Limited Atonement   Ephesians 1:4-5

This post deals with Calvin’s doctrine of limited atonement.

Limited Atonement as a post discusses what the Bible says about atonement. Calvin put forth five elements for salvation. The third concept, limited atonement for individual people, cannot be found in the scriptures.

So, Limited Atonement definition: Christ’ death on the cross effectively redeems only those individuals selected for salvation before the creation of the world.

This concept comes from Ephesians 1:4-5 and needs clarification.

“… even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,”

In this passage, God adopts someone as son or sons through Jesus Christ. Either He adopts individual people as claimed by Calvin, or He adopts a group or class of people through Jesus Christ.

First, establish that the Apostle Paul writes to saints, Ephesians 1:1. “To the saints… in Ephesus, … faithful in Christ Jesus:” Note, this means the Apostle writes to the church in Ephesus. In verses 4-5, God chose them, not as individuals, but as a group, the church.

Note, this fits the analogy of the spouses given in Ephesians 5:23. “For the husband…the head of the wife even as Christ …the head of the church, his body, and… himself its Savior.”

So, adoption…as sons through Jesus Christ in verses 4-5 involves believing in Jesus to the point of obeying His commands to get into the body of Christ, the church. Then, the limited atonement of salvation concerns the blood of Christ as a cleansing agent, 1 John 1:7. “…blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Thus, Jesus and His blood shed on the cross applies to His body, the church, the predestined group.

Clearly, that’s why Jesus told His disciples to preach to everyone, Mark 16:15. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”  It makes no sense to preach to everyone if God elected to save only a few.

So, what did we learn?

1.God selected a group of people, members of Christ’s body, for salvation.

2.Jesus, the savior and head of the church, gave His blood for its salvation.

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