THE DOCTRINE OF LIMITED ATONEMENT;

or PARTICULAR REDEMPTION

With this particular doctrine there has been much controversy, even to the point that those that hold to it are by some, and sometimes, called heretics without justification (which has been true of any of the Doctrines of Grace, that are commonly referred to as Calvinism); but I would have to say, what truth of God’s truth has not ever been opposed, or even ‘blasphemized’ vehemently?. Nevertheless, I would ask of anyone to not only “receive the word with all readiness of mind”, but also to “search the scriptures daily, whether these things are so” (Acts 17:11). You’ll find that in doing this, your acceptance or rejection of this doctrine (for that matter, of any doctrine), will be based, not on “the commandments and doctrines of men” (Colossians 2:22), but on the truth of God’s Word, which is inerrant and infallible.

Now, this doctrine of Limited Atonement, or as sometimes called, Particular Redemption, IS consistent with “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), in that it magnifies the Free and Sovereign Grace of God in the salvation of Totally Depraved sinners that have a Total Inability to do ANYTHING about it. We’ll see that although the Atonement made for sin on the Cross of Calvary is Limited to those that were Unconditionally Elected for salvation; i.e. for a Particular people that was chosen by God for Redemption, we will also see that it was done without “respect of persons” (Romans 2:11); or BEFORE anyone “being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil” 9:11). In other words, the Limited Atonement for a particular number of persons, was done not because they were more worthy or deserving than those that were not included, but simply on the truth that ONLY those that were chosen for salvation were the people that were to be saved “from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Some time ago I read a little tract; I think it was by John Owen, who was a Puritan Presbyterian, of three views for the question, For Whom Did Christ Die? “The Father imposed His wrath due unto, and the Son underwent punishment for, either: 1. All the sins of all men. 2. All the sins of some men, or 3. Some of the sins of all men. In which case it may be said: 1.That if the last be true, all men have some sins to answer for and so, none are saved. 2. That if the second be true, then Christ, in their stead suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the whole world, and this is the truth. 3. But if the first be the case, why are not all men free from the punishment due unto their sins? You answer, "Because of unbelief." I ask, “Is this unbelief a sin, or is it not?” If it be, then Christ suffered the punishment due unto it, or He did not. If He did, why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which He died? If He did not, He did not die for all their sins!"

John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, puts it like this: No one says Christ died for ‘some of the sins of all men’ is true, for then all would be lost because of the sins that Christ did not die for. The only way to be saved from sin is for Christ to cover it with his blood. The Arminians would say: Christ died for ‘all the sins of all men’. But then why are not all saved? They answer, Because some do not believe. But is this unbelief not one of the sins for which Christ died? If they say yes, then why is it not covered by the blood of Jesus and all unbelievers saved? If they say no (unbelief is not a sin that Christ has died for) then they must say that men can be saved without having all their sins atoned for by Jesus, or they must join us in affirming statement number two: Christ died for all the sins of some men. That is, he died for the unbelief of the elect so that God's punitive wrath is appeased toward them and his grace is free to draw them irresistibly out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Taken From What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism Bethlehem Baptist Church Staff.

Now, we know that there will be objections to this doctrine; but mostly it will be carnal reasoning from proud man that will not submit to God being God by trying to make Him obligated to sinful man. It would seem that man would by now understand that since God is totally Sovereign, He is in no way obligated to do anything for man other than what is “according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5). The Holy Scriptures make it very clear that what has been, is now, and will be, is ALWAYS according to what God has ordained: “For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:… yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purpose it, I will also do it” (Isaiah 46:9-11). Therefore, if God so willed that the atoning Death of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be efficacious for His elect alone, then no one has any right to complain since the non-elect have not been chosen for salvation, and so have no need of a Savior.

