this is just some mental games here. atonement is not efficacious unless people have faith in it. i think efficacious means the same as effective, saving. if not i take back what i said
Here is how the Reformed view all this thread is about, "Unconditional Election". When Adam fell, the whole race fell, as they were in Adam, as he represented them in the Garden. All of mankind, due to this fall, are born into the world as enemies of God...yes even infants are enemies of God. God chose a ppl out of all fallen mankind, gave them to the Christ to represent them. He was born at the time when the Law was still in effect. As Paul wrote in Galatians 4
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Now, these He would redeem could not be everybody whoever lived under the Law, seeing that many died lost whilst living under the Law. There was a specific group of ppl He was redeeming, i.e. the elect, the sheep of God. And we too, were under the Law until we were saved. The Law required perfect obedience and none were able to meet that standard. Only the Christ could do that, and He did that for His ppl, the elect, the sheep of God.
The perfect, sinless life He lived, He lived it for them. The death He bore on the cross, He died it for them. The resurrection, He was raised from the dead for them. As Paul wrote in Romans 4:25
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. If the Christ was resurrected for everybody w/o exception, then everybody w/o exception will be justified. And to be justified is to be declared righteous in the sight of God via the imputed righteousness of the Christ. And no one justified will die lost. And not only did the Christ do this, but He also ascended to the Father and is now seated at the right hand of the Father doing this
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Notice all the personal pronouns. There is a specific(not general) ppl Paul is writing about, i.e. the elect, the sheep of God.
So now, the Christ sets at the right hand of the Father, and now intercedes for everybody w/o exception? Absolutely not. He intercedes for all them that believe. We believe that the ones who will come to saving faith, i.e. believe in Him, are the elect of God, as all that He did, He did it for them, to procure their salvation for them.
Look at the OT high priest for instance. Did he intercede for all mankind when he offered sacrifices for sin? No, but solely for the OT ppl of God, Israel. The sins of the Philistines, Egyptians, Assyrians, Syrians, Jebusites, &c. never had their sins atoned for under the OT sacrificial system. In fact, they never had any system in place that could atone for their sins. They had no high priest who interceded on their behalf to God. God had justly left them in their already condemned state. In Hebrews 7, we see that the Christ is now the High Priest. And by seeing that the OT high priest typified the Christ's High Priesthood, He too, does not intercede on behalf of all mankind w/o exception, but solely for the elect, the sheep of God.
