05-Chapter 5

CHAPTER V - LIMITED ATONEMENT

    The L of the TULIP stands for Limited Atonement. Some have called Limited Atonement the heart of Calvinism. The Hyper-Calvinist maintains that Jesus Christ died only for the elect on Calvary. His death was only for those whom God the Father gave Him to save (John 17:9). Their doctrine says specifically that Christ died for the invisible Church: the sum total of all those who would ever rightly bear the name Christian. According to this teaching, the vast majority of people born will have to bear their sins in an eternal Hell with no chance of propitiation.

    In Genesis 3:21, the first mention of sacrifice for sins, the Bible makes clear some things. First of all, it makes clear the penalty for sin. When sin entered into the world through the disobedience of Adam, God’s redemptive plan, ordained from the foundation of the world, was set into motion. The penalty for sin has never changed: death. Because of God’s great love for Adam and Eve, blood was shed through the death of an animal and coverings were made from that sacrifice. Thus the first atonement was made. The word atonement means to reconcile or to cover. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines atonement this way:

ATONEMENT, n, 1. Agreement; concord; reconciliation, after enmity or controversy. Romans 5:1-21.

2. Expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury; with for. And Moses said to Aaron, go to the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself and for the people. Leviticus 9:1-24. When a man has been guilty of any vice, the best atonement he can make for it is, to warn others not to fall into the like. The Phocians behaved with so much gallantry, that they were thought to have made a sufficient atonement for their former offense.

3. In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ.¹ A good break down of the word would be: at-one-ment. This is a pretty good definition of the word in itself. Atonement is found 69 times in the Old Testament. It is found only once in the New Testament (Romans 5:11) and means to reconcile or to restore to favor. Chafer’s Systematic Theology says, So far as the English translation is concerned, the use of the term atonement―excepting the mistranslation of Romans 5:11 (Mr. Chafer did not believe in inerrancy of Scripture)―is restricted to the Old Testament. Though there it is a translation of two Hebrew words, but on of them, kaphar, is generally in view and it is used about seventy times. Its meaning is “to cover.” This, the distinct and limited meaning of the Hebrew word, should not be invested with New Testament ideas, which contemplate a finished or completed work. Under the Old Testament provision the one who had sinned was himself fully forgiven and released, but the ground upon which it could be wrought was itself only typical and not actual. God forgave and restored where sin was only covered by animal sacrifices, but the true basis upon which forgiveness could ever be granted was the intention on God’s part to take up the sin later that He had forgiven and deal with it righteously and effectively through the sacrificial death of His Son on the cross. That efficacious death was typified in the required animal sacrifice.²

What does it take to atone for sin? Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” The requirement was and always will be blood. The Old Testament saint offered the blood of bulls and goats to make atonement for sin until the Lamb of God should come and take away, not cover, the sin of the world. God’s hatred for sin still requires payment in full by either the perpetrator or through the death of His Son. Secondly, it is evident that the sacrifice made was sufficient for every man and woman who lived, Adam and Eve―not Adam or Eve. Thus, the first sacrifice was not limited to one of the sinful, but for the entire human race. The First Mention Principle dictates that God will never vary doctrinally from the first mention of a particular subject, therefore, atonement was and is for the entire human race.

The second mention of sacrifice is found in Genesis 4:4 when Abel “brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.” The animal was brought and slain as atonement for Abel’s sin. When Cain brought of the “fruit of the ground,” a type of good works, the Lord “had not respect” to his offering. Works could never atone for sin, thus they were rejected. The Lord gave Cain a second chance in Genesis 4:6-7 when he said, “if thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” The Word of God is clear in this matter of redemption. If Cain had repented of his dead works and brought the blood required for atonement, he would have also been accepted. Genesis chapter 4 is consistent with Genesis chapter 3 in that atonement was to every individual that lived upon the earth. If atonement is truly limited, God’s Word will show to whom it is limited. First of all, atonement is limited to whosoever in the Bible. There are several verses that back up this statement. The first and probably the best known being John 3:16, which states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The sacrifice of God’s Son was made because of His love for the entire world and included any and all persons who would accept His gift of salvation. The word whosoever is used several times (John 4:14; John 11:26; John 12:46; Acts 2:21; Acts 10:43; Romans 10:13; 1 John 5:1; Revelation 22:17) in reference to salvation. One of the most notable is Revelation 22:17, which says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Both the Holy Spirit and the Church are to compel all sinners to come the Christ freely and take of His great salvation. Thus, atonement is limited to whosoever will. Secondly, atonement is limited to every one. Paul, in Romans 1:16, stated that the gospel was “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” No matter what race or nationality; no matter how rich or how poor; no matter how educated or uneducated; every one can come to Christ through belief in the gospel. Romans 10:4 says that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Thirdly, atonement is limited to every man. In John 1:19-13, the Bible declares that Christ was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world . . . But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

According to these verses, every man ever born has received enough Light to be able to come to Christ through seeking salvation. The responsibility of salvation is then placed upon the lost sinner because of his failure to receive the Light given.

    Fourthly, atonement is limited to all. One of the best verses of Scripture dealing with the scope of God’s salvation is found in John 12:32 when Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” The lifting up of the Son of God upon the cross was for all men and the lifting up of the Son of God in witness will draw all men to Him. Again, once drawn, the responsibility of salvation is then a matter of choice for the lost. Many verses can be quoted dealing with the all of atonement, but 1 Timothy 2:1-4 stands out.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. The will of God is expressly stated in the last verse of the text when Paul said, “Who will have all men to be saved.” (1 Corinthians 1:2; Colossians 1:20; 1 Timothy 4:10; 1 Peter 3:9)

Fifthly, atonement is limited to any man. Phrases such as “if any man eat” (John 6:51), “If any man thirst” (John 7:37), “If any man enter” (John 10:9), “If any man hear . . . and open” (Revelation 3:20) plainly set forth a salvation that is to any man, not a limited few. Sixthly, atonement is to every creature. Part of the commission to the Church is found in Mark 16:15 where Christ said to “preach the gospel to every creature.” To preach to those who could not come to Christ would be like dangling a carrot under the nose of some poor old mule, knowing that it will never be able to eat it. Seventhly, atonement is limited to the world. In John 1:29, John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John clearly stated that the sacrifice of God’s Son would be not only for the entire world, but would―when received―be sufficient to take away the sin of the world. John 3:16 makes it clear that God love the entire world and gave His Son for all. The Hyper-Calvinist certainly has a problem in light of 1 John 2:2, which states that “he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” One last verse plainly explaining God’s intent when He sent forth His only begotten Son to die at Calvary is found in 1 John 4:14 which says, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” The Hyper-Calvinist must greatly distort the Word of God in order to come up with the doctrine of Limited Atonement. To run by, or to try to explain away such a multitude of evidence for the death of Christ for all mankind is a travesty. A blind man should be able to see the heart of God and His great love for fallen man. Man, created in His image and alienated by the fall, is the object of God’s goodness and grace in the death of His Son.

There is no way that Christ’s death could be limited to paying only for the elect’s sins. To deliver even one person from eternal punishment, no matter how few or many the sins he may have committed, Christ had to pay the penalty demanded by His infinite justice for sin. By very definition, then, the death of Christ on the cross paid the penalty for sin itself which hangs over the heads of the entire human race. It could not be otherwise.³

    This third point of Hyper-Calvinism is indefensible with Scripture. Atonement is limited to all mankind and all can be saved through Calvary’s blood. Everybody is a whosoever.