Bible presents the sacrifice (atonement) of Jesus Christ to be of infinite value and not just so much value per sin, as it were.
I’m sure I could have said this much better and I sure can’t make everyone think it through on their own as I have many times.
I just do not see the value of His suffering as being finite (only enough suffering and blood to cover X number of sins and no more). Rather I see it as infinite. An occurrence in time and space to be sure. But it is also a transaction between the Father and the Son from before time.
Further - many of us consider that Christ crying over the fact that many would not come to Him and be saved and His statement that He would gather them to Him as a hen gathers her chicks if they did, to a cruel and disingenous charade if their sins were not going to be atoned for because His coming sacrifcie was not going to be for them.
They were not, as one popular Reformed teachers has said, "even on His radar".
That is not an exceptional statement. It is the exact teachng concerning the meaning of limited atonement as commonly understood in Calvinistic cirlcels today.
Now - I’m quite sure that the old bromide about the atonement being of infinite value even though it was only accomplished for some will be spouted.
I, and millions of other Christians both Reformed and Arminian, just don’t see how that can be if it can only atone for X number of sins and no more.
We do not believe that the value of the suffering of Christ is limited. We believe it is unlimited and able to save all those who come to God through it.
Again if limited atonement only meant that God will only save so many people through the atonement - there would be no discussion about that concept. But something very offensive to many is what is being said in the doctrine of limited atonement. Namely that there is limited value in the atonement of the Son of God.
And a simple caveat by 5 pointers to the effect that they believe the sacrifice was of unlimited value just doesn't cut the mustard with anyone but the choir they are preaching to.
