Isn't the Atonement Unlimited?
QUESTION
I have always been taught that the bible teaches unlimited atonement. Why do you believe in limited atonement?
ANSWER
There are many verses that support the doctrine of limited atonement. Let me give you three to consider.
THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP - "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11) Later in verse 26 Jesus tells the Jews that gathered around him, "But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep." The Lord's testimony establishes three fundamental precepts that are almost universally rejected among professing Christians today: (1) some men are sheep and some men are not, (2) the Lord gives his life for the sheep, (3) and believing does not make one a sheep, but rather, being a sheep makes one able to believe.
THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT IS NOT A COMMON THING - "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29) Here we see men upbraided for having regarded the blood of the covenant (i.e., Christ's atoning blood) as an "unholy" thing. The word translated "unholy" here is "koinos" which literally means "common." If the atoning blood of Christ is common to all men, as the doctrine of unlimited atonement insists, then there is no basis for upbraiding men for regarding it as common. Moreover to assert that the blood of Christ is common to all men and yet countless millions end up in hell anyway is most certainly to regard the blood of the covenant as unholy.
THE EFFICACY OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST - Paul's testimony regarding the efficacy of Christ's blood in accomplishing the salvation of His people makes it certain that if this blood applies to all men then all men shall be saved. Indeed Paul was persuaded that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) Unlimited atonement, which requires that man do something in order for Christ's blood to achieve saving efficacy, is a direct assault on Paul's position. It insists that efficacy of Christ’s blood comes not from the worthiness of the sacrifice but from man’s opinion of it. Moreover, it suggestions that something a man does in "life" could separate him from the love of God by destroying the efficacy Christ’s work. That’s blasphemy.
We must handle the word of God in a way that is consistent with the following principles:
The Word of God is Logical. Indeed it must be in order to constitute a profitable linguistic revelation to his people.
Right Division Requires Logical Consistency. Indeed, the Lord himself insisted upon this saying, “the scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35) If we find our theology riddled with logical inconsistencies, we should revisit our interpretation, rather than codify our misunderstanding as "paradoxical truth that is beyond logic."
Insisting that God's word is logical is not the same as affirming that it is easy to achieve logical reconciliation. The many variants of Christian theology make it clear that there is some difficulty in the matter; though in all candor, a great many variants of the Christian faith posit theological positions so preposterous that giving them credit for any effort at logical reconciliation seems unnecessarily charitable. The moment we abandon logic as an indispensable tool for interpreting scripture, we lose the ability to reason from scripture. If some scripture is “unreasonable” then all theology is reduced to a single question: Who is the arbiter of when reason is no longer useful in interpreting scripture? Simply put, logic is essential in right division.
- Elder Daniel Samons