To some this will probably sound harsh and unloving, but in reality, it is not so. If anyone is to be accuse of being harsh and unloving, for sure it is not God; for it is stated very clearly that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). But man in his Total Depravity not only will not “seek after God” (Romans 3:11), but will actually say to Him: “Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?” (Job 21:14, 15). Those that die in this awful condition, or are in it at the time the Lord Jesus returns, will have no saving benefit of His atoning Death simply because their sins are still unforgiven, and they will have to pay for them for all eternity in the lake of fire since their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; for “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). So, the ones that are harsh and unloving are the lost; for not only did they reject and hated God, but also were harsh and unloving to their own souls by valuing sin and the world more than the love of God and His Son, whom He sent to be the Savior of the world.

In continuing this study of this doctrine, let us keep this in mind: It is not the truth of this doctrine that keeps any sinner from being saved; for the invitation of the Gospel is made to all men to repent of their sins toward God and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. In fact, “all that the Father” gave to His Son in election “shall come to (him)”; and the promise is that “him that cometh to” (Jesus he) “will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). In other words, my dear friend, any sinner that comes to Jesus for salvation according to God’s terms will receive the benefits of His atoning blood for the forgiveness of all of his sins. You see, God does not shut the door to any truly seeking sinner; for if he be willing to come to the Cross at Calvary, there he will meet with God in Christ Jesus and find that he is also is included in the Limited Atonement of Christ. So, we can truly say that it is Limited only to those that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Also, this doctrine does not make less of the Atonement of Christ because it is Limited; for some will argue that it means that Christ CANNOT save every sinner. On the contrary, His atoning death is able to save every sinner in this world because His blood “cleanseth us from all (every, each, any and the whole of) sin” (1 John 1:7), i.e. of every one that truly believes in Him. Yes, it is more than sufficient to save everyone and anyone in the world, if God so willed it. But to say that Christ died for all the sins of all men would be to contradict the truth of the Word of God, and that we do not want to do; “for do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). No, my dear reader, Christ’s atoning Death is not Limited in its ABILITY to save any sinner; rather, it is Limited in its EXTENT to whom it is applied; and this we will show as we continue in this study.

***********************************************************************

Now, at this point let us make some references to certain Scriptures that clearly teach the doctrine of Limited Atonement, or Particular Redemption. Of course, we have to note that it goes beyond our scope to be very detailed and exhaustive in presenting this doctrine, but may it please Him who alone can “open (our) understanding, that (we) might understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45) to bless the proof texts that we utilize in teaching this precious, but humbling, truth. At the same time I beseech you to not only “receive the word with all readiness of mind”, but also to “search the scriptures daily, whether these things are so” (Acts 17:11) with respect to this doctrine. Don’t reject it simply because it doesn’t accommodate itself to the general teaching of most of today’s professing Christianity, but do so ONLY if you are convinced by God’s Word that the doctrine of Limited Atonement is not Scriptural; and that you can say with no uncertainty that it is a “false doctrine.”

You will note that the following Scriptures can only be applied to certain persons; and therefore they are not universal. Mostly they will be from the New Testament with the various aspects of salvation, which of course is the result of the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We start with Matthew 1:21 - “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”; 26:28 – “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins”; 20:28 – “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”; John 10:11, 15 - “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”; “I lay down my life for the sheep”; 17:2 – “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him”; 17:9 – “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine”; Acts 20:28 – “Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood”; Ephesians 1:4, 7 – “He hath chosen us in (Christ) before the foundation of the world…, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins”; 5:25 – “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”; 2 Timothy 2:10 – “Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory”; Hebrews 9:28 – “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many”; Revelation 21:27 – “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life”.

(You may also refer to the following Scriptures) Exodus 4:21, 14:4, 8, 17; Deuteronomy 2:30, 9:4-7, 29:4; Joshua 11:19; 1 Samuel 2:25, 3:14; 2 Samuel 17:14; Psalm 105:25; Proverbs 15:8, 26, 28:9; Isaiah 53:11; Jeremiah 24:7; Matthew 1:11:25-27, 13:10-15, 44-46, 15:13, 22:14, 24:22; Luke 8:15, 13:23, 19:42; John 5:21, 6:37, 44, 65, 8:42-47, 10:26-28, 11:49-53, 12:37-41, 13:1, 18, 15:16, 18:9, 37; Acts 2:39, 13:48, 18:27, 19:9; Romans 9:10-26, 11:5-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 2:14; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, 4:3; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-14; 2 Timothy 2:25; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 1:3, 14, 2:9, 16 (cp. Galatians 3:29, 4:28-31), 9:28; 1 Peter 2:8; 2 Peter 2:7; 1 John 4:6; Jude 1, 14; Revelation 13:8, 17:8, 15-18.

