Did Christ Die for All People, Or Did He Die Only for a Chosen Few?

We affirm that Christ suffered and died on the cross for the sins of every person, but His death is effective only when the individual accepts it. We disagree with theologies which teach that Christ died only for the sins of those who are preselected to be saved, and that God imposes or withholds this atonement without respect to the person’s free will.

Did Christ Die for All People, Or Did He Die Only for a Chosen Few? | By Michael Cariño, from the book “Grace For All: Understanding God’s Plan of Salvation”, 2024.

In Christian theology, atonement is the doctrine that teaches that Jesus Christ’s death was primarily a substitutionary sacrifice offered to God by Christ as the “propitiation” (appeasement) for sins. In this view, the cross event is seen as Christ’s appeasement of God’s wrath. He suffered the punishment for the sins of those whom God intended to save from their deserved condemnation to hell.[1]

Because of humanity’s sinfulness, no one can be saved unless God takes the initiative. The good news is that Jesus died for all and has provided atonement sufficient for all, yet faith is the condition in order for His death to be efficient for the believer. Out of love, God sacrificed His only Son for the world so that those from the world who trust in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice will benefit from that atoning sacrifice and be saved.

The issue at stake here is whether Christ died in this way for all people or only for some people — the elect. Loraine Boettner states the Reformed-Calvinist doctrine well when he asserted that since God loves only the elect and God desires to save only the elect, it just follows that God provided the benefits of the cross only to the elect: “The atonement is efficient only for the elect. The non-elect (reprobates) were excluded from its work by God: ‘It was not, then, a general and indiscriminate love of which all men are equally the objects [that sent Jesus to the cross], but a peculiar, mysterious, infinite love for the elect, which caused God to send His Son into the world to suffer and die,’ and He died only for them”.[2]

For many Calvinists (although not all), Christ died only for some people — those He came to save. These people are the unconditionally elected by God. This teaching is also known as “limited atonement” or “particular redemption”.

Mainline Reformed-Calvinism has consistently maintained that Christ’s redeeming work was definite in design and accomplishment — that it was intended to render complete satisfaction for certain specified sinners and that it actually secured salvation for these individuals and for no one else. The salvation which Christ earned for His people includes everything involved in bringing them into a right relationship with God, including the gifts of faith and repentance.[3]

For Non-Calvinist Evangelical Christians, this doctrine of limited atonement is another one of Calvinism’s weaknesses, because it cannot be supported by Scripture or by majority of the Church Fathers. It contradicts the love of God, making God not only partial but hateful (toward the non-elect).[4]

David Allen, in his book The Atonement: A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Study of the Cross of Christ, asserts that this Calvinist view of limited atonement (that Christ did not intend to die for all sinners) is not the historical view of the Early Church:

The idea of “intent” gets to the question of God’s will, and whether or not God equally wills the salvation of all men. Even though both Calvinists and non-Calvinists agree that God has resolved or purposed only to save those who are in Christ through faith (i.e., those who believe), the Calvinist denies that God loves everyone equally or that He equally desires the salvation of everyone… Calvinists think that Christ especially desires or intends the salvation of some, while the Non-Calvinist thinks that Christ desires the salvation of all equally. The majority of Christians in church history have taken the position that Christ died for the sins of all, that God equally desires their salvation, but only intends to save those who meet His condition of salvation — namely, faith in Christ.[5]

We disagree with this Calvinist teaching of limited atonement because of the words “all” and “world” in many passages such as:

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2, NIV)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16–17, NIV)

It would perhaps be very difficult for a consistent Calvinist to share the Gospel with a clear conscience and honestly say to people, “God loves you and Jesus Christ died for you so that you may be saved if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” without adding the clause, “only if you are one of God’s elect.”

