Unlimited atonement
Encyclopedia
Unlimited atonement is the majority doctrine in Protestant
Christianity
that is normally associated with Non-Calvinist and persons who are up to "four-point" Calvinist Christians. It originated in the Bible in such passages as 1 John 2:2 and has been a protest against the supralapsarian doctrines formulated in the post-Calvin environment. The doctrine states that Jesus
died as a propitiation for the benefit of mankind without exception. It is a doctrine distinct from other elements of the Calvinist acronym TULIP and is contrary to the Calvinist
doctrine of limited atonement.
A doctrinal issue that divides Christians is the question of the extent of the atonement. Did Christ die with the intention to save only the elect or was His death in some way relevant to all human beings? Straightforward readings of scriptures such as 1 John 2:2; ; ; would seem to say that the Bible unequivocally teaches unlimited atonement. However, the argument can be made that it is equally possible to interpret those passages from the perspective of limited atonement.
and Pelagius
. However it is the position of a majority of professing Christians that the atonement was held as unlimited by most of the early Church Fathers (ECF). Pelagius and his followers strongly held to unlimited atonement but rejected original sin. It was not until Jacobus Arminius
that unlimited atonement, original sin, and total depravity
were formally joined within one theological system. In response to the Remonstrants
' Five articles of Remonstrance
, the Synod of Dort
published the Five points of Calvinism
with limited atonement as one of the five points.
One of the stronger, more vocal proponents of Unlimited atonement was John Wesley
. Those who opposed the view include George Whitefield
and Jonathan Edwards. It should also be noted that the namesake of the Calvinist systematic theological viewpoint, John Calvin, seemingly expressed an unlimited atonement position in several passages from his published Commentaries.
The following statements regarding what it states and what it does not state are subject to close scrutiny of which many distinguished theologians on both sides of this issue disagree.
What it states
What it does not state
Amyraldism
(commonly called "four-point Calvinism" holds to a view of Unlimited atonement that is very similar but not synonymous with the traditional Arminian understanding. Amyraldism teaches that God has provided Christ's atonement for all alike, but seeing that none would believe on their own, he then elects those whom he will bring to faith in Christ, thereby preserving the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election
.
unless otherwise noted, emphasis added:
—"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."—"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."—For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."—"For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." (ESV)—"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people."-"They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them." This appears to indicate that Christ "bought" some who are not among the elect. (KJV)—"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."—"And He [Christ] Himself is the propitiation
for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
"—But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers...I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep...I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." This is usually reconciled by pointing out that Jesus died for everyone in theory, but He did it particularly for those who would follow Him.—"...I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours." This is usually reconciled by claiming that this does not refer to the atonement itself.—"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." This again is often reconciled by saying that Christ's death is only effective for those who come to the church, even though it is potentially effective for all.—"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Attempts to reconcile this may point to the fact that in the unlimited view, Christ still only intercedes for those who follow Him.—"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." This is usually reconciled by saying that He did it particularly for those who would follow Him, although it was potentially effective for all.
Points of Agreement Between Limited Atonement and Unlimited Atonement
(see also Conditional election
, Unconditional election
, and Prevenient Grace
)
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
that is normally associated with Non-Calvinist and persons who are up to "four-point" Calvinist Christians. It originated in the Bible in such passages as 1 John 2:2 and has been a protest against the supralapsarian doctrines formulated in the post-Calvin environment. The doctrine states that Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
died as a propitiation for the benefit of mankind without exception. It is a doctrine distinct from other elements of the Calvinist acronym TULIP and is contrary to the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
doctrine of limited atonement.
A doctrinal issue that divides Christians is the question of the extent of the atonement. Did Christ die with the intention to save only the elect or was His death in some way relevant to all human beings? Straightforward readings of scriptures such as 1 John 2:2; ; ; would seem to say that the Bible unequivocally teaches unlimited atonement. However, the argument can be made that it is equally possible to interpret those passages from the perspective of limited atonement.
Historical background
Modern Calvinists often charge that the doctrine of unlimited atonement was first formalized during the beginning of the 5th Century AD as part of the debate between Augustine of HippoAugustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
and Pelagius
Pelagius
Pelagius was an ascetic who denied the need for divine aid in performing good works. For him, the only grace necessary was the declaration of the law; humans were not wounded by Adam's sin and were perfectly able to fulfill the law apart from any divine aid...