Now, I know that there are Scriptures that “seem” to teach an “unlimited atonement”, but it only SEEMS” to indicate that; therefore, it is imperative that we compare Scripture with Scripture in order to understand any doctrine. We know that the Word of God does not contradict itself; and we also know that that the problem is not with it, but resides with us. Of course, this is very evident in that professing Christians can take a Scripture and come up with different interpretations. Now, that means that all of them cannot be correct; and possibly none of them might be. Nevertheless, God’s Word will always be correct; for it is inerrant and infallible. So we need to know first, “that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:20, 21). So, as it was at the beginning, so is it today; therefore we also need the Holy Spirit to teach us the Truth of God’s Word; for the promise is: “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13), “as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21).

Having said that, let us now make some observations with respect to our Scriptures that we have before us: First, we see that they make reference to a certain particular people, and not to each and every individual in the world. Note that they refer to “his people”, “for many”, “the sheep”, “the church”, “the elect” or “chosen in (Christ), etc. To deny this is to believe and teach a doctrine that is in total contradiction to the expressive teaching of the Scriptures. In fact, I would even dare to say that to make these Scriptures teach an “unlimited atonement” is to be in danger of twisting the Scriptures, and even approaching the heretical doctrine of “universal salvation”! We cannot have it both ways: Either the Lord Jesus Christ died and paid for all of the sins for certain, and a particular, people; or He died and paid for all of the sins of every individual sinner that has been born into this world, and ultimately everyone will be saved! But as we can see, our texts make it very clear that there is a Limited Atonement with regard to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners on Calvary’s cross.

Secondly, we see that the benefits of Christ’s Atonement are “limited” to certain persons. Note that is said that Jesus “shall save his people”, and not all people; He shed His blood and gave His life “for many” and “the sheep”, and not for everybody; those “chosen in him” before the foundation of the world” are redeemed by His blood and have forgiveness of sins and will be saved, which is not true of every person; He “gave His life” for His sheep and true church, and not for every kind of religion; etc. Of course, this truth is not to stop any sinner from coming to Calvary’s cross to receive the benefits of Christ’s atoning death; for it is only there that these benefits can be obtained by faith in the Crucified One; therefore, it is “limited” to only those that do come. That’s why the Lord Jesus Christ said: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). But sadly, the Lord can justly accuse those that do not come and are left out of these precious benefits that they “will not come to (him), that (they) might have life” (John 5:40); which is the normal reaction of all of us if left to ourselves! Therefore, we can definitely assert that the Lord Jesus Christ died ONLY for those have come and will come to Him for salvation.

