Limited or Unlimited Atonement?

SALVATION

Unlimited Salvation

Limited Salvation

"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men..." (1 Tim. 4:10a).

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...

"The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14; compare John 12:47).

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17; and compare Matt. 18:11; Luke 9:56; 19:10; 1 Tim. 1:15).

"We know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42).

"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9).

"For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33).

"...if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men..." (Tit. 2:11a).

Also compare Acts 4:12 and Acts 5:31.

"...specially (especially, particularly) of those that believe" (1 Tim. 4:10b).

"...that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16b).

"God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9).

"And thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people (Israel) from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

"And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48).

"I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10).

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47).

"For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).

"...teaching us...looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2:12b-13).

"but unto us which are saved" (1 Cor. 1:18).

"And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9).

"He that hath the Son hath life" (1 John 5:12).

REDEMPTION

Unlimited Redemption

(Universal Redemption)

Limited Redemption

(Particular Redemption)

"Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

"Who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:6 and compare verse 1-"all men," and verse 4-"all men").

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9).

"There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (2 Peter 2:1).

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6).

Compare John 12:32-33 (John 3:14)

"He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. 9:12).

"In whom we have redemption through His blood" (Col. 1:14).

"For ye are bought with a price" (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity" (Tit. 2:14).

"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us...redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

See also Romans 4:25; 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:11; John 10:11; Acts 20:28; Revelation 1:5; Galatians 1:4; 3:13; Ephesians 5:25; 1 Thess. 5:10; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 2:24.

RECONCILIATION

Unlimited Reconciliation

(Universal Reconciliation)

Limited Reconciliation

(Particular Reconciliation)

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:19)

"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:18)

"We pray (beg) you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20)

2. The Bible teaches that God desires all men to be saved and to come to a full-knowledge of the truth:

3. The gospel is to be preached to every creature and all men everywhere are commanded to repent:

Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38 "every one of you"; Acts 3:26 "every one of you"; Acts 13:38; 17:30; 20:21; 26:17-20; Romans 16:26; 1 Cor. 1:23.

4. Salvation is offered to all men and "whosoever will" may take of the water of life freely.

Matthew 11:28-30; John 1:12; 3:15-17; 4:13-14; 6:35-37,47,51,54,58; 7:37-38; 10:9; 11:25-26; 20:31; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 10:43; 13:38-39; Romans 1:16; 6:23; 10:11-13; Revelation 3:20; 22:17.

5. It is the responsibility of all men to obey the gospel by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sir Robert Anderson, in the preface to his book Forgotten Truths, said this: "In the early years of my Christian life I was greatly perplexed and distressed by the supposition that the plain and simple words of such Scriptures as John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:6 were not true, save in a cryptic sense understood only by the initiated. For, I was told, the over-shadowing truth of Divine sovereignty in election barred our taking them literally. But half a century ago a friend of those days—the late Dr. Horatius Bonar—delivered me from this strangely prevalent error. He taught me that truths may seem to us irreconcilable only because our finite minds cannot understand the Infinite; and we must never allow our faulty apprehension of the eternal counsels of God to hinder unquestioning faith in the words of Holy Scripture."