Limited Atonement - week 2, a defense of LA & defense of 4 pt Calvinism

Last Week on Limited Atonement

Questions raised – What did the Atonement actually accomplish: the ability for everyone be saved or the actual salvation of particular people.

Problem verses & can they be reconciled?

Does God love all people equally? Does the OT seem to be concerned with all people equally or the Jews in particular as His chosen people?

Did Jesus die for everyone?

Does God want all people to be saved?

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Last week I gave the textbook defense for LA which comes down to a logical argument that GOD SUCCEEDS meaning: 1 – everyone for whom God intends Christ death & atonement to save is saved. 2 – those whom Christ has atoned for end up in heaven NOT hell.

This leaves us with 3 distinct options: need 2 volunteers

Arminians - Roy                                Amyraldians  - me                Reformed - Eric

Christ died for all                     Christ died for all                                 Christ died for many

The father has put all in          Father Elected some to be saved       Father Elected some

A save-able state                                                                               to be saved

HS woos all                            HS actually converts some                 HS actually converts                                                                                                              some

Most atoned for are in Hell      Most atoned for are in Hell                  No one in Hell is Elect                                                                                                             or atoned for

Christ died for those God        Christ died for those God                    Christ only died for

Knew would Not be saved     Knew would Not be saved                 those God knew

                                                                                                            would be saved

                                                Amyraldiansm like Lutheranism                      

                                                is both universal Atonement  

                                                & a Limited Election  

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So what are we gonna do today?

Reiterate – that all Protestants (except Universalist heretics) limit the atonement

Arminians & 4 pt Calvinists – limit the Atonements success in actually accomplishing salvation & Reformed – limit its intent – it succeeds in saving a limited # of people it was intended for

Next we’ll look at some defense for limited atonement

Arguments against:

1 – Some verses state “whosoever will come” – will be saved. Arminians imply this means Calvinism is false. This is a straw-man argument since Reformed believe this too, they merely believe only the Elect will come when salvation is offered to all.  

The bible does explicitly declares God freely & sincerely offers Salvation to any who would believe – Ez 33:11, Ish 45:22, 55:1, Matthew 11:28, 23:37, 2 Peter 3:9, Rev 22:17. So all 3 are fine with offering Salvation to all knowing not all will be saved.

2 – Universal language – many passages in John speak of Jesus as the propitiation or Savior of the “whole world” 1 John 2:2, John 1:29, 4:42, 2 Cor 5:14-15 “He died for all,” 1 Tim 2:1-6 “ransom for all.” However other verses clue us in that 1^st Cent writers embellish for dramatic effect like Luke 2:1 – Caesar Augustus decreed “all the world” should be registered or Luke 2:3 so “all” went to be registered in his hometown. The Pharisees said in John 12:19 the whole world has gone after Christ! So unless you think all the world did repent & turn to Christ, we can see “all & whole world” doesn’t always mean all & the whole world.

3 – Defense of Amyraldians – believe in a hypothetical universalism = meaning Christ did die for all NOT just the Elect yet they also believe in a Limited Election = because God knew NONE would respond in faith on their own so He elected some whom He would impart saving faith to. *Amyraldians is not a heresy (Roy). It’s a school of theology that holds to 4 pts of Calvinism but not L – limited atonement. Named after Moses Amyrant & taught by Richard Baxter & was once popular in France, England & Scotland.

Amyraldians resolves many problems between Arminians & Reformed ideas namely the difficulty in reconciling passages that teach Christ died for all & the limited election of Calvinism. Christ died for all, salvation is offered to all equally BUT salvation has a condition – faith. Who ultimately is saved & has faith? God’s Elect.

God desires all to be saved 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:2 quote & Rev 22:17 quote

There is an absence of verses that explicitly limit Christ’s atonement even verses like I lay down my life for my sheep do NOT say that I ONLY lay down my life for my sheep that’s the difference in saying I love Sandra & my girls & I ONLY love Sandra, I don’t care about my girls.

Closing quote - John Calvin had this to say about John 3:16 – “It is a remarkable commendation of faith, that it frees us from everlasting destruction…And he has employed the universal term “whosoever”, both to invite all indiscriminately to partake of life, and to cut off every excuse from unbelievers. Such is also the import of the term “World”;…he shows himself to be reconciled to the whole world, when he invites all men without exception to the faith of Christ, which is nothing else than an entrance into life.” Commentary on John, Vol. 1