Limited Atonement

Introduction

Imagine you’re going on a pleasant hike through some unnamed wood. You hear from a distance what sounds like rushing waters, babbling over rocks. Nostalgic sounds of sloshing water against the rivers edge begin to fill the air, till’ finally you reach it - the bank of the river. How might you cross? Well, a bridge of course. You look, and there it is, only it’s an exceptionally narrow bridge. But, rest assured it goes all the way across to the other side - you’ll make it. Now, imagine the same scenario, only this time the bridge is terribly wide, able to fit dozens of people at a time, only, to your chagrin, this bridge stops half way across the river.

This rudimentary sketch provides an illustration of how differing camps view the atonement of Christ, and can be summed up with this question: is Christ a real savior (the bridge that goes all the way across), or merely a potential one (the wide bridge that stops half-way)? Or put another way, did Christ’s death atone for the sins of all humanity, or for the sins of the elect only?

What is Atonement?

Looking to scripture we are told:

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:10-11 (emphasis added)

and,

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (emphasis added)

and the Westminster Confession of Faith explains atonement this way saying,

The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father, and purchased not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him.

WCF 8.5 (emphasis added)

In other words, Christ’s perfectly righteous life, his sacrificial death, and his justifying ascension, have made it possible for all those that the Lord loves to be united to God through himself.

Limited

Even among those who embrace Calvinism, the phrase “limited atonement” has been a stumbling block, causing some to become what is known as a “four-point Calvinist.” But if we understand what is meant by “limited” then we would see quickly how wonderful this statement actually is and there would be no need to abandon the doctrine. In regard to the difficulty of this phrase, some have chosen to call this doctrine “particular redemption” or even “Christ’s purposeful atonement,” both of which aid in clearing some confusion.

When we consider Christ’s atonement, we know that not all men will be saved (Psalm 2, Romans 1-3), even though if God so chose, Christ’s death, being of infinite worth, could have atoned for all. But rather, those who will be saved is limited to those whom the Father gives to his Son (John 6:37, 17:6). This limit on Christ’s atoning work does not limit its effectiveness in any way (Romans 1:16; Jeremiah 23:29), but simply its extent (Romans 9:15). In other words, the Lord limits the extent of his atonement to those whom he choses to give it (Ephesians 1:5), and when he gives it, it actually saves, it doesn’t just potentially save - it doesn’t just offer probability, but rather confident certainty!

Actual Salvation

Because the atonement is not limited by whether or not someone chooses Christ, but rather by the sovereign selection of Christ, then it follows, that Christ offers actual salvation, not a salvific tease as other theological camps would have us believe (Galatians 1:3-4; 1 Peter 3:18).

The bible makes the point abundantly clear, that Christ did not come to empower men to save themselves, but rather he came as the power which would be able to save men from their sin (Matthew 1:21). It really is no wonder why men hate this doctrine. Men have always stiffened their necks at God’s sovereignty. It is their practice to always want to be owed for their labor and say it was their doing which brought success (Romans 4:4). It’s autonomy they want, and the doctrine of limited atonement strips it from them.

1. Reconciliation

Because of Christ’s death we are no longer at war with God - in fact we are reunited to Him in a loving bond (Romans 5:10). This is not a provision of Christ that is likely to occur - it is an absolute certainty (Colossians 1:21-22). And how foolish would it be to consider the possibility that God would have crucified his own Son in mere hopes of reconciliation. Silly nonsense.

2. Justification

Christ didn’t die in hopes that someone would take hold of his atonement through their intellectual ascent and better grasp of logic and be saved. No, rather he came to an unworthy and incapable people (Romans 8:1-8) to die for them and to give them the righteousness and pardon they needed (Romans 5:8-9). He didn’t do this with fingers crossed while blowing out candles. He did this with a sledge hammer and a hard hat. He had a definite set group of people who would be saved.

3. Regeneration and Sanctification

Since Christ offers actual salvation, real, tangible, and lasting change is possible due to it. By Christ’s death we are really washed clean with the pure water of the word, and genuinely renewed by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-6). And in this he has become our source of life, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Conclusion

Without an actual atonement none of this would be certain, but only a mere possibility. I don’t know about you, but I am barely certain that I’ll be able to get up at the sound of my alarm tomorrow morning. Therefore, praise be to God that his atonement is limited, and praise be to God that his mercy has been extended to the wicked and undeserving, like me and you.