Limited Atonement

Limited atonement has been a subject of contention between Calvinist and Arminian poles of Protestant Christianity for centuries.

See this great summary article by David Larson:
http://spectrummagazine.org/articles/sabbath_school/2008/10/20/atonement_and_divine_initiative
(Another article by David Larson on the topic in the context of Des Ford’s biography: http://spectrummagazine.org/articles/column/2008/09/15/why_does_desmond_ford%E2%80%99s_biographer_lament_our_wesleyan_heritage)

Lorraine Boettner made an insightful comment which explains it something like this:

In the Calvinist view, the Arminian limits God’s power to save. If he chose to save all, He must be able to do so. If some will be lost, it must be that God’s grace does not apply to everybody. The Calvinist emphasises God’s sovereign power and His right to choose.

In the Arminian view, the Calvinist limits the extent to which God’s grace is offered. It must be that a loving God offers salvation to all. If not all are saved, it must be because we choose our destiny by our actions. The Arminian describes God’s grace as a gift to be freely received and emphasises our freedom to choose.

But the Bible story paints a picture which is a blend of both views, and is yet richer that each. Here we see a God who is all powerful (able to save all) and all gracious (offers freely to all). But His greatest strength of character is His willingness to seek not His own desires.

Here is a God who has done everything possible to persuade our hearts to change – including absorbing pain and suffering to the infinite degree. And yes His actions are all that is required to change hearts – the evidence is in the hearts that have already been changed. He is all-powerful and His actions are all-powerful. And when He is rejected, His response is not of retaliation or reproach; it is of regret and relentless pursuit.