Many times we see the debate over the Atonement and the effectiveness of Christ’s death. Some say He died only for the Elect and some say He died for all men. In this guest post, Visiting Professor James Quiggle offers excellent insight as well as a balanced scriptural view. Let use consider…
Even Calvin believed and taught while Christ’s death was efficient to salvation only for the elect, that Christ’s death also had benefits to all humankind. Or as Dort said, Sufficient for all, efficient for the elect.
For both Calvin and Dort recognized that God’s delay of justice (his mercy), and his goodness, and his kindness toward all humankind, both elect and non-elect, was a benefit of Christ’s death toward all humankind.
The doctrine Christ only died for the elect is not Calvinism but the supralapsarianism developed by Beza, and is a doctrine held by only a very vocal few in Calvinism.
The Christ died to propitiate God’s justice for the crime of all sin. That propitiation applies to all humankind in diverse ways that agree with all of God’s decrees and all of God’s attributes, and was designed by God to meet all of God’s purpose, not only his purpose in salvation toward the elect.
In a future essay, Professor Quiggle will expand on the Doctrine of the Atonement
