Limited atonement

Limited atonement (or definite atonement or particular redemption) is a controversial doctrine in Christian theology which is particularly associated with Calvinism and is one of the so-called five points of Calvinism. The doctrine states that Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross is limited in extent to those who are predestined unto salvation and its benefits are not accessible to all of humankind. This doctrine is subscribed to by Jehovah's Witnesses (who claim that only 144,000 comprise the so-called elect), Christian Reformed Church, Reformed Church of America, and Mormons of Brigham Young's branch.

The doctrine

The false doctrine of the limited extent of the atonement is intimately tied up with the doctrine of the nature of the atonement and with the general Calvinist scheme of predestination.

Calvinists advocate the satisfaction theory (also known as punishment theory) of the atonement, which developed in the writings of Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas. In brief, the Calvinist version of this theory states that the atonement of Christ literally pays the penalty incurred by the sins of men — that is, Christ receives the wrath of God for specific sins and thereby cancels the judgement they had incurred. Since, Calvinists argue, it would be unjust for God to pay the penalty for men's sins and then still condemn them for those sins, all those whose sins were propitiated must necessarily be saved.

The Calvinist view of predestination teaches that God chose a group of people to be saved apart from their works or their cooperation, and those people are compelled by God's irresistible grace to accept the offer of the salvation achieved in the atonement of Christ. Since in this scheme God knows precisely who the elect are, Christ needn't atone for sins other than those of the elect.

The Calvinist atonement is thus called definite because it certainly secures the salvation of those for whom Christ died, and it is called limited in its extent because it effects salvation for the elect only. Calvinists do not believe the power of the atonement is limited in any way, which is to say that no sin is too great to be expiated by Christ's sacrifice, in their view.

On a practical level, this doctrine is not emphasized in Calvinist churches except in comparison to other salvific schemes because Calvinists primarily teach the doctrines of predestination for the assurance of the believers and do not press them when evangelizing. In fact, contrary to what one might expect on the basis of this doctrine, Calvinists believe they can freely and sincerely offer salvation to everyone on God's behalf since they themselves do not know which people are counted among the elect.

Biblical passages

The classic Bible passage cited to prove a limited extent to the atonement is the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John in which Jesus uses Ancient Near Eastern shepherding practices as a metaphor for his relationship to his followers. A shepherd in those times might allow his flock to mix with another flock, but when he called to it, the sheep of his flock (but not the other) would follow because they know his voice (vv. 1-5). In that context, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,...and I lay down my life for the sheep" (vv. 14-15, ESV, emphasis added). He also tells the Pharisees that they "are not of [his] sheep" (v. 26, NASB). Calvinists thus argue that Jesus did not lay down his life for those who are not members of his flock.

Additionally, in the so-called high priestly prayer, Jesus prays for the protection and sanctification of those who believed in him, and he explicitly excludes praying for all: "I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours" (John 17:9b). St. Paul instructs the elders in Ephesus "to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28, NASB), and he says in his letter to the same church that "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25, ESV, emphasis added). Likewise, Jesus foreshadows that he will lay down his life "for his friends" (John 15:13). Calvinists believe that these passages demonstrate that Jesus died for the church (that is, the elect) only.

Objections to the doctrine

Limited atonement is contrasted with the view popularly termed Universal or Unlimited atonement, which is advocated by Arminian, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Messianic Jewish, Congregationalist, and Roman Catholic theologians (among others) and which says Christ's work makes redemption possible for all but certain for none. (This doctrine should not be confused with universalism.) Though Lutherans and Catholics share a similar doctrine of the nature of the atonement with Calvinists, they differ on its extent, whereas Arminians and Methodists generally accept an alternate theory of the nature of the atonement such as the moral government theory. The elect in such models are the people who choose to avail themselves of God's gracious offer of salvation through Christ, not a pre-determined group. Thus, these systems place a limit on the efficacy of the atonement rather than on its extent, like Calvinists.

Historically, the Arminian Remonstrants raised this doctrine as a point of debate over predestination in the Quinquarticular Controversy, and their position was ultimately condemned by Calvinists at the Synod of Dordrecht in 1619. In spite of opposition, the doctrine of the universal extent of the atonement became and remains prevalent outside of Calvinist circles. Even some Calvinistic Christians identify themselves as Amyraldians or "four point Calvinists" and teach an unlimited atonement. In particular, 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.

Biblical passages

Several Biblical passages are urged by opponents as contradicting a doctrine of limited atonement (all quotes from the ESV, emphasis added):

• 2 Corinthians 5:14-15: "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."
• 1 Timothy 2:5-6: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
• 1 Timothy 4:10: "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."
• Titus 2:11 - "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people."
• 1 John 2:2: "He [Christ] is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."

Calvinists admit that these are difficult passages with respect the extent of the atonement, but following the Protestant hermeneutic principle of letting "Scripture interpret Scripture," they attempt to allow the passages on election and other passages on the extent of the atonement to clarify the meaning of these difficult passages. In particular, they understand all to refer to all of the elect (as in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15); to refer to all races of men, not just Israelites (as in 1 Timothy 2:6 and Titus 2:11); or to refer to the elect in all places throughout the world (as in 1 John 2:2, where the words "the sins of" have been added to the last phrase by the ESV and other translations and literally reads "but for the whole world", as in the NKJV, ASV, the Vulgate, etc.). They also note that there can be different senses of the concept of salvation — as simply the defense and preservation of temporal life (as they understand 1 Timothy 4:10) or as salvation from God's wrath unto eternal life.

Opponents offer alternate interpretations of the same passages which in turn support a universal atonement, and the disagreement has yet to find any siginificant resolution. Consequently, both limited and unlimited atonement views are still held in Christendom, though the latter is much more common.

External links

Pro

• The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen (ISBN 0851513824) with a famous introduction by J. I. Packer, who says, "It is safe to say that no comparable exposition of the work of redemption as planned and executed by the Triune Jehovah has ever been done since Owen published his. None has been needed....[N]obody has a right to dismiss the doctrine of the limitedness, or particularity, of atonement as a monstrosity of Calvinistic logic until he has refuted Owen's proof that it is part of the uniform biblical presentation of redemption, clearly taught in plain text after plain text. And nobody has done that yet."
• "For Whom Did Christ Die?", part 3, chapter 8 of Charles Hodge's Systematic Theology.
• "Limited Atonement", chapter 12 from The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner
• Articles on Definite Atonement at Monergism.com
• "Limited Atonement", a series of articles by Ra McLaughlin
• Limited Atonement by GotQuestions.org

Con

• The Death Christ Died: A Case for Unlimited Atonement by Robert Lightner
• The Case for Unlimited Atonement by Ron Rhodes
• Calvin's Error of Limited Atonement by D.A. Waite
• "Father, Whose Everlasting Love" by Charles Wesley
• Sermon #128: "Free Grace" by John Wesley