The question that must be asked is "For whom did Christ die?" The Limited Atonement advocate would advance the notion that it is only the elect, while the Unlimited Atonement proponent would posit that it is for all mankind. Being a staunch adherent to Unlimited Atonement I must declare that Christ died for all mankind, not just the elect, but for everyone. It is my studied and settled conviction that the atonement of Christ was and is "sufficient for all" but "effectual to the elect." That is to say, He (Christ) died for the sins of the whole world, thus being sufficient for all, but is only beneficial for the elect, thus being efficient for the elect.
First let me survey the concept of "Limited Atonement" with you and then I shall polemically defend the doctrine of "Unlimited Atonement."
Concerning the doctrine of "Limited Atonement" the Westminster Confession states:
VI. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
VII. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extends or withholds mercy, as He pleases, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by; and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praised of His glorious justice (Westminster Confession III.VI-VII).
Louis Berkhof says: "The Reformed position is that Christ died for the purpose of actually and certainly saving the elect, and the elect only. This is equivalent to saying that He died for the purpose of saving only those to whom He actually applies the benefits of His redemptive work." He further states, "it should be noted that the doctrine that Christ died for the purpose of saving all men, logically leads to absolute universalism, that is, to the doctrine that all men are actually saved."
This logic is derived from his general principle, "the designs of God are always and surely efficacious and cannot be frustrated by the actions of men."
John Murray advances the same notion when he stated, "Whether the expression of limited atonement is good or not, we must reckon with the fact that unless we believe in the final restoration of all men we cannot have an unlimited atonement. If we universalize the extent we limit the efficacy. If some of those for whom atonement was made and redemption wrought perish eternally, then the atonement is not itself efficacious?"
3. Unlimited Atonement or General Atonement
Christ's redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved. His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that they believe, but it did not actually put away anyone's sins. Christ's redemption becomes effective only if man chooses to accept it.
3. Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption
Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, therefore guaranteeing their salvation.
According to the Particular Redemptionist, the Bible speaks of a limited extent of the atonement.
To quote one of the most influential advocates of Calvinism Dr. Louis Berkhof, The Bible says Christ died for a specific group of people - "the church," "His people," "His sheep."
"Scripture repeatedly qualifies those for whom Christ laid down His life in such a way as to point to a very definite limitation. Those for whom He suffered and died are variously called 'His sheep,' John 10:11, 15, 'His Church,' Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27, 'His people,' Matt. 1:21, and 'the elect,' Rom. 8:32-35."
It is argued that the nature of ransom is such that, when paid and accepted, it automatically frees those for whom it is intended. No further obligation can be charged against them. Now, if the death of Christ was a ransom for all alike, not just for the elect, then it must be the case that all are set free by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Some advocates of limited atonement say that Christ is defeated if He died for all men and all men aren't saved and that if Christ died for all people, as unlimited atonement advocates say, then God would be unfair in sending people to hell for their own sins.
Since Christ didn't pray for everyone in His High Priestly prayer in John 17, but only for His own, Christ must not have died for everyone.
It is argued that since the intercession is limited in extent, the atonement must be too.
Though terms like "all," "world," and "whosoever" are used in Scripture in reference to those for whom Christ died (e.g., John 3:16), the terms are to be understood in terms of the elect. In other words:
"All" refers to "all of the elect" or "all classes of men (Jew and Gentile)."
Louis Berkhof says "the word 'all' sometimes has a restricted meaning in Scripture, denoting all of a particular class, 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 1:23, or all kinds of classes, Tit.. 2:11."
What does the Bible mean when it says Christ is the "Savior of all men"? Charles Hodge answers: "What is meant is that He is our Savior, the Savior of men rather than of angels, not of Jews exclusively nor of the Gentiles only, not of the rich or of the poor alone, not of the righteous only, but also of publicans and sinners...."
"World" refers to "world of the elect" or to people without distinction (Jews and Gentiles).
