The Big Lie of the Calvinists – Hoppers Crossing Christian Church

The Big Lie of the Calvinists – Limited Atonement

What is limited atonement?

Limited atonement is the calvinist (reformed) teaching that says that Jesus only died for the sins of those who will be chosen by God to believe (that is, the elect of God). They teach that if you are not on that list of the elect, if you are not one of those whom God has chosen to save), then Jesus didn’t die for any of your sins; you are therefore going to hell for eternity to pay for your sins!

Limited atonement cannot be demonstrated from the Bible anywhere.Calvinist teachings on limited atonement are inconsistent with biblical truth. And, note that any inconsistency in the Bible has to point to the existence of a lie somewhere! For the Bible is truth itself and, if interpreted correctly, cannot have any inconsistencies at all.

So, what is limited atonement? The calvinists generally do not like to use this term, because it states clearly what is obviously a problem belief. Instead they prefer to hide behind vague terms such as “definite atonement” or “particular atonement” (Eg. Particular Baptists), instead of coming right out in the open. In fact, in general, calvinists will not at first preach openly on their distinctive beliefs; instead they prefer to try and convince you that they have the same beliefs as you do, then throw in a change or two every now and then. If a doctrine such as limited atonement is so important to them, then why don’t they preach such as a foundational truth so that everyone else may get the benefit of their “great” knowledge. However, they usually act somewhat ashamed of their beliefs unless pressed on the issue.

If you disagree with a calvinist, he (or she) will firstly try to convince you using certain verses taken out of context and scriptural consistency. They’ll state what they want the verse to mean (without much if any exegesis) and then often name a few calvinist teachers who believe the same. All too often, they will misquote the Greek or Hebrew meaning as well, in order to try and “prove” that the Bible really says what they desperately want it to say. (Eg. In John 3:3, they often claim that “see” actually means “believe in” or “have faith in”, even when the Greek word cannot mean such!)

If you won’t be shaken by their false display of “scholarship”, they will then usually take one of four approaches to answer you.
1/. You aren’t as spiritually-minded as they are, therefore don’t argue. And if you argue too much, they may declare you to be so spiritually inept that you may not even be one of the elect (chosen ones) of God.
2/. You aren’t as qualified as they are. In particular, if you do not hold some “approved” Biblical studies or pastoral qualification, then they will probably expect you to bow to their “superior” wisdom.
3/. If you are still arguing, they may claim that it is a mystery that we are not meant to know, that it is hidden in the mind of God and not for us to dig into it. This is a cop-out!
4/. If you haven’t bought one of the previous three excuses, then you are likely to get the silent treatment; that is, they will just refuse to discuss the issue with you, citing you as some lower mortal spiritually.

Strict calvinists adhere to the belief anacronym TULIP.
T = Total inability of man to choose to serve God (although they prefer to word it as “Total depravity”)
U = Unconditional election
L = Limited atonement
I = Irresistible grace
P = Perseverance of the saints

To understand limited atonement, we will have to look at unconditional election, another false belief of calvinists.

The calvinists believe that, before the creation of the world, their God chose unconditionally (that is, without any use of foreknowledge) all those whom he would save; these are the “election” of God. If you are one of the elect, you will be saved; if you are not one of the elect, you will be condemned to hell for all eternity. This means that the calvinist God selects a very small percentage of people to be saved, thus condemning the rest to hell.

“Throughout church history, there have been two main views on the doctrine of election (or predestination). One view, which we will call the prescient or foreknowledge view, teaches that God, through His omniscience, knows those who will in the course of time choose of their own free will to place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. On the basis of this divine foreknowledge, God elects these individuals “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). This view is held by the majority of American evangelicals.
“The second main view is the Augustinian (read “calvinist”) view, which essentially teaches that God not only divinely elects those who will have faith in Jesus Christ, but also divinely elects to grant to these individuals the faith to believe in Christ. In other words, God’s election unto salvation is not based on a foreknowledge of an individual’s faith, but is based on the free, sovereign grace of Almighty God. God elects people to salvation, and in time these people will come to faith in Christ because God has elected them.” (https://gotquestions.org/elect-of-God.html)

Limited atonement means that when Jesus died on the cross He only paid for the sins of those who are on the list of the elect. In calvinism, Jesus did not die for the sins of any of the “non-elect”. Thus, all people are created with only one option for eternity, either heaven or hell. This was determined by the calvinist God before the foundation of the world.

