Intent, Extent and Application of Christs Atonement
- Thread starter civic
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synergy
Active Member
Jesus' whole life was an Atonement. So just as his Incarnation (taking on of human nature) extends to everyone, the same way his crucifixion extends to everyone.
civic
Active Member
Amen
Intent, Extent, and Application of the Atonement
In addition to its nature, it is vital to recognize and distinguish between three major areas comprising the subject of the atonement: (1) intent, (2) extent, and (3) application. One cannot consider the extent question apart from the question of intent and application.
The intent of the atonement, since it relates to the differing perspectives on election, answers the questions, What was Christ’s saving purpose in providing an atonement? Did he equally or unequally desire the salvation of every man? And then, consequently, does his intent necessarily have a bearing upon the extent of his satisfaction? The classic Arminian and non-Calvinist22 view of the intent of the atonement is that Christ died for all people equally to make salvation possible for all people, as he equally desires all to be saved, as well as secure the salvation of those who do believe (the elect).23 Moderate Calvinists24—that is, those who reject a strictly limited atonement—believe God’s saving design or intent in the atonement was dualistic: (1) he sent Christ for the salvation of all humanity so that his death paid the penalty for their sins, thus rendering all saveable; and (2) Christ died with the special purpose of ultimately securing the salvation of the elect. High Calvinists25 believe in a strictly limited intent that they argue necessarily requires that Christ provided a satisfaction only for the elect, and thus he secures salvation only for the elect.26
The extent of the atonement answers the question, For whose sins was Christ punished? There are only two possible answers: (1) He died for the sins of all humanity (a) with equal intent (he died for the sins of all as he equally intends their salvation) or (b) with unequal intent (he died for the sins of all but especially intends to save the elect). (2) He died for the sins of the elect only (limited atonement), as he only intends their salvation.27 All Arminians, non-Calvinists, and moderate Calvinists believe that Jesus died for the sins of all humanity, regardless of the latter’s view of a special intent. All high Calvinists and hyper-Calvinists assert Christ died only for the sins of the elect and that it was God’s intent that Christ should so die only for their sins. Notice the inclusion of the four words “for the sins of” in the explanation above. Sometimes those who assert limited atonement will also state that Christ died for all people, but in so doing, they are not referring to the sins of all people. Usually they are referring to common grace. Virtually all Calvinists and non-Calvinists affirm the notion of common grace, though some distinguish between common and prevenient grace. The essence of the debate over the extent of the atonement has to do with Christ’s death in relation to the sins of people. The ultimate question is “For whose sins did Jesus suffer?” and there are only two possible answers to this question, as noted above.
The “application” of the atonement answers the question, When is the atonement applied to the sinner? There are three possible answers to this question. (1) It is applied in the eternal decree of God. This is the view of many hyper-Calvinists. (2) It is applied at the cross to all the elect at the time of Jesus’s death. This is called “justification at the cross” and is the position of some hyper-Calvinists and a few high Calvinists. (3) It is applied at the moment the sinner exercises faith in Christ. This is the biblical view and is held by most of the high Calvinists, all moderate Calvinists, all Arminians, and all non-Calvinists.
Allen, David L.. The Extent of the Atonement: A Historical and Critical Review (pp. 14-15). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
civic
Active Member
Thanks my friend that was a good read.
You are most welcomeThanks my friend that was a good read.