Louis Berkhof says the unlimited atonement position is based "on the unwarranted assumption that the word 'world'...means 'all the individuals that constitute the human race.'....When it is used of men, [the word] does not always include all men, John 7:4; 12:19; 14:22; 18:20; Rom. 11:12, 15."
Berkhof also says: "There are passages which teach that Christ died for the world....In the passages referred to it may simply serve to indicate that Christ died, not merely for the Jews, but for people of all the nations of the world."
In keeping with the above, the word "whosoever" is interpreted to mean "whosoever of the elect."
Such universal terms simply show that Jesus died for all men without distinction (that is, all kinds of people, and people from among both the Jews and Gentiles), not that Jesus died for all men without exception (i.e., every lost sinner).
H. Wayne House an advocate of Particular Redemption says, In addition to the outward general call to salvation, which is made to everyone who hears the Gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be, and often is, rejected; whereas the internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ.
Thus, this is the theological framework that is ushered forth from the camp of the limited atonement advocate. Now, let me turn to unlimited atonement and delineate why I believe it is the Scriptural view that best holds the doctrinal water of grace.
The following passages refer to the universal extent of Christs death:
Isaiah 53:6 - We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all.
John 1:29 - Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 6:33 - For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 - All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting mens sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
I John 2:2 - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
I John 4:4 - And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.
These are just a few selected Scriptural passages that indicate that Christ died for the sins of the world i.e. all. There are three primary renderings of the word world:
Kosmos - order, arrangement, ornament, adornment
- the earth
- the earth in contrast to heaven
- human race, mankind
- Gentiles as distinct from the Jews
- present conditions of human affairs
- the sum of temporal possessions
- metaphorically, of the tongue as a world
Aion - an age, a period of time
Oikoumene - the inhabited earth
- the whole inhabited world
- the Roman world
- the inhabited world in a coming age
In every instance of the above sited passages the word for world is Kosmos which refers to the sphere of the whole world, all of mankind, and the inhabited earth; never is restricted to refer to a certain group, or within a provincial rendering either, that is to say, in a narrowed sense. When Scripture says Christ died for the sins of the world, there is no Scriptural, hermeneutical, exegetical, or logical reason not to take it at face value and interpret as is. Exception being where there is an obvious contextual exception in which the meaning can be derived from such.
End of Part 1
First let me survey the concept of "Limited Atonement" with you and then I shall polemically defend the doctrine of "Unlimited Atonement."
Concerning the doctrine of "Limited Atonement" the Westminster Confession states:
VI. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
VII. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, whereby He extends or withholds mercy, as He pleases, for the glory of His sovereign power over His creatures, to pass by; and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praised of His glorious justice (Westminster Confession III.VI-VII).
Louis Berkhof says: "The Reformed position is that Christ died for the purpose of actually and certainly saving the elect, and the elect only. This is equivalent to saying that He died for the purpose of saving only those to whom He actually applies the benefits of His redemptive work." He further states, "it should be noted that the doctrine that Christ died for the purpose of saving all men, logically leads to absolute universalism, that is, to the doctrine that all men are actually saved."
This logic is derived from his general principle, "the designs of God are always and surely efficacious and cannot be frustrated by the actions of men."
John Murray advances the same notion when he stated, "Whether the expression of limited atonement is good or not, we must reckon with the fact that unless we believe in the final restoration of all men we cannot have an unlimited atonement. If we universalize the extent we limit the efficacy. If some of those for whom atonement was made and redemption wrought perish eternally, then the atonement is not itself efficacious?"
3. Unlimited Atonement or General Atonement
Christ's redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved. His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that they believe, but it did not actually put away anyone's sins. Christ's redemption becomes effective only if man chooses to accept it.
3. Limited Atonement or Particular Redemption
Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was a substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, therefore guaranteeing their salvation.
According to the Particular Redemptionist, the Bible speaks of a limited extent of the atonement.
To quote one of the most influential advocates of Calvinism Dr. Louis Berkhof, The Bible says Christ died for a specific group of people - "the church," "His people," "His sheep."
