Everyone believes in some form of limited atonement. To put it simply, most of us Christians tend to believe the standard view of how God saved us.
- Jesus came to die for our sins as our substitute, thus providing a way in which we can be reconciled with God.
- All of us must individually accept this free gift from God.
- Those who accept it are declared righteous and will be in heaven.
- Those who reject the gift will remain unrighteous and will be in hell.
Thus,
our view of the atonement is that, it is unlimited in scope but limited by our free choice. Every human can be saved but not everyone will be saved because we still need to exercise faith to accept the gift, thus we rule out the concept of universal salvation.
Those who believe in the concept of limited atonement, however, believes that Jesus only died for a limited group that was chosen by God the Father, before the foundation of the world. This is called the elected group and they believe that only this group of people can respond to the preaching and accept Jesus as their savior.
If you are not part of the elected group, you have no ability to respond to the message. This is known as the concept of total depravity. Seen from this perspective,
the idea of limited atonement has the view that atonement is unlimited in the sense that the grace is irresistible to the elect, but limited in its scope as it applies only to the elected group[/QUOTE the
The Elect sets its limits according to the word of God. Both sides have limits.
No man of his own volition without the law of God
can seek after God .They have no understanding. They perish without it.
There is none that understanding, there is none that seeketh after God. Roman3:11
That law above guards the integrity of the word. Just as the phrase as a many as helps us work through the word "all" avoiding the confusion of which "all" of the elect is in use.
Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
As many as he has given the power the hear and move as the Spirit works in them to both will and do His good pleasure they alone will come . ..
They alone will come because they alone can hear and understand..
There are some the limit grace and therefore can be judged as not having the gospel "the damnable heresy" or opinions men offer.
Scripture informs us their must be heresies or sects among us.
2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Catholicism stands in that holy place as a abomination of desolation. They attribute the "fullness" of grace to this Queen of heaven they have named Mary. Everyone else get a unknown remnant of grace that they must make up after the impossibility of doing any work .dead
The appointment is to die once and then comes the execution of the judgement .
Not a person must continue to suffer for another unknown time period or amount as to the kind of never ending suffering.
The good works we can offer are above ground. No dirt grace.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Ecclesiastics. 9:6-7