But thirdly, these Scriptures prove that the Atonement of Christ did, and does, accomplish that which He did for those that He died for. In other words, in Christ dying for the sins of “his people”, “for many” in the world, for “his sheep”, for “his church”, for those “chosen in him before the foundation of the world”; yes, for every one that comes to Him for salvation, every one of them that belongs to Him “SHALL BE SAVED IN THE LORD WITH AN EVERLASTING SALVATION” (Isaiah 45:17); “wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). There can be doubt that for those that Christ made an atonement for on the cross will be saved; otherwise we would have to say (and we do so reverently), that His death would have fail to accomplish all if He had intended to die for every sinner in the world, i.e. it was intended to be a “unlimited atonement”. Remember, if it is true that Christ died for every sinner and all of their sins, and He did accomplish that on the cross, then you have to say that every sinner is saved! But if you say that it’s only for those that believe, then you would have to say that Christ did not die for those that do not believe; and consequently, His death is “limited” only to the believers. You can see, then, that the doctrine of “unlimited atonement” brings one into circles because there is not a Scriptural answer for every question that comes up because of it; whereas the doctrine of Limited Atonement definitely answers the question: “For whom did Christ die?” We can assert with all certainty that the ones that “God hath from the beginning chosen…to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13); for whom Christ died on the Cross. Amen.
***************************************************************************************************************
At this point, let us consider three reasons why the extent of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ is Limited; and why it is impossible for it to be applied to every individual born into this world without exception. Of course, there will be those that will immediately reject this and assert that this cannot be true since there are Scriptures, so they say, that teach that Christ died for every sinner in the world. So they deny the doctrine of Limited Atonement and believe in a Universal Atonement, which includes every person ever born and, even the ones that are in hell right now with those that will be cast into the lake of fire after the white throne judgment (Revelation 20:12-15).

So, without further ado, let me present the three reasons for the veracity of the doctrine of Limited Atonement; and if you, my dear reader, would consider them objectively, I would believe you have to agree with me that the Holy Scriptures makes it very clear, that the Lord Jesus Christ could not have died for every individual sinner; otherwise, you would have to believe in Universalism, which is the doctrine that states that after all is said and done, every sinner will be saved simply on the basis that the Savior of sinners supposedly died on the Cross for every one. If that is true, then we have to say (and I do so reverently), God failed to save everyone for whom Christ died; or to put it in another way, the atoning death of the Son of God on the Cross did not accomplish its purpose, i.e. to save the world (and world here has to mean every individual in the world); and of course we would have to say that if we don’t believe the Bible. But we know that it tells us that “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,” and “in flaming fire take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) and “shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46) “in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8). Therefore, we know that absolutely not every one will be saved, no matter what anyone says!

Now, the first reason we see why the Atonement is Limited is because it is penal. This means ‘relating to, enacting or incurring punishment’. Is this true of the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the Cross for sinners? Did He incur the punishment for sins that was due to sinners when it is said that “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24)? In other words, was He punished for my sins and yours? This raises a question: If the Lord Jesus was punished for everyone’s sins, why then does anyone have to be punished for their sins if God has already punished His Son for them? You cannot have it both ways: Either Christ was punished for everyone’s sins, or He was not! If He was, then nobody has to worry about being punished for their sins, but if He was not, then there are sins we have to be punish for. These are the arguments that arise when one denies Limited Atonement. But worse, it is to say that Christ’s punishment for the sins of those that are “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power”, really has no value at all for them since they will be punish for their sins! Again, see how the doctrine that Christ died universally for everyone contradicts itself: Either by stating that Christ did die for everyone’s sins, but then, that one can still have no benefit from His atoning death. It makes no difference how one tries to resolve this contradiction; for it is only to go in circles.

On the other hand, the doctrine of Limited Atonement gives us a definite answer to the extent of Christ’s death. Because it is penal, we can definitely state that the punishment that He incur for the sins of those that He died for will definitely be true for them also. In this doctrine, we see that Christ was punished for the sins of a particular people, i.e. He was actually punished for the sins of certain persons and so they will actually be forgiven of ALL of their sins and will not have to be punished for any of their sins in any way. There cannot be any ‘double jeopardy’ for those Christ took their punishment upon Himself; and therefore, they will be saved from the punishment of their own sins. Such Scriptures as Matthew 1:12 makes it very clear: “For (Jesus) shall save his people from their sins”. Also, in John 10 we read where He says that He “giveth his life for the sheep” (v.11), and “gives unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any (one, or anything) pluck them out of my hand” (v.28). Contrast this with verse 26 where He tells the unbelieving Jews: “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you”. In other words, He did not intend to be punished for their sins; and their unbelief proves this! But more specifically we read in Ephesians 1 who are the ones that receive the benefits of Christ’s atonement, and they are those “chosen…in him before the foundation of the world,…in whom (they) have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,…” (vv.4, 7). This is ”the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Therefore, it is impossible to include EVERYONE in it because everyone’s sins in this Church have been punished in their Redeemer.