Of course, the election is a fact, but the truth is that those of the election are chosen by the foreknowledge of God.
1 Peter 1:2 – Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ
God knows all things from beginning to end. Thus, He knew, through His perfect foreknowledge beforehand, all those who would call upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). These God (through His perfect foreknowledge of the future) wrote into His list of the elect.

However, calvinists deny God His sovereign right to use foreknowledge to determine those who should be saved. So how can they then explain why Jesus should die for the whole world (1 John 2:2) when most of those in the world, according to them, had not been chosen to go to heaven (that is, they could not be saved, ever)? Their answer is inevitable: Jesus could not have died for the whole world; He could not have died for any whom the calvinist God did not put on His list of the elect! Otherwise it would be an unnecessary act of love to die for those whom God the Father didn’t love enough to choose for heaven. Therefore, to the calvinist, limited atonement is a logical conclusion if the election itself were limited by God’s choice alone.

This is the only real justification that calvinists can have for limited atonement: that the unconditional election demands it! There is no Scriptural basis for limited atonement at all! It rests entirely upon God having chosen the elect (that is, the election of God) unconditionally from the foundation of the world without the use of foreknowledge. But the Bible clearly and consistently teaches that (a) Jesus died for all the sins of all the people of all the world (1 John 2:2), and (b) God desires the salvation of all people (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Limited atonement is impossible to justify from the Bible. We will look at these points in more detail further down.

John MacArthur of Grace Community Church (Sun Valley, California) has set himself up as a great scholar and teacher of the Bible, yet his apparently poor analysis and interpretation of the Bible demonstrate that he is far from either. His belief in the doctrine of limited atonement (that Jesus died for the sins of a small proportion of mankind) demonstrates a lack of Biblical understanding and interpretation. I will give some examples in this document from his own “teaching” to demonstrate such. (More examples can be provided but the following should more than sufficiently demonstrate this.)

According to MacArthur, God did not intend saving everyone. What a shocking and blasphemous statement!
MacArthur says, “So the Bible promises there is a hell. The only way to avoid it is to not die in your sins. And to not die in your sins, you have to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you don’t, you’re going to pay the penalty of eternal destruction. That proves that the atonement is limited. It does not apply universally. God did not intend to save everyone. He is God. He could have intended to save everyone. He could have saved everyone. He would have if that had been His intention. The atonement is limited.”
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-277/The-Doctrine-of-Actual-Atonement-Part-1)

This is straight out blasphemy. Where in the Bible does it say that God did not intend saving everyone? In fact, the Bible openly contradicts MacArthur’s statement by stating absolutely clearly that God not only desires the salvation of all men, but has provided the means by which all may be saved.
2 Peter 3:9 – 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.
1 Timothy 4:10 – For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – ³For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; ⁴Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

MacArthur teaches that only those whom the Father calls are able to come; the statement below from his church’s doctrinal statement shows clearly that if you are not received by the Father, then you couldn’t have been called by the Father. That is, both Grace Community Church [and Grace West Church (Albion, Victoria)] clearly teach limited atonement based upon a limited election. That is, they teach that Jesus died only for the sins of the elect.

Excerpt from MacArthur’s Grace Community Church doctrinal statement as at 19/12/16.
Election. We teach that election is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:1-2).
We teach that sovereign election does not contradict or negate the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord (Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; John 3:18-19, 36; 5:40; Romans 9:22-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Revelation 22:17). Nevertheless, since sovereign grace includes the means of receiving the gift of salvation as well as the gift itself, sovereign election will result in what God determines. All whom the Father calls to Himself will come in faith, and all who come in faith the Father will receive (John 6:37-40, 44; Acts 13:48; James 4:8). (underline emphasis mine)
(https://www.gracechurch.org/about/distinctives/what-we-teach)

Note that Grace West Bible Church (of Albion, Victoria) says the same (19/12/16):
Election
We teach that election is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, He chose in Christ those whom He graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies (Rom. 8:28–30; Eph. 1:4–11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:1,2).
We teach that sovereign election does not contradict or negate the responsibility of man to repent and trust Christ as Savior and Lord (Ezek. 18:23,32; 33:11; John 3:18,19,36; 5:40; 2 Thess. 2:10–12; Rev. 22:17). Nevertheless, since sovereign grace includes the means of receiving the gift of salvation as well as the gift itself, sovereign election will result in what God determines. All whom the Father calls to Himself will come in faith and all who come in faith the Father will receive (John 6:37–40,44; Acts 13:48; James 4:8).
(underline emphasis mine)
(https://gracewest.org.au/about-us/doctrinal-statement/)
Please check out your church statement of faith and see if you too are teaching the same heresy.

