Unlimited atonement (sometimes called general atonement or universal atonement) is the majority doctrine in Protestant Christianity that is normally associated with Amyraldians and non-Calvinist Christians. It originated in the Bible in such passages as 1 John 2:2 and has been a protest against the supralapsarian doctrines formulated in the post-Calvin environment. The doctrine states that Jesus died as a propitiation for the benefit of mankind without exception. It is a doctrine distinct from other elements of the Calvinist acronym TULIP and is contrary to the Calvinist doctrine of limited atonement.
A doctrinal issue that divides Christians is the question of the extent of the atonement. Did Christ die with the intention to save only the elect or was His death in some way relevant to all human beings? Straightforward readings of scriptures such as 1 John 2:2; John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:6; 4:10 would seem to say that the Bible unequivocally teaches unlimited atonement. However, the argument can be made that it is equally possible to interpret those passages from the perspective of limited atonement.
Read more about Unlimited Atonement: Historical Background, The Doctrine, Objections To The Doctrine
Famous quotes containing the words unlimited and/or atonement:
“I only wish that ordinary people had an unlimited capacity for doing harm; then they might have an unlimited power for doing good.”
—Socrates (469–399 B.C.)
“How much atonement is enough? The bombing must be allowed as at least part-payment: those of our young people who are concerned about the moral problem posed by the Allied air offensive should at least consider the moral problem that would have been posed if the German civilian population had not suffered at all.”
—Clive James (b. 1939)