In the second place, another reason why the Atonement is Limited is because it is substitutionary. This means ‘to put in a place of another; to exchange; a person or thing in the place of another’. Is this true of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for sinners on the Cross at Calvary? Was He a Substitute for me and for you in order to receive on Himself what you and I deserve for our sins? Did an exchange of the benefits of His atonement take place between Christ and those for whom He died on the Cross? If it did, then you would have to say, either He was a Substitute for every sinner in the world, or He was not. Now, if He was a Substitute for every sinner that means that every sinner will be saved, which contradicts what the Bible says. But if He was not, then you would have to agree with me, that He was not a Substitute for each and every sinner. Of course, to deny the substitutionary element of the Atonement of Christ’s death is to say that He didn’t die for anyone in particular but just to make salvation possible, which “would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7). Also, another thing that results from this denial is that one cannot say with Paul: “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (2:20). That’s the assurance in knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself as my Substitute for my sins.

Of course, the truth of this doctrine is established, not by the carnal reasoning of man, but the inerrant Word of God. Note that the following Scriptures verify the doctrine of Limited Atonement: In Matthew 20:28 it is said that Christ came “to give his life a ransom for many”, and not for everybody; He gave “his life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and not the goats (cp. Matthew 25:32, 33, 41); He “loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25), the church that He is building (ref. to Matthew 16:18); and also “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28), “as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39) for salvation. This, of course, are not the only Scriptures we can refer to, but as you can see, the bold words make reference to a limited number of persons. Although, as I have stated before, there are Scriptures that only seem to teach a universal atonement, yet it is very important that we keep in mind that although there is a universal calling to sinners whenever the gospel of salvation is “testified both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks,” to come to a “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21), any time the pronouns “we” and “us” is used in reference to the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is directed to those that “God hath from the beginning chosen…to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13); for it is only those that have by the grace of God come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that can say with the apostle Paul: “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). HALLELUJAH!!!

*****************************************************

In continuing, the third reason the Atonement is Limited is because it is effectual. This means ‘producing the effect desired or intended; valid’. In other words, the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for sinners actually and really did what it was intended to do; and that is, to pay for sins and obtained forgiveness by dying for those sins that separated sinners from God. Of course, the Holy Scriptures make it very clear that Christ did that; otherwise, there would be no sinner saved! Consider the following Scriptures: “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Note “for”, which means to or into, and indicates the point reached or entered (Strong’s Greek Dictionary). In other words, beloved, the blood that the Lord Jesus shed for many effectually obtained the remission of sins for the ones He intended to die for, which are “many”. These “many” are the ones who can say that He “gave himself for our sins” (Galatians 1:4) because in Him “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

But to be more precise why the Atonement of Christ is Limited, Ephesians 1 shows us that the ones who have redemption through the shed blood of Christ and forgiveness of sins are those that have been “chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” and whom God “predestinated…unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself” (vv.4, 5). There is no way to deny this truth unless one wants to take the step into twisting the inerrant Word of God in order to prove otherwise. Therefore, we can assuredly say that it was effectual that Christ died for each one of the elect simply because they will “also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10). The word “obtain” has the idea of bringing to pass; to affect; to attain or secure an object or end. Therefore, the reason the elect will be saved is because Christ effectually died for them and obtain the forgiveness of their sins. In other words, because the Atonement is effectual, it will bring to pass, it will affect, it will attain their salvation without failing to save anyone of the elect.

Furthermore, in Hebrew 1:3 we read that “he had by himself purged our sins”, i.e. He made or did a washing off of our sins; in other words, they are gone forever “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) because “the blood of Jesus Christ (God’s) Son cleanseth us from all (any, each and every) sin” (1 John 1:7). But again, to show that it is Limited Hebrews 9:28 says that “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many”, and not for everybody; and this He did when He “offered one sacrifice for sins for ever” (10:12) for those He intended to die for. So, according to “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3), meaning that He actually and really DIED FOR OUR SINS! To put it another way, Christ did not just simply died to make it possible that a sinner could be forgiven as if it depended on the willingness of the sinner to accept the benefits of the Atonement; for that would mean that He didn’t die for anyone in particular. But that cannot be true in that we were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world…” (1 Peter 1:19, 20). Therefore, Christ came into the world to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21); and not to make it possible!   

