Doctrines of Grace - Limited Atonement

This week we looked at what is one of the toughest, if not the toughest doctrine for people to grasp and accept, maybe in all of Scripture. This is the L in our TULIP acronym - Limited Atonement.

Many times when people refer to Calvinism or the Doctrines of Grace you may hear them say something like, "well I'm a 4 point Calvinist." When someone says that, it is Limited Atonement that they are having trouble with. So lets delve into our study here and see if we can clear up some misconceptions about this amazing doctrine.

First lets get a definition for Limited Atonement: This doctrine is concerned with the original purpose, design and plan of God in sending Christ to die on the cross. In other words, Christ's death was a substitutionary death in which He actually paid for the sins of the elect.

So the big question then is: Was it God's intent to make salvation possible for everyone, allowing for the possibility that it would be effective for no one (unlimited atonement), or did God, from all eternity, have a plan of salvation by which He designed the atonement to insure the salvation of His people?

A better term for Limited Atonement would probably be Particular or Definite Redemption which communicates that God designed the work of redemption specifically to provide salvation for the elect.

Limited Atonement does not mean that there is a limit to the Power or Merit of Christ's atonement. It instead refers to a limit in the Scope of the atonement. The power and efficiency of the atonement is certainly unlimited. God could have saved everyone if He wanted to but He chose instead to limit the scope of the atonement and save only those of His choosing.

Now, the majority of Christianity today holds to a view which says that Christ died for everyone, every single individual. However, this cannot be true for a number of reasons.

1) If Christ atoned for every person's sins, then all must be saved. After all, if Christ is God and He died for everyone then certainly He must be powerful enough to save all those for whom He died. Right? Yet even the most staunch Armenian would agree that there will be many people who rejected the Gospel and will spend eternity in the fires of hell.

2) If Christ died for everyone and there are some people in hell, then this must mean that God is punishing the same sins twice?? For example if I go to hell when I die, that would mean God punished my sins upon Christ when He was on the cross and then will punish me again later in hell - that's a double jeopardy. This is nowhere taught in Scripture.

3) This also brings to light the view of Universalism which states that even if a person has not heard of Christ, God will somehow make a way for him to get to Heaven. This is dangerous hearsay because if you take it to its logical conclusion, you're in essence saying that Christ's atoning work on the cross was not necessary. You're indicating that there is more than one way to Heaven even though Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6

One question must be answered: Did God pour out His wrath and anger upon Christ on the cross thereby appeasing His anger against and securing redemption for the elect?

"And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." Rev. 5:9

These are the saints who have been saved out of the nations. This certainly does not pertain to every individual. Below are a few other texts out of many that also speak to this very thing.

"As the Father know Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you." John 10:15, 26

"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours." John 17:9

"All that the Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37

The effects of the atonement demand particular redemption. The Bible teaches that the atonement does more than just provide salvation and make it possible, the atonement secures and guarantees it.

By Christ's death, God's anger was propitiated and His justice was satisfied when Christ suffered in our place as a representative and a substitute bearing the penalty or punishment which God in His justice demanded of sinners - DEATH (Rom 6:23).

So if you are truly saved today, if you are one of God's chosen, His elect - This is what Christ did for you on the cross:

* Christ was abandoned by God on the cross. - Matthew 27:46 - "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

* Christ became our curse. - Gal. 3:13 - "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.")

* Christ took our sin. - 2 Cor. 5:21 - "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

* Christ took our place. - Eph 5:2 - "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

It is truly amazing to think that Jesus would do all this for a wretch like me. I am in awe every time I think about His sacrificial love. If you are one of God's elect, you to should closely consider what Jesus has done for you. To think that He never knew sin and yet became sin for us so that we, who are nothing but sin, might become righteous before God. Now that's AMAZING GRACE. Praise be to God!!


Rob