Justification – Supplementary Notes
Did God send Jesus to die for everyone, or only for the elect?
- What are the implications if Jesus died for everyone’s sins? Discuss
o Then how can anyone be condemned to hell?
o Jesus died to make all man saveable?
- What arguments are problematic for the universalist view?
For everyone (Unlimited atonement)
• For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only
for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1
John 2:2)
• “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and
said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world!”” (John 1:29)
• “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw
all men to Myself” (John 12:32)
• “For there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony
given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6)
1
For only the elect (Limited atonement)
The ‘whole world’ refers to God desiring some from
every part of the world, every socio-economic class,
ethnicity, and so on to be saved. He does not intend
for Jesus to pay for the sins of everyone who has
ever lived.
Remember that in the early church, many Jews
found it hard to believe that God would save the
Gentiles. This verse addresses this problem,
reminding us that the one who saves the Jews is the
same one who saves the Gentiles. Jesus is the
propitiation for both Jew and Gentile. The passage
says nothing in favor of Him dying for every
individual on earth.
In John 10, Jesus clearly announces the particular
focus of His atoning death. He calls Himself the
“Good Shepherd” who “lays down his life for the
sheep” (John 10:11). Shortly after this, He describes
His sheep as those who have been given to Him by
His Father. Furthermore, He bluntly declares to
some unbelieving Israelites, “you do not believe,
because you are not of my sheep” (John 10:26–29
NKJV).
Also, In Revelation 5:9 (Written by John), he makes it
clear in the prophecy that directly references saving
people from all across the earth “And they sang a
new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your
blood you ransomed people for God from every
tribe and language and people and nation’.
Finally, our Lord’s high priestly prayer in John 17
shows the same kind of limited scope. As Jesus
braces for His sacrificial death for His people, He
prays specifically — indeed, exclusively — for them.
They are the ones whom the Father had given Him
out of the world (v. 6). Consequently, His priestly
intercession was limited to them: “I am praying for
them. I am not praying for the world but for those
whom you have given me, for they are yours” (v. 9).
It is inconceivable that Jesus would fail to pray for
those for whom He was about to die as a
substitutionary sacrifice. The ones for whom He
prayed are the same ones for whom He died.
 Justification – Supplementary Notes

There are basically two views:

Limited atonement, sometimes called particular redemption/definite atonement, is based on the

doctrine of election or predestination (Romans 8:30, 33; Titus 1:1). Since only the elect of God will be
saved, the reasoning goes, Jesus must have died only for them. Otherwise, Jesus’ death “failed”
those who are not elect. If Jesus died for everyone, then hell will be full of people for whom Jesus
died—was His atonement insufficient? If Jesus died only for the elect, then His atonement perfectly
accomplished its goal. Every person for whom Jesus died will be in heaven.

Basically, they believe that God limits the extent of his atonement and justification.
Calvinists/Reformed thinkers maintain that God limits the atonement by choosing those whom He
will save, and thus God only placed on Christ the sins of those He had chosen for salvation.

Unlimited atonement, on the other hand, says that Jesus died for everyone but that only those who
respond in faith will reap the benefits of His sacrifice. In other words, Jesus’ death was sufficient for
all (made everyone saveable), but only effective for some (those who have faith). A common way for
the Arminian/Wesleyan theologians to state their position is that the atonement is unlimited in its
invitation but limited in its application. God offers the invitation to all; however, only those who
respond in faith to the gospel message have the work of the atonement applied to their spiritual
condition. If Jesus did not die for everyone, the reasoning goes, then the offer of salvation is empty,
because the non-elect cannot be saved. The teaching of unlimited atonement is based on verses
such as 1 John 2:2, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins
of the whole world.”

Basically, they believe that humans limit the extent of God’s atonement and justification. The
Arminian/Wesleyan position states that God does not limit the reparation of Christ, but instead it is
humanity that limits the atonement by freely choosing to accept or reject the offer that God makes
to them for salvation.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that many people will be lost, for example,

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction,
and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to
life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13–14)

Hence, I believe that if God chose to save everyone, then we could believe that Jesus died for the
sins of every single individual past, present, future. Yet, we know that that is definitely not God’s
plan as He clearly indicates some are destined for hell. Hence, I believe that the atonement and
justification is limited – only to His elect.