Now, the question that has to be answered is this: Is this true of each and every sinner in the world from the beginning to the end? Let us answer this question by presenting the following scenario: If, and I say “If” not with the sense of doubt but I use it “conditionally”, IF all that I have said with respect to the reasons why the Atonement is Limited be true, i.e. because it is penal, substitutionary, and effectual, then we have to say that the Atonement that Christ Jesus made on the Cross for sin cannot be true for each and every sinner in the world. Otherwise, as I have said before, that if Christ did die for every sinner ever born (as those that believe in a Universal Atonement claim); then we have to say that every sinner will ultimately be saved! WHY? Because He actually received the penalty for the sins of every sinner, He was actually a substitute for every sinner, and He actually did die for every sinner! Therefore, that means all of the sins of every sinner have been paid for and they have all been forgiven. THEY HAVE BEEN REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB! Of course, this is the outcome of the whole matter if Christ actually came into the world to save each and every sinner ever born.

But it goes without saying that those that reject the doctrine of the Limited Atonement but believe in a Universal Atonement, will deny that they believe in Universalism, i.e. that everybody will be saved. They have to because the Bible makes it very clear that NOT every sinner will be saved if they believe that “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Nevertheless, if they still insist on a Universal Atonement, they put themselves in a dilemma because there are at least two things they will have to do in order to prove that the doctrine of the Limited Atonement is not true. One thing they will have to do is to give a different meaning to, without saying to literally “twist”, the Scriptures that clearly teach the “limitedness” of the Death of Christ Jesus for sinners. In fact, mostly the arguments given to disprove Limited Atonement are based on carnal reasoning and philosophical concepts. The danger to this is that because it is so pleasing to the flesh it can cause them to “turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4).

The second thing that takes place in rejecting the doctrine of Limited Atonement is to depreciate the atoning death of Christ. This can be done in two ways by either 1) teaching that even though Christ did atone for the sins of every sinner, yet there will be sinners that will still be lost because their sins are not forgiven. Of course, the claim that is made is that they did not make ‘a decision for Christ’. That being the case, that means that of all their sins have been paid for and yet they are still lost indicating, then, that the death of Christ was not sufficient to save them! Or, 2), teaching that Christ did not actually died for anyone in particular but only made it possible for every sinner to be saved; and the benefit of His atonement can be obtained if only the sinner will do his part, which is to make a decision to be saved! Yet, at the same time it is claimed that Christ did die for every sinner; notwithstanding, that not every sinner will saved! Again, the death of Christ is not sufficient to save them. In both cases presented here, the Atoning Death of Christ was not penal, substitutionary and effectual. 

But, beloved, we can state emphatically that the Atonement that the Lord Jesus Christ made on the Cross for sinners is not a maybe, or a possibility, or a perhaps; No, no NO! It is a definite atonement in that it has accomplished what it intended to do; and that it will save all of the ones that Christ died for on the cross. IT CANNOT FAIL TO SAVE THEM! Although it is very true that the Atonement is Limited to the elect, it is also true that anyone who will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. This doctrine is not what keeps sinners from being saved… they are our unforgiven sins. Anyone who wants for all of their sins to be forgiven, they have to appropriate by faith the Atonement that the Lord Jesus Christ made for sinners. Also, this doctrine is not what keeps you from coming to Jesus Christ and His blood shed on the Cross, but if left up to yourselves, “ye will not come to (him), that ye might have life” (John 5:40). On the other hand, if you lift up your eyes and by faith see the precious Son of God on the cross shedding His blood for YOU, you will be able to say with the apostle Paul: “He loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Amen.