Tiptoe through TULIP - L

Limited Atonement

Ah, here’s the sticky one. This is the one rejected by most people. But give it a chance. Look at what is really being said and see what you think.

What It Does Not Mean

First and foremost, the principle of Limited Atonement is not intended to limit the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. Basically, Christ’s atonement was sufficient for all, but efficient for some. That is, it was enough to cover all sin, but it actually only covers the sin of the elect – those who are His. Nor does Limited Atonement mean to imply that salvation isn’t to be offered to all. This is not the intent of the principle. Finally, and this may surprise you, the doctrine of Limited Atonement does not teach that atonement is limited only to believers. Now, this is true, but the doctrine of Limited Atonement is not about that.

What It Does Mean

The concept of Limited Atonement deals with the design of the Atonement, not the scope. It answers the question "What was God's plan?". It deals with the power of the Atonement -- what did Christ actually accomplish? While the power of the Atonement was sufficient for all, the extent of the Atonement was limited. Only Universalists disagree with this. In other words, not everyone is saved. It was, in fact, not God's design to save everyone . . . or He would have accomplished it. Instead, the Atonement actually paid for the sins of the elect. Jesus was in actuality the propitiation, the appeasement of God's wrath, for God's chosen ones. When Christ died, He didn't merely create the possibility of salvation -- He actually purchased all that was necessary to accomplish it. When He said, "It is finished", He meant it was finished.

There are two possible alternatives to the doctrine of Limited Atonement. One is Universalism. This doctrine holds that Christ actually accomplished the salvation of everyone. The other alternative is that Christ didn't actually accomplish anything on the cross. He merely achieved potential atonement. There was no actual atonement -- that was pending the choice of each individual.

In summary, the doctrine of Limited Atonement holds two things. First, Christ knew who He planned to save, and, second, He actually accomplished their salvation. That is Limited Atonement in its simplest form.

Why Should We Believe This?

So why would we choose Limited Atonement over these other two options? One reason is logical deduction. God's sovereignty, for instance, would demand that He accomplished what He set out to accomplish rather than creating mere potential. Scripture would demand that there is a distinction between the saved and the unsaved, leaving Universalism out of the realm of possibility. The doctrine of election would require that God certainly accomplishes the election of His own and the salvation of His own. At the base of the logical discussion is this dilemma -- If Christ died for the sins of all men, why are not all men saved? And if it is unbelief, is not unbelief a sin for which He died? The other reason for choosing Limited Atonement is the biblical references. In John 10:11, 14-16, Jesus said He would lay His life down "for My sheep". This seems to ignore those who are not His sheep. In Matt. 1:21, the angel said He would "save His people." Another telling Scripture is Jesus' High Priestly prayer in John 17. In verse 9 He prayed for His own. He specifically included His disciples and those who would believe because of them, but He also specifically left out the world. He was praying for "His own" only. In Eph. 5:25‑27, Paul is comparing the love of a husband with the love of Christ who "gave Himself for her." Apparently He didn't give Himself for all.

Objections Answered

The fact is that typical objections to the doctrine are based on misconceptions about the doctrine. They think it limits the Atonement. Certainly no biblical Christian believes in unlimited atonement. This doctrine merely says that God saves His own. But, of course, if the doctrine of Election is not true, then neither is this.

The primary objection to Limited Atonement is a biblical one. There are many "universal" Scriptures that seem to indicate that the atonement is for all. 1 John 2:2, 4:14, and John 4:42 are particular favorites. However, reading these passages in terms of "universal" atonement creates real problems. If the atonement was universal, why is everyone not saved? If Christ actually died for "all", how is it that any would be condemned? The simple answer is that the term "all men" does not necessarily mean "each and every". It is used in terms of "from all races" in other passages. See Acts 21:28; Rom. 5:18; Rev. 5:9. The best example of this is found in John 11:50-52, where the term "the nation" refers not to "the nation", but to "the children of God" as a group.

Bottom line: This doctrine isn't critical. It is rational and reasonable, but it isn't essential for salvation or for the function of any of the surrounding doctrines.