In fact, Grace West’s entire doctrinal statement is almost word-for-word the same as Grace Community’s statement. Because Grace West Bible Church is a clone or copy of John MacArthur’s church (Grace Community Church), then it should be assumed that Grace West believes what MacArthur believes. This document will demonstrate that MacArthur’s teachings on atonement are not in agreement with the Bible; thus it should be assumed that Grace West Bible Church’s teachings on atonement are likewise not in agreement with the Bible. (And this same logic may be applied to any church: that if they agree with MacArthur’s doctrinal teachings, then they have to agree with the unbiblical doctrines of unconditional election and limited atonement.)

Note that Living Springs Baptist Church of Rockbank, Victoria, states on their website that Grace West Bible Church is a “like-minded sister church to Living Springs” (19/12/16)
“We recommend the bible plan by Grace West Bible Church, who are a like-minded sister church to Living Springs.” (https://www.lsbc.org.au/resources2/)

This can only be understood to mean that Living Springs Baptist Church is in agreement with the Grace West Bible Church doctrinal statement, that is, they have the same beliefs. You cannot be a like-minded sister church if you have reasonable differences in your doctrine. Thus, by this simple statement on their website (as shown above), they have to be in agreement with the statement “All whom the Father calls to Himself will come in faith and all who come in faith the Father will receive”, therefore being in agreement with limited atonement, which is a doctrine of satan. If those at Living Springs believe that Jesus died on the cross for all the sins of the whole world, then they must disassociate themselves from Grace West Bible Church immediately. Do they believe that Jesus was the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, or just for those who will be chosen by God to believe?

A W Pink is one of the ‘heroes’ of the Calvinistic faith today, quoted by MacArthur’s church to back up his heresy.
“We wrote to John MacArthur to ask him his position on this matter. Dr. MacArthur did not respond personally, but his Personal Assistant, Dave Swavely, answered on his behalf with a five page letter. In this letter dated 3/20/96 Dave Swavely quoted favorably from A.W.Pink. Pink’s quotation said this: “Not one for whom He died can possibly miss heaven.””
(https://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/reformed/macatone.htm)
The logic of this is as follows: If you do happen to miss out on heaven, then Jesus didn’t die for you (because, presumably, He didn’t love you enough because you weren’t one of the elect).

According to MacArthur, limited atonement is proven by the fact of hell. Yes, the Bible does promise hell for the lost but that in itself doesn’t prove that the atonement is limited. But MacArthur teaches incorrectly that you go to hell to pay for your sins.
“If Jesus actually paid in full the penalty for your sins, you’re not going to go to hell, that would be double jeopardy. ……
So the Bible promises there is a hell. The only way to avoid it is to not die in your sins. And to not die in your sins, you have to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you don’t, you’re going to pay the penalty of eternal destruction. That proves that the atonement is limited.”
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-277/The-Doctrine-of-Actual-Atonement-Part-1)

However, the truth is that you might die in your sins but the judgment is not on your sins but upon your works. You do not go to hell to pay for your sins!
Romans 4:4-5 – ⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Revelation 20:12 – And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if the Old Testament sacrifices could never pay for even one sin (Hebrews 10:4 – For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.) then how can anyone hope to pay for even one sin in hell. On the other hand, logic says that if we could pay for even just one sin in hell, then because we have infinite time available, we can theoretically pay for all sins! And so logic can easily demonstrate that if you could pay for one sin in hell, you could get out of hell if you had long enough to do it – and you have eternity, of course! This false doctrine of paying for your sins in hell has more to do with the false doctrine of purgatory than with Biblical truth!

