WHAT CALVINISTS BELIEVE
Calvinists mistakenly believe that they alone understand, preach and teach pure Bible truth. Yet they promote the gross error of limited atonement, and their whole theology rests on this false teaching. Once this error is recognized and exposed, Five Point Calvinism falls apart completely.
What is limited atonement? We will let the Calvinists inform us themselves as to what this erroneous doctrine means:
(A) JOHN CALVIN (famous Reformer)
“It is often stated—and with considerable propriety—that Calvin did not write an explicit treatment concerning the extent of the atonement, in fact did not deal with this precise issue in the terms to which Reformed theology has been accustomed. It must be owned, of course, that the question had received some attention before Calvin. Notably Gottschalk in the ninth century had given express support to definite atonement and the scholastics had discussed the topic and advanced a partial resolution in asserting that Christ’s death was “sufficient for all men and efficient for the elect.” Calvin alludes to and endorses this distinction but views it as insufficient for a proper analysis of 1 John 2:2. Nevertheless a full discussion of the scope of the atonement is not found in Calvin’s writings, and the assessment of his position in this area has been varied.”
http://www.apuritansmind.com/arminianism/john-calvins-view-of-limited-atonement/
So Calvin should not really be blamed for this erroneous doctrine.
(B) C. H. SPURGEON (famous preacher)
‘Spurgeon strongly denied the idea that Christ died for all men: “If it were Christ’s intention to save all men, how deplorably has He been disappointed!” He added: “Some insist that Christ died for everybody. Why, then, are not all men saved? Because all men will not believe? That is to say that believing is necessary in order to make the blood of Christ efficacious for redemption. We hold that to be a great lie.”’
Charles Spurgeon on Calvinism — Definite Atonement
Spurgeon should have known better, since repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ are the conditions for salvation (Acts 20:21). And you will find that preached in many of Spurgeon’s sermons. So self-contradiction is evident.
(C) R. L. DABNEY (famous theologian)
‘I repeat, this notion [of comparing expiation to pieces of money distributed out of a bag] is utterly false as applied to Christ's expiation, because it is a divine act. It is indivisible, inexhaustible, sufficient in itself to cover the guilt of all the sins that will ever be committed on earth. This is the blessed sense in which the Apostle John says (1st Epistle ii. 2): "Christ is the propitiation (the same word as expiation) for the sins of the whole world.... But we cannot admit that Christ died as fully and in the same sense for Judas as he did for Saul of Tarsus. Here we are bound to assert that, while the expiation is infinite, redemption is particular."’
Calvinism Soteriology Topics
Dabney honestly admitted that Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, but could not bring himself to state the obvious and logical conclusion – that there is no such thing as limited atonement. That it is simply false doctrine dressed up in the garb of humanistic reasoning.
(D) CALVINIST CORNER WEBSITE (dedicated to Calvinism)
“Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.”
https://www.calvinistcorner.com/tulip.htm
Did you notice the contradiction within that statement? If “Jesus only bore the sins of the elect” how could His atonement be “sufficient for all”? And how could Isaiah 53:6 be ignored?
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
SCRIPTURE REFUTES AND REPUDIATES LIMITED ATONEMENT
For all Christians, the ultimate authority is the Word of God, so we should not only look at Scripture, but believe what it says without quibbling and/or twisting the Word. And after reading these Scriptures Calvinists should rend their hearts as well as their garments.
1. GOD’S SALVATION (JESUS) IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation [Yahshua = Jesus = God is salvation], Which thou hast prepared before the face [so as to look into the face, in the presence] of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:30-32, the prophetic words of Simeon upon seeing Christ).
2. JOHN THE BAPTIZER’S WITNESS: SO THAT ALL MEN MIGHT BELIEVE
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:6,7).
3. THE LAMB OF GOD TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
4. “WHOSOEVER” MEANS ANYONE AND EVERYONE
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.(John 3:15)
5. “THE WORLD” MEANS THE WORLD OF HUMANITY
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
6. THE WHOLE WORLD COULD BE SAVED (if all would obey the Gospel)
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)
7. CHRIST: “THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD”
And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (John 4:42).
8. THE “BREAD OF GOD” FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD
For the bread of God is [Christ] he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (John 6:33).
9. THE “LIVING BREAD” FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51).
10. JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life... I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness (John 8:12; 12:46).
11. ANY MAN MAY BE SAVED THROUGH CHRIST
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)
12. THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST TO DRAW ALL MEN UNTO HIMSELF
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)
13. THE FREE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE FOR ALL MEN
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life... For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:18;6:23)
14. WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom 10:12,13).
15. THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH REQUIRED FROM ALL NATIONS
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith (Rom 16:25,26)
16. ALL MEN EVERYWHERE COMMANDED TO REPENT
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent (Acts 17:30)
17. GOD WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3,4)
18. CHRIST JESUS GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Tim 2:5,6)
19. JESUS EXPERIENCED DEATH FOR EVERY MAN
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Heb 2:9)
20. GOD WANTS NONE TO PERISH BUT ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
21. CHRIST: THE PROPITIATION FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1, 2).
Calvinists mistakenly believe that they alone understand, preach and teach pure Bible truth. Yet they promote the gross error of limited atonement, and their whole theology rests on this false teaching. Once this error is recognized and exposed, Five Point Calvinism falls apart completely.