. However it is the position of a majority of professing Christians that the atonement was held as unlimited by most of the early Church Fathers (ECF). Pelagius and his followers strongly held to unlimited atonement but rejected original sin. It was not until Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...
that unlimited atonement, original sin, and total depravity
Total depravity
Total depravity is a theological doctrine that derives from the Augustinian concept of original sin...
were formally joined within one theological system. In response to the Remonstrants
Remonstrants
The Remonstrants are the Dutch Protestants who, after the death of Jacobus Arminius, maintained the views associated with his name. In 1610 they presented to the States of Holland and Friesland a remonstrance in five articles formulating their points of disagreement from Calvinism.-History:The five...
' Five articles of Remonstrance
Five articles of Remonstrance
The Five Articles of Remonstrance were theological propositions advanced in 1610 by followers of Jacobus Arminius who had died in 1609, in disagreement with interpretations of the teaching of John Calvin then current in the Dutch Reformed Church...
, the Synod of Dort
Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618-1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy initiated by the rise of Arminianism. The first meeting was on November 13, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on May 9, 1619...
published the Five points of Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
with limited atonement as one of the five points.
One of the stronger, more vocal proponents of Unlimited atonement was John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
. Those who opposed the view include George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
and Jonathan Edwards. It should also be noted that the namesake of the Calvinist systematic theological viewpoint, John Calvin, seemingly expressed an unlimited atonement position in several passages from his published Commentaries.
The Doctrine
The terms unlimited, universal, and general are somewhat of a misnomer and have been adopted primarily to distinguish this doctrine from a Calvinist understanding of limited atonement. More accurately, the call of the Gospel is universal and there are no limits on who can believe through faith, but the legal payment is still regarded as limited only to those that respond through faith in Jesus.The following statements regarding what it states and what it does not state are subject to close scrutiny of which many distinguished theologians on both sides of this issue disagree.
What it states
- The purpose of the atonement was universal—Jesus died on behalf of all people, not just the elect.
- The atonement makes a way for all to respond to the Gospel call—Part of the effect of the atonement is the restoration of the ability to respond to God's call of salvation (see Prevenient gracePrevenient gracePrevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology. It is embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of Jacob Arminius or John Wesley. Wesley typically referred to it in 18th century language as prevenient grace...
). - Salvation is available for all—The doctrine of unlimited atonement rejects the predeterminism associated with Calvinism and states that every human has the opportunity to accept Jesus through faith.
- The atonement legally pays for the sins of those who believe on Jesus—Only those who believe on Jesus are forgiven—only the believers' sins are paid
What it does not state
- Jesus paid the penalty for those who deny faith in Him, and His death was a substitutionary atonement for those who deny Him—Though the term unlimited atonement can easily give the incorrect assumption that Jesus' payment encompassed all people, Unlimited atonement maintains a limit on the legal effect. Jesus' death was indeed an offer of a substitutionary atonement to all, but this offer was resistible; though salvation is offered to all, not all are saved.
Amyraldism
Amyraldism
Amyraldism primarily refers to a modified form of Calvinist theology...
(commonly called "four-point Calvinism" holds to a view of Unlimited atonement that is very similar but not synonymous with the traditional Arminian understanding. Amyraldism teaches that God has provided Christ's atonement for all alike, but seeing that none would believe on their own, he then elects those whom he will bring to faith in Christ, thereby preserving the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election
Unconditional election
Unconditional election is the Calvinist teaching that before God created the world, he chose to save some people according to his own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons...
.
Biblical Support
All quotes from the NKJVNew King James Version
The New King James Version is a modern translation of the Bible published by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The New Testament was published in 1979. The Psalms in 1980. The full Bible was published in 1982. It took a total of 7 years to complete...
unless otherwise noted, emphasis added:
Scriptures used to support
These are Scriptures commonly used by those who support Unlimited atonement:—"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."—"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."—For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."—"For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." (ESV)—"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people."-"They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them." This appears to indicate that Christ "bought" some who are not among the elect. (KJV)—"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."—"And He [Christ] Himself is the propitiation
Propitiation
Propitiation is appeasing or making well disposed , especially a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding Divine retribution.-Christian theology:...