And then MacArthur proclaims himself somehow special because his sins have been paid for, and that if those in hell also have their sins paid for, then he no longer feels special. It appears he feels that he would then be no better than all the lost in hell. (This sounds very much like arrogance to me!) However, can any of us say we will be in heaven because we are in any way better than those in hell!?
“You hear people say, “Well, you know, when you say the atonement is limited, people don’t feel very special.” Well, I’ll tell you what. I don’t feel very special if you say to me, “Christ died for you, He loves you just like He died for the millions in hell.” That doesn’t make me feel very special. That’s kind of a hard way to do evangelism. Christ died on the cross for your sins and all the people in hell, too. That’s not special. That’s anything but special. You mean to tell me He paid for my sins and I’m paying for them forever? Then I’ll tell you, whatever His payment was, it was bogus.”
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-277/The-Doctrine-of-Actual-Atonement-Part-1)

(Though it is an interesting point that not one calvinist can actually claim to be 100% certain of going to heaven. Because (according to them) they haven’t become Christians by their own decision, then God must have chosen them. Yet, on what basis do they believe that God has chosen them for salvation? Only that they allegedly are living a better life (as puritans); such works in their lives are the only evidence of their claim to salvation! Calvin did, of course, teach that God gave a temporary faith to some (as an inferior operation of the Spirit), and not one calvinist can actually prove to themselves or others that they cannot be merely temporary Christians. Such people of temporary faith would not be enabled by God to persevere to the end, yet how can any calvinist know that he is surely going to persevere to the end?)

According to MacArthur, in John 3:16, where it says that God so loved the world, it only means the world of believers, not the literal world of everyone.
“….. all it means in John 3 is He loved humanity, He loved mankind. He loved people from all tribes and tongues and nations. He loved and in a very general sense, the sense of common grace and the offer of the gospel and compassion He shows love to the world. But His saving love for the world is limited to those in the world, the realm of humanity who believe. ‘God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes.’” (underlining mine)
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-278/?term=90-278)

Note where MacArthur finishes John 3:16, on …believes.”! So MacArthur believes that God didn’t love everyone? God only so loved the world of those who would believe in Him! God only really loved those whom He would call to Himself, the elect! No wonder MacArthur feels “special” and feels threatened if it could be shown that God actually loved everyone enough to pay for the sins of all mankind! Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, and yet MacArthur has the calvinist God showing the same love to only those who will believe in him?? Does that mean that the calvinist God doesn’t love His enemies as much as we should?

MacArthur also teaches that there are degrees of punishment in hell. The more truth you have been given (even though calvinism teaches that you are incapable of doing anything about it!) the greater your guilt and therefore the greater your punishment. This might be a Biblical truth; however, MacArthur teaches that if you are one of the non-elect, you will go to hell without any other option. MacArthur is then teaching that if a non-elect person hears the truth of the gospel, that person will still go to hell, but will be punished more severely because he or she has more knowledge of the truth!
“So we are called to a worldwide task and sinners are accountable for how they respond to the message at whatever level they receive it. ….. there are degrees of punishment in hell. Not everyone’s punishment will be equally severe in hell. That will depend upon how much truth you had, truth is dangerous. The more you have, the more culpable you are, the greater your guilt, the greater your punishment.”
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-278/?term=90-278)

What point is there in knowing the truth if it cannot set you free!
John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
The non-elect cannot know the truth because God has “programmed” them to be unable to know it nor respond to it, according to the lies of calvinism.

MacArthur also says, “And they all end up in hell and if they were given the choice while in hell to choose differently, they wouldn’t do it. They showed no interest in God then, they will have no interest in Him now.”
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-278/?term=90-278)
But what about the rich man and Lazarus?? (Luke 16:19-31) The rich man certainly had a desire that his brothers would know about it before they too died. Therefore he definitely had an interest in it after he died! So where does MacArthur derive his special revelation from? Another gospel, probably?

MacArthur (along with other calvinists in general) even rewrites Scripture in order to support his calvinist doctrine of demons.
1 John 2:2 – And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. MacArthur changes the meaning to 1 John 2:2 – He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world of those who will believe.
(The added words in purple are not written as a direct quote but a generalisation from MacArthur’s consistent teaching on the atonement (atoning sacrifice, propitiation) that the word “world” should be qualified to mean those who will believe. Note the following:
Eg:- First John 2:2, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world.”………
MacArthur explains: “And it’s upon Christ that He casts all His just wrath for sin against all who would believe.
…… Jesus on the cross offered an atonement for those in Israel who would repent and believe and those throughout the world who would repent and believe.”
(The Sacrifice that Satisfied, 1 John 2:2, September 01, 2002 62-10)

Note carefully:

1/. In 1 John 2:1-2, John is writing to all those who have an Advocate with the Father, that is, all those who will believe.
1 John 2:1-2 – ¹My 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: ²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.