What is limited atonement? We will let the Calvinists inform us themselves as to what this erroneous doctrine means:
(A) JOHN CALVIN (famous Reformer)
“It is often stated—and with considerable propriety—that Calvin did not write an explicit treatment concerning the extent of the atonement, in fact did not deal with this precise issue in the terms to which Reformed theology has been accustomed. It must be owned, of course, that the question had received some attention before Calvin. Notably Gottschalk in the ninth century had given express support to definite atonement and the scholastics had discussed the topic and advanced a partial resolution in asserting that Christ’s death was “sufficient for all men and efficient for the elect.” Calvin alludes to and endorses this distinction but views it as insufficient for a proper analysis of 1 John 2:2. Nevertheless a full discussion of the scope of the atonement is not found in Calvin’s writings, and the assessment of his position in this area has been varied.”
http://www.apuritansmind.com/arminianism/john-calvins-view-of-limited-atonement/
So Calvin should not really be blamed for this erroneous doctrine.
(B) C. H. SPURGEON (famous preacher)
‘Spurgeon strongly denied the idea that Christ died for all men: “If it were Christ’s intention to save all men, how deplorably has He been disappointed!” He added: “Some insist that Christ died for everybody. Why, then, are not all men saved? Because all men will not believe? That is to say that believing is necessary in order to make the blood of Christ efficacious for redemption. We hold that to be a great lie.”’
Charles Spurgeon on Calvinism — Definite Atonement
Spurgeon should have known better, since repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ are the conditions for salvation (Acts 20:21). And you will find that preached in many of Spurgeon’s sermons. So self-contradiction is evident.
(C) R. L. DABNEY (famous theologian)
‘I repeat, this notion [of comparing expiation to pieces of money distributed out of a bag] is utterly false as applied to Christ's expiation, because it is a divine act. It is indivisible, inexhaustible, sufficient in itself to cover the guilt of all the sins that will ever be committed on earth. This is the blessed sense in which the Apostle John says (1st Epistle ii. 2): "Christ is the propitiation (the same word as expiation) for the sins of the whole world.... But we cannot admit that Christ died as fully and in the same sense for Judas as he did for Saul of Tarsus. Here we are bound to assert that, while the expiation is infinite, redemption is particular."’
Calvinism Soteriology Topics
Dabney honestly admitted that Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, but could not bring himself to state the obvious and logical conclusion – that there is no such thing as limited atonement. That it is simply false doctrine dressed up in the garb of humanistic reasoning.
(D) CALVINIST CORNER WEBSITE (dedicated to Calvinism)
“Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.”
https://www.calvinistcorner.com/tulip.htm
Did you notice the contradiction within that statement? If “Jesus only bore the sins of the elect” how could His atonement be “sufficient for all”? And how could Isaiah 53:6 be ignored?
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
SCRIPTURE REFUTES AND REPUDIATES LIMITED ATONEMENT
For all Christians, the ultimate authority is the Word of God, so we should not only look at Scripture, but believe what it says without quibbling and/or twisting the Word. And after reading these Scriptures Calvinists should rend their hearts as well as their garments.
1. GOD’S SALVATION (JESUS) IS FOR ALL PEOPLE
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation [Yahshua = Jesus = God is salvation], Which thou hast prepared before the face [so as to look into the face, in the presence] of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (Luke 2:30-32, the prophetic words of Simeon upon seeing Christ).
2. JOHN THE BAPTIZER’S WITNESS: SO THAT ALL MEN MIGHT BELIEVE
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:6,7).
3. THE LAMB OF GOD TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
4. “WHOSOEVER” MEANS ANYONE AND EVERYONE
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.(John 3:15)
5. “THE WORLD” MEANS THE WORLD OF HUMANITY
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
6. THE WHOLE WORLD COULD BE SAVED (if all would obey the Gospel)
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)
7. CHRIST: “THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD”
And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (John 4:42).
8. THE “BREAD OF GOD” FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD
For the bread of God is [Christ] he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. (John 6:33).
9. THE “LIVING BREAD” FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51).
10. JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life... I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness (John 8:12; 12:46).
11. ANY MAN MAY BE SAVED THROUGH CHRIST
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)
12. THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST TO DRAW ALL MEN UNTO HIMSELF
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)
13. THE FREE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE FOR ALL MEN
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life... For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:18;6:23)
14. WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom 10:12,13).
15. THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH REQUIRED FROM ALL NATIONS
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith (Rom 16:25,26)
16. ALL MEN EVERYWHERE COMMANDED TO REPENT
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent (Acts 17:30)
17. GOD WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3,4)
18. CHRIST JESUS GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Tim 2:5,6)
19. JESUS EXPERIENCED DEATH FOR EVERY MAN
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Heb 2:9)
20. GOD WANTS NONE TO PERISH BUT ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)
21. CHRIST: THE PROPITIATION FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1, 2).
Last edited: