The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-11, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.  Copyright John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

My question is threefold, 

1. How can the Bible be read to teach "Limited Atonement?"

2. How can the Bible be read to teach "Unlimited Atonement?"

3. What do you believe that it teaches and why?


Answer

Let me qualify this, because this is a little bit of a theological question. 

There has been through the years a debate about the Atonement, and the debate  basically is, "Did Jesus Christ die for everyone?" In that sense, His 
atonement was unlimited. In other words, He died to pay the penalty for sin  for the whole world, and then the gift of salvation is generally offered to 
the world.

The second viewpoint is, that Jesus Christ died only for the elect. That it  is more logical to assume that if only the elect are saved--that Jesus died  only for the elect, otherwise Jesus died for people who He knew would never  be saved, and what's the point of that?

So this particular debate rages hot at this particular time in history.  There are some who believe in a "Total Redemption," that is, that Jesus  Christ provided a full redemption for all human beings, and there are some  who believe in what is called a "Particular Redemption," that He died  providing redemption particularly, that is only, or specifically for the  elect.

I find in my own mind and in my own study of Scripture a strong case for a  "General Atonement," for a "Universal Atonement," for an "All Encompassing 
Provision." For Jesus dying as the propitiation for our sins--and not for  ours only but for the sins of the whole world, tying it in particularly with  John, chapter three, "God so loved. . . ." What? "The world"--not the  elect. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that  whosoever beleiveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It  seems to me that the giving of the Son was in response to the loving of the  world, and that the propitiation which Christ was, was sufficient for the  sins of all the world. 

So, I would say, that I believe, and I think this is maybe one way to  understand it--I believe that the atonement of Christ was sufficient for the  world, but is efficient for those that believe. I believe in, I guess what  you could call a "Limited and Unlimited Atonement." It is unlimited in the  sense that it was sufficient to cover the sins of the whole world--it is  limited, in that it is applied only to those who believe. I don't like to  get pushed beyond that, but I don't like to just take the title of believing  in "Limited Atonement" or "Particular Redemption," that Jesus died only for  the elect, because I think that that has some exegetical problems. I think  you would have problems explaining certain passages of Scripture, but I admit  to you that it is a very difficult issue, because there are many passages  that apply His redemptive work "only to the elect," "only to those who  believe." But I believe, compared with other passages, His redemption  encompasses, in its sufficiency--the world.

It is no more a contradiction than the many other things that appear to be  contradictory. Like, how is it that people are saved by the election of God  and damned by their unbelief? I mean, I think that there are other issues in  theology that are very difficult for the human mind to resolve and that has  passages, apparently, on both sides. For example, you have passages in the  New Testament on "Eternal Security" that say that God keeps us. You have 
passages in the New Testament that says that you will be saved if you  persevere to the end. So, I think that we can't get too threatened by the  fact that with regard to theological issues, particularly in the realm of  salvation, we may not be able to harmonize everything. You can read some  Scriptures which appear to be limited, some Scriptures which appear to be  unlimited--a better way to understand that is in somewhat paradoxical  terms--in some points it is limited, in some points it appears to be  unlimited.