Page 118 - Biblical Theology Textbook - masters

Who can be redeemed by the Blood of Christ?

There are two major views on this subject. Did Christ die for the sins of only the elect, those He chose
before the foundation of the world, or did Christ die for every man’s sin? The theologians who claim Christ
died for only the elect hold to a limited atonement view: Jesus died ONLY for those He elected to salvation.
Some verses in Scripture seem to indicate that Christ died for His church or His flock (Matthew 22:14,
Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 10:11-15, Acts 20:28). But these verses are not just limited to the
church. Numerous Scriptures declare emphatically that Christ died for all men and that the offer for
salvation is to all men who will believe by faith (Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 22:14, Matthew 23:37, Mark 10:45,
John 1:29, John 3:16, John 6:40, John 12:47, Romans 4:5, Romans 5:6, 18-19, 2 Corinthians 5:14-19, 1
Timothy 2:3-4, 6, 1 Timothy 4:10, Titus 2:11, 2 Peter 2:21, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:2, Hebrews 2:9).

Charles Ryrie wrote, “The question of the extent of the atonement—that is, did Christ die for all men or
just for the elect—has been debated for centuries. Certain phrases in some verses might seem to limit
the extent of the atonement, for example, “for the sheep” in John 10:15, “for the church” in Ephesians
5:25, “for many” in Matthew 20:28. But there are other passages which definitely seem to broaden the
extent of the atonement to include all men. Notice especially John 1:29; 3:17; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 1
Timothy 4:10; 2 Peter 2:1; and 1 John 2:2. Of course, these unlimited verses can include the truth of the
limited ones; but since the reverse is not true, it seems best to conclude that the death of Christ was
unlimited in its value. It was for all men, but of course the personal application of that death is limited to
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those who believe in Him.”

Norman Geisler wrote: “Few New Testament truths are more evident than that God loves the world
(John 3:16), that Christ died for the sins of all (cf. 1 John 2:2; 2 Peter 2:1), and that God desires everyone
to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4–6; 2 Peter 3:9). The fact that only believers (the elect) are mentioned in some
passages as the object of Christ’s death does not prove the Atonement is limited.

First, when the Bible uses terms like we, our, or us when speaking of the Atonement, it speaks of those
to whom it has been applied, not of all those for whom it was provided. And in so doing, Scripture does
not thereby limit the potential application of the Atonement to all people.

Second, the fact that Jesus loves and died for the church (Eph. 5:25) does not mean that God therefore
does not also love the whole world (John 3:16) and desire everyone to be part of His bride (1 Tim. 4:4–
6).

Third, this reasoning overlooks the passages declaring that Jesus died for more than the elect (e.g., John
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3:16; Rom. 5:6; 5:18–19; 2 Cor. 5:19, I John 2:2).”

The issue of the extent of the atonement is important. Can all come to faith or only a specific group of
people preselected by God? Scripture is clear that Christ died for the entire world. No Scripture limits
his death to just the elect. It is also clear that Christ died for His church. As we have seen, one can say
Christ died for the world if He died for the church. One cannot affirm He died for the whole world if He
only died for the church. Unlimited Atonement best fits the biblical data regarding the extent of the
atonement. Why does this matter? Because you need to know whether you can tell someone Christ died
for their sins before they put their faith in Christ.

96 Ryrie, C. C. (1972). A survey of Bible doctrine. Chicago: Moody Press.
97 Ibid. pp. 360–361.

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