"Scripture repeatedly qualifies those for whom Christ laid down His life in such a way as to point to a very definite limitation. Those for whom He suffered and died are variously called 'His sheep,' John 10:11, 15, 'His Church,' Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27, 'His people,' Matt. 1:21, and 'the elect,' Rom. 8:32-35."
It is argued that the nature of ransom is such that, when paid and accepted, it automatically frees those for whom it is intended. No further obligation can be charged against them. Now, if the death of Christ was a ransom for all alike, not just for the elect, then it must be the case that all are set free by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Some advocates of limited atonement say that Christ is defeated if He died for all men and all men aren't saved and that if Christ died for all people, as unlimited atonement advocates say, then God would be unfair in sending people to hell for their own sins.
Since Christ didn't pray for everyone in His High Priestly prayer in John 17, but only for His own, Christ must not have died for everyone.
It is argued that since the intercession is limited in extent, the atonement must be too.
Though terms like "all," "world," and "whosoever" are used in Scripture in reference to those for whom Christ died (e.g., John 3:16), the terms are to be understood in terms of the elect. In other words:
"All" refers to "all of the elect" or "all classes of men (Jew and Gentile)."
Louis Berkhof says "the word 'all' sometimes has a restricted meaning in Scripture, denoting all of a particular class, 1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 1:23, or all kinds of classes, Tit.. 2:11."
What does the Bible mean when it says Christ is the "Savior of all men"? Charles Hodge answers: "What is meant is that He is our Savior, the Savior of men rather than of angels, not of Jews exclusively nor of the Gentiles only, not of the rich or of the poor alone, not of the righteous only, but also of publicans and sinners...."
"World" refers to "world of the elect" or to people without distinction (Jews and Gentiles).
Louis Berkhof says the unlimited atonement position is based "on the unwarranted assumption that the word 'world'...means 'all the individuals that constitute the human race.'....When it is used of men, [the word] does not always include all men, John 7:4; 12:19; 14:22; 18:20; Rom. 11:12, 15."
Berkhof also says: "There are passages which teach that Christ died for the world....In the passages referred to it may simply serve to indicate that Christ died, not merely for the Jews, but for people of all the nations of the world."
In keeping with the above, the word "whosoever" is interpreted to mean "whosoever of the elect."
Such universal terms simply show that Jesus died for all men without distinction (that is, all kinds of people, and people from among both the Jews and Gentiles), not that Jesus died for all men without exception (i.e., every lost sinner).
H. Wayne House an advocate of Particular Redemption says, In addition to the outward general call to salvation, which is made to everyone who hears the Gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The external call (which is made to all without distinction) can be, and often is, rejected; whereas the internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ.
Thus, this is the theological framework that is ushered forth from the camp of the limited atonement advocate. Now, let me turn to unlimited atonement and delineate why I believe it is the Scriptural view that best holds the doctrinal water of grace.
Exegetical Considerations
The following passages refer to the universal extent of Christs death:
Isaiah 53:6 - We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all.
John 1:29 - Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 6:33 - For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 - All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting mens sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
I John 2:2 - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
I John 4:4 - And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.
These are just a few selected Scriptural passages that indicate that Christ died for the sins of the world i.e. all. There are three primary renderings of the word world:
Kosmos - order, arrangement, ornament, adornment
- the earth
- the earth in contrast to heaven
- human race, mankind
- Gentiles as distinct from the Jews
- present conditions of human affairs
- the sum of temporal possessions
- metaphorically, of the tongue as a world
Aion - an age, a period of time
Oikoumene - the inhabited earth
- the whole inhabited world
- the Roman world
- the inhabited world in a coming age
In every instance of the above sited passages the word for world is Kosmos which refers to the sphere of the whole world, all of mankind, and the inhabited earth; never is restricted to refer to a certain group, or within a provincial rendering either, that is to say, in a narrowed sense. When Scripture says Christ died for the sins of the world, there is no Scriptural, hermeneutical, exegetical, or logical reason not to take it at face value and interpret as is. Exception being where there is an obvious contextual exception in which the meaning can be derived from such.
End of Part 1
