Calvinists’ View
When Jesus
was offered as a sacrifice for sins, he had specific sinners in mind, namely
the elect. God purposed beforehand to
save a certain group of people and sent Jesus to die for those people. He had a definite purpose for the death of
Christ. God did not accept the death of
Jesus as a general covering or substitution for every sinner, but for a particular
group of sinners, those he had predestined to salvation. In John 10:11-16, 26-29
Jesus speaks of laying down his life for the sheep. God had given him certain people, the sheep,
and they are the definite object for his work on the cross. Also Ephesians 5:25 reveals that “Christ loved the church, and gave himself
for it.” The goats and the
non-church are not mentioned here as the object of Christ death. Jesus speaks of a propitiation for a limited,
definite group of people – his people (Matt 1:21.)
My Objections
2 Peter 2:1, “But there are false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring
upon themselves swift destruction.”
We find here a group of false teachers, preaching a different gospel,
denying Christ, headed for destruction.
Yet even these people are the object of redemption, though they rejected
it. I believe that this verse reveals
the extent of the sacrifice of Christ.
He died and bought even false teachers, who, despite this sacrifice,
reject Christ and receive condemnation.
These teacher were unsaved, headed for hell and leading others with
them, yet they are among those that Christ died for.
Another verse
that makes Definite Atonement objectionable is 1 John 2:1-2, “My little children, these things I write
unto you, that ye sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And
he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the
sins of the whole world.” Christians
have an advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. This intercession and removal of sins is made
possible because of the covering that Christ’s death provided. But though Christians have an advocate, the whole
world has a covering. The Bible clearly states
that Christ death afforded a covering for not just the sins of the elect, but
also the sins of the unsaved, the whole world. The world does not have an advocate but they
do have an opportunity, a way of salvation, a means of removing sin – the death
of Christ. This verse seems to emphatically
indicate that the whole world, every sinner, was the object of the atonement.
This doctrine
of unlimited or general atonement often leads to the accusation of universal
salvation. Since Christ covered all the
sins of the world then why do they not go to heaven? A simple answer is that the atonement was
provided for them, intended for them, but was not applied to them. The non-elect have no high priest, no
advocate, and no intercessor. Christ
offered a gift, paid for by his blood, but they rejected it. Thus the death of Christ was sufficient for
all, intended for all, but only applied to those who repent and believe. Let us take this message to the whole world: “Christ died for every one of you: repent of your sins, and
call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved.”