for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
Scriptures that must be reconciled
These are Scriptures commonly used by those who deny Unlimited atonement:"—But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers...I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep...I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." This is usually reconciled by pointing out that Jesus died for everyone in theory, but He did it particularly for those who would follow Him.—"...I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours." This is usually reconciled by claiming that this does not refer to the atonement itself.—"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." This again is often reconciled by saying that Christ's death is only effective for those who come to the church, even though it is potentially effective for all.—"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." Attempts to reconcile this may point to the fact that in the unlimited view, Christ still only intercedes for those who follow Him.—"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." This is usually reconciled by saying that He did it particularly for those who would follow Him, although it was potentially effective for all.
Objections to the Doctrine
Unlimited atonement is contrasted with the Calvinist doctrine of Limited atonement. In many ways, at their core, the Arminian concept of Unlimited atonement and the Calvinist concept of Limited atonement are very similar, differing primarily in the presuppositions that come from their respective views on election & predestination.Points of Agreement Between Limited Atonement and Unlimited Atonement
- The call of salvation can be genuinely made universally—to all
- Jesus paid the penalty only for those who have faith in Him
- Jesus' death was a substitutionary atonement only for those who accept Him
(see also Conditional election
Conditional election
In Christian theology, conditional election is the belief that God chooses, for eternal salvation, those whom He foresees will have faith in Christ. This belief emphasizes the importance of a person's free will...
, Unconditional election
Unconditional election
Unconditional election is the Calvinist teaching that before God created the world, he chose to save some people according to his own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons...
, and Prevenient Grace
Prevenient grace
Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology. It is embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of Jacob Arminius or John Wesley. Wesley typically referred to it in 18th century language as prevenient grace...
)
Further reading
- Ashby, Stephen M (contributor) Four Views on Eternal Security (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) ISBN 0-310-23439-5
- Baxter, Richard. Universal Redemption of Mankind. Printed in London, 1694)
- Forster, R.T. and Marson, V.P God's Strategy in Human History (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2000) ISBN 1-57910-273-5
- Hartog, Paul, A Word for the World: Calvin on the Extent of the Atonement (Schaumburg: Regular Baptist Press, 2009).
- Klein, William W The New Chosen People: A Corporate View of Election (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2001) ISBN 1-57910-573-4
- Lightner, Robert P. The Death Christ Died—A Biblical Case For Unlimited Atonement. (Revised Edition, 1998) [Kregel].
- Morrison, James. The Extent of the Atonement. (London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1882)
- Picirilli, Robert Grace, Faith, Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation: Calvinism and Arminianism (Nashville: Randall House PublicationsRandall House PublicationsRandall House Publications is an American publisher of Christian literature and church resources. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it and produces about forty pieces of Sunday School curriculum each quarter...
, 2002) ISBN 0-89265-648-4 - Shank, Robert Elect in the Son (Bethany House Publishers, 1989) ISBN 1-55661-092-0
- Wesley, John Predestination Calmly Considered (variety of publications)
- Wiley, H. Orton Christian Theology (Boston: Beacon Hill Press, 1952) ISBN 0-8341-1831-9
Pro
- Calvin's Error of Limited Atonement by D.A. Waite
- "Father, Whose Everlasting Love" by Charles WesleyCharles WesleyCharles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
- Sermon #128: "Free Grace" by John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
- The Case for Unlimited Atonement by Ron Rhodes
- The Death Christ Died: A Case for Unlimited Atonement by Robert Lightner
- Unlimited Atonement Historically & Biblically Supported
Con
- Articles on Definite Atonement at Monergism.com
- "For Whom Did Christ Die?", part 3, chapter 8 of Charles HodgeCharles HodgeCharles Hodge was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. A Presbyterian theologian, he was a leading exponent of historical Calvinism in America during the 19th century. He was deeply rooted in the Scottish philosophy of Common Sense Realism...
's Systematic Theology. - Limited Atonement by GotQuestions.org
- "Limited Atonement", a series of articles by Ra McLaughlin
- "Limited Atonement", chapter 12 from The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner
- The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John OwenJohn Owen (theologian)John Owen was an English Nonconformist church leader, theologian, and academic administrator at the University of Oxford.-Early life:...
(ISBN 0-85151-382-4)