Note the words “we”, “our”, “ours”. They all apply to the same group of people, clearly those who are believers. This means that “also for the sins of the whole world” must apply to those who are not believers. Thus, if “we” have an Advocate, then it’s that same group that is represented by “our” and “ours”. Grammar and logic clearly demonstrate that “the whole world” must apply to some who do not belong to the group labelled already as “we”, “our” and “ours”.

Yet calvinists prefer to teach that the smaller group is just those to whom John is writing, and that the “the whole world” refers to all the other believers from all the world who are not part of the group John is writing to (John Piper subscribes to this view), or that it was just Jewish Christians that John was writing to, so the “the whole world” refers to those Christians who weren’t Jews (John MacArthur subscribes to this view). Either view is grammatically and logically incorrect!

Of course, they’ll continue to claim that John was writing only to the Christian Jews. Yes, of course he was! Then 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. must also only apply to the Christian Jews to whom John is writing? Does MacArthur teach that this truth only applies to the Christian Jews? Of course not! Just check out his message on August 18, 2002 – Total Forgiveness and the Confession of Sin 1 John 1:8-10. In this presentation he applies it to all Christians.

However, if we used his logic in interpreting 1 John 2:2, we would have to dismiss just about all of the teaching in 1 John as irrelevant to all except the Christian Jews to whom John was writing (including 1 John 1:9)! Be consistent, calvinists!

Not only that; we would have to dismiss probably most of the Bible as not relevant to us because we weren’t a part of the group it was written to! And then most of the Bible would be unprofitable, yet 2 Timothy 3:16 says that All Scripture is given by inspiration (breath) of God and is profitable for ….. . Note that “all Scripture is … profitable”.

Piper – “The “whole world” refers to the children of God scattered throughout the whole world.”
(John Piper “What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism” Revised March 1998)
This has apparently been reviewed and changed in his 2014 revision, but still appears as above in “For Whom Did Christ Die? & What Did Christ Actually Achieve on the Cross for Those for Whom He Died?” (Piper) “The “whole world” refers to the children of God scattered throughout the whole world.” https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/piper/piper_atonement.html

MacArthur – “So, we look at the term “world” and we always qualify it. There’s another passage – two more – that need our brief attention. I’m just going to comment briefly. First John 2. First John 2. “Jesus Christ the righteous – ” verse 1. Verse 2. “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” What is that saying? That “He is a propitiation not only for our sins – ” again this is very Jewish in its context “ – but for the whole world.” It’s making the same point that John made over and over and over again, the same point that they made in the book of Acts, the same point that Paul makes in Romans 11: That the gospel is not limited to the Jews.” https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-278/the-doctrine-of-actual-atonement-part-2?term=90-278

If it were just the Jewish Christians (or just a small group of believers) that John meant by “our” & “ours”, then it’s also only the Jewish Christians who are the ones (“we”) who have an Advocate with the Father! Calvinists therefore would have to teach that the Advocate is only for Jewish Christians, and not for the Christian church in general. So, when is the last time you heard a preacher (even a calvinist one!) teach that the Advocate was only for the Jewish Christians that John was writing to? Thus, the context has to mean that “we”, “our” and “ours” all apply to Christian believers in general and thus the sins of “the whole world” (holos kosmos – 1 John 2:2) cannot mean believers at all, but instead all those who are not believers! When MacArthur claims that the sins of “the whole world” (holos kosmos) applies to only believers, then it makes nonsense of the context preceding this. If only people would test all things!

Note the following from “One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus” excerpts from Pages 509 & 510 – By John MacArthur.
“And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. …..”
(Footnote) FOR THE WHOLE WORLD. This is a generic term, referring not to every single individual, but to mankind in general. Christ actually paid the penalty only for those who would repent and believe.”

Add many other proofs from 1 John of what the “world” (kosmos) means, such as “Love not the world, neither the things {that are} in the world.” (1 John 2:15); “therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” (1 John 3:1); “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1 John 3:13); “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4); “God sent his only begotten Son into the world” (1 John 4:9); “the Father sent the Son {to be} the Saviour of the world.” (1 John 4:14); “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, {even} our faith.” (1 John 5:4); “{And} we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” (1 John 5:19)

There are even more times the word “kosmos” = “world” is used in 1 John, but this is more than sufficient to demonstrate that “world” in 1 John 2:2 cannot mean believers only unless specified clearly, which it most certainly isn’t. Note “the whole world” (holos kosmos) is used in both 1 John 2:2 and 1 John 5:19, where the only logically consistent interpretation has to be the world of all people, and not just a group called “believers”.

