FALSE GOSPEL OF CALVIN: THE LIMIT OF THE LIMITED ATONEMENT

Protestants who have a 5 point Calvinistic tradition believe in TULIP. This TULIP includes Total depravity,
Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the Saints. Today, we
will deal with an explicit unbiblical view, the limited atonement. What Protestants who hold to this
position believe is that Jesus Christ did not die for the sins of the whole world. Rather, they believe that
He died for the sins of the elect only. Hence, the atonement of our Lord is limited. In order for them to
defend this unbiblical teaching, they often quote this verse.

John 10:15
15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

If we will look clearly in this verse, even Catholics can agree with the Protestants saying that Jesus Christ
died for His sheep or the elect. However, the verse never said that He ONLY died for His sheep. It never
said that He did not die for the sins of the world. In fact, we can use one of the favorite verses of the
Protestants like John 3:16.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.

I hoped that Protestants who believe in Calvinistic tradition will clearly see how this passage plainly says
that their beliefs are unscriptural. Unfortunately, they have an excuse. What they will often say is that
the world doesn’t mean the whole world. Rather, it’s an expression that speaks of the elect or the
sheep. And it’s true that there are some passages that speak of the world in different ways. However,
there is one passage that debunks the false gospel of Calvin where the world means the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2
2 My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He is the expiation for our sins, and not
for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

It is important to note that in verse 2, it explicitly states that Jesus Christ atones not just for the sins of
the elect, but for the sins of the whole world. How can we know this in context? If the Protestants will
still argue that the whole world doesn’t mean the whole world, but it speaks of the sheep, then we have
a redundant statement. At the same time, it’s important to note who the “our” are. The people referred
to using the pronoun “our” include John and the children. And if we will look at the 12th verse, we can
see that the little children receive grace from God. Only by twisting the message of the gospel of Christ
can a Christian come up with this heretical view.

1 John 2:12
12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his sake.