2/. MacArthur also appears to have a problem with Hebrews 2:9, where it says clearly that Jesus tasted death for everyone. Because MacArthur cannot bear the truth to be known, he has to write in his study Bible words that mean the following: “‘taste death for everyone’. Everyone who believes, that is.” However, nothing in the context says (or even slightly implies) that this tasting was only for believers. The word “taste” is geuomai and can mean “to taste” or “to try the flavour of” but it can also mean “partake of”, “to take food”, “eat”, or “to take nourishment”. It is present in the New Testament 15 times and in the KJV is translated 12 times as “taste” and 3 times as “eat”.
Acts 20:11 – When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

In Hebrews 2, mankind is discussed as a general group, that is, mankind, those who are descended from Adam (some of whom will be of those who will rule with Christ as joint-heirs of salvation; however, the promise of Psalm 8 was to all mankind, humanity in general). There is nothing in the context that limits it to only a select (elect) few. Nor is there any inconsistency with the rest of the Bible to accept this as meaning all men.
Eg 1 Timothy 2:3-4 – ³ For this {is} good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; ⁴ Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I did read recently that calvinists still define this “all” as meaning only the elect (they have to or else their house of cards comes tumbling down) but it is impossible to understand how they can even consider such a suggestion!
“But any Bible student will soon discover there are verses which say God wants all men to be saved. For example, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth,” (1 Tim. 2:3-4, NIV). The question, then, is if God predestines only some to salvation, why are there verses that say God wants all to be saved? The answer is simple: The “all” are the Christians.” (https://www.calvinistcorner.com/all-men-saved.htm)
I’d laugh if only it weren’t so serious!

Then there are those who claim that MacArthur isn’t a calvinist, but merely of a reformed faith. (For all intents and purposes they are synonyms, anyway.) What about the following?
From “The Five Points of Calvinism, Defined, Defended and Documented”
“I am thankful for this timely revision of wonderful classic that has already been an immense blessing to countless thousands. Notwithstanding its success over the years, the only question that ultimately matters about the “five points of Calvinism” is whether these doctrines are biblical. This book has demonstrated (conclusively, in my judgment) that the “five points” are nothing more or less than what the Bible teaches. The doctrines of grace and divine sovereignty are the very lifeblood of the full and free salvation promised in the gospel. …..
Those are the five points of Calvinism. I believe them not because of their historical pedigree, but because that is what Scripture teaches.
John F. MacArthur Jr.”
(John F. MacArthur Jr.; quoted from, The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended and Documented; 2nd Edition: David Steele, Curtis Thomas, and Lance Quinn.)

Verbal Gymnastics?

Because limited atonement is such a provocative concept for people who know something of their Bibles, calvinists often use what can only be termed “verbal gymnastics” or similar to side-step the issue, in an attempt to make it look more acceptable. Thus we have “particular” or “definite” atonement. They will even make statements that appear to be acceptable to the Biblical Christian, yet, when studied carefully, don’t really say what they appear to say at first sight!

Here are some examples:
1/. “Not one for whom He died can possibly miss heaven.”
(P 17, Divine Covenants, A. W. Pink. Pink quotes John 6:39 – And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

However, also note the contradiction with the following verse ….
John 17:12 – While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. Ooops!! Jesus lost one of those that were given to Him!! Please explain, calvinists!

2/. “All whom the Father calls to Himself will come in faith and all who come in faith the Father will receive.” (Doctrinal statement of Grace Community & Grace West Churches)

This has already been discussed in detail earlier on in this document. It does sound like there is a general call to all mankind here, yet it can only mean the elect (none others at all) are called by God.

And the calvinist says that this is based upon John 6:44 – No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. Yet look at where that same word “draw” is used in John 12:32 – And I if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me, where it very clearly can only mean all mankind. So does that mean this sentence in their statement of faith can be read correctly at least two different ways?

3/. “Jesus’ death was sufficient for all (many) but effective for only the few.”
That is, the price Jesus paid could have set everyone free from sin but it was only applied (effective) to the few (that is, the elect). Confused rubbish!

Think about the following word-picture:
Consider a diplomat going to the prison to arrange to set free some men who have been made prisoners of war. There are 1000 such men in the prison, captured in war, and without any hope of being returned to their homes. He goes to the prison officials and arranges the price that could set the 1000 men free, yet he requests that only 50 men be set free. (Of course, it doesn’t matter which 50; the selection is without any specific condition, that is, unconditional.) He pays the sum (fine; penalty) required to set all free, then randomly (unconditionally) chooses 50 men to be set free. 50 men are made to walk out free while the remaining 950 men remain without change to their sentences. All could have been set free, yet only 50 were, in fact, made to go. This is a calvinist picture of the sacrifice on the cross: the price paid was more than enough to free all men, yet only a small proportion are chosen to benefit from that atonement.

If this above word picture doesn’t make sense to you, then why should limited atonement make sense?

Some calvinists maintain that the price paid on the cross for sin was just for the election (the chosen ones) of God; however, most calvinists do state that the sacrifice indeed had infinite value, but was only effectively applied to the few that God had chosen to be saved. This view leads to another anomaly: If Jesus paid an infinite cost sufficient for all sins for all mankind for all time, then why did God only choose a small proportion to be saved when He says he desires that all should be saved. That is, if all could have been saved, and God desired that all be saved, then how is it that God has not done what His will desires: saved all people? The clue is in the free will of mankind, a Biblical doctrine!

God says:- 2 Peter 3:9 – 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.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – ³For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; ⁴Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

But, MacArthur says:- “God did not intend to save everyone. He is God. He could have intended to save everyone. He could have saved everyone. He would have if that had been His intention.”
(https://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/90-277/The-Doctrine-of-Actual-Atonement-Part-1)
It looks like MacArthur might be arguing with Almighty God on this one!

4/. “It should be obvious from this that irresistible grace never implies that God forces us to believe against our will. That would even be a contradiction in terms.”
(Piper, What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism, 1998 revision)

Well, yes, it is a contradiction in terms. At least Piper is truthful when he admits that his calvinist doctrine is contradictory. “Irresistible” means it cannot be resisted, that is, we cannot resist with our wills! Yet Piper appears to be saying that we can resist the irresistible?

5/. “Someone has said that though God does not esteem evil to be good, yet He accounts it good that evil should be.”
(The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink)

That is, even though God doesn’t consider evil to be good, He does, however, consider it good that evil should exist!?
While this isn’t on limited atonement, it is a good example of calvinist verbal gymnastics.

There are many more examples of calvinist verbal gymnastics but those above should be sufficient to demonstrate such.

So what problems may arise because of the false doctrine of limited atonement?

1/. An evangelist cannot go and tell people that Jesus loved them enough to die on the cross for their sins unless he firstly knows that they are of that small group of God’s elect? Otherwise he will be telling a lie to most people he witnesses to. This cannot be Scriptural at all!

2/. Why preach the gospel anyway? After all, the elect cannot be lost, so therefore they cannot miss out on heaven, even if the gospel isn’t preached. Some calvinists maintain that the gospel is God’s means of reaching out to His elect, yet if that is so, then that would be imposing a condition upon the alleged “unconditional” election! That is, this condition means that if there’s no gospel being preached, there cannot be any saved! Ask yourself the question: How many heathen are saved before the missionaries get to them? In general, the answer is “None!” The gospel is essential to reaching people for salvation, and may be applied to all who hear the word of the gospel. The preaching of the word of the gospel is, therefore, a condition of salvation, and therefore for election!
Romans 10:17 – So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

3/. If the atonement is limited to only those whom God has chosen for salvation, then there is no gospel at all for the non-elect; they will remain lost despite the gospel being preached to them. This makes an oxymoron of the term “evangelistic calvinist”.

4/. The calvinists also teach that a person must be saved before he can believe.

Loraine Boettner, a Calvinist teacher, says, “A man is not saved because he believes in Christ; he believes in Christ because he is saved.” (The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination)

That means that, according to the calvinist, a person may only effectively receive the gospel after he has been saved (or born again – they call it “regeneration”). Thus, the gospel is irrelevant even to those of the election (who are going to be saved regardless of any condition), as no-one is able to accept the gospel and be saved until after they are saved. Thus, calvinists are on very shaky ground here. You have to be saved before you are able to believe in Christ and be saved! So what if you are saved and then die before you believe in Christ?

Limited atonement is a dangerous doctrine that has come up from the very pits of hell. To believe in it is to believe a lie against Almighty God, a blasphemy indeed!

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The Big Lie of the Calvinists – Limited Atonement

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