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, NIV)

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2, NIV)

Christ Died for All People Because God Loves All People

Jesus was declared by John the Baptist as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Paul also tells us that Jesus died for all people: “For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; and therefore, all have died. And He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:14–15).[6]

The New Testament words for “world” (kosmos), “whosoever” (pas), and “all” (pantoon) are universal in scope implying that Christ died for everyone in the world.[7] The Bible clearly declares that Jesus Christ is “the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1–2), and that Jesus Christ “gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:6). Hence, because of God’s unlimited love (John 3:16) and God’s desire to reconcile the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19), Christ died for all individual persons in the world.

A contradiction exists between biblical affirmations about God’s love for the world and the Calvinist view that Christ did not die for all people in the world. God’s love for all people requires that Christ died for all of them — all sinners (Romans 5:8), all ungodly men (Romans 5:6), all lost people (Luke 19:10), and all God’s enemies (Luke 23:34) — not limited only to the elect.[8] The Greek lexicons are unanimous that “world” in John 3:16 denotes humankind, not the “world of the elect”. [9]

Roger Olson, in Against Calvinism, argues that God does not desire any to perish but rather desires all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). How could God be said to love, with a desire to save, in any meaningful sense of the term, those for whom He did not provide atonement for their sins? Since no one can possibly be saved apart from the atonement of Christ, it is simply contradictory to speak of God’s universal love and His universal saving will on the limited atonement platform.[10]

Christ Died for All People Because God Desires All People to Be Saved

The New Testament is replete with passages that show that the Gospel is to be proclaimed to all people in the world (Matthew 24:14; 28:19; Acts 1:8; etc.). In Acts 17:30, God “commands all men everywhere to repent.” Titus 2:11 also asserts, “the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men”, implying that the invitation to receive the gift of salvation is issued to all people and not only to a selected few (Matthew 11:28 and Revelation 22:17).

Samuel Wakefield asks: “If Christ died only for the elect, how can the offer of salvation be made to all persons without some sort of insincerity, artificiality, or dishonesty being involved? Is it not proper to offer salvation to everyone if in fact Christ did not die to save everyone?”[11] God’s character simply cannot find compatibility with any doctrine teaching that the death of Christ was offered only to some and not for all.

John 3:16 affirms God’s love for all people. His love is unrestrictive: the scope of his love is the entire world. Apostle John specifically says God gave Jesus to be an atonement for the sins of the world. Just as God’s love encompasses the entire world, so Jesus made atonement for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). There is no limitation here. There is, however, a condition for the benefits of Christ’s atonement to be effective for any individual: “everyone who believes.” [12]

Christ Died for All People But God Saves Only Those Who Believe in Christ

So, if Christ died for all persons, is it not possible that all men will be saved? Lewis Sperry Chafer, in Salvation: A Clear Analysis, responds: “The provision of a Mediator and the grounds of mediation for the whole world does not save the world, but it does render the salvation of the individual possible…” Although Christ died for all men, only those who accept Christ’s death will be saved.[13] There are scriptural evidences that prove that some people, whom Christ died for, will perish (Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:11; Hebrews 10:29; 2 Peter 2:1) but those who believe are saved (Acts 16:31; John 3:36; 5:24).

God has included a condition on salvation: faith in Christ. The atonement is unlimited. The benefits of the atonement are limited to only those who believe. (John 1:29; Roman 5:17–21; 11:32; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2; 2 Peter 3:9). [14]

Yes. There are many Scriptures which seem to say that the death of Christ was designed for the salvation of God’s people, not for every individual (John 10:15; 17:6, 9, 19; 11:51–52; and Revelation 5:9). These verses mention Christ’s death for “His sheep”, “the Church”, and “for those whom the Father draws to the Son.” Yet, not a single verse explicitly limits His death to these people. That Christ died for them (i.e. Christians) by no means requires that He died only for them.[15]

Many Calvinists commit the mistake of the “negative inference fallacy” in all the proof-texts they use to support their doctrine of limited atonement. The negative inference fallacy is a logical fallacy that occurs when a negative is assumed from a positive statement. Here are some examples of this type of fallacious argument: “John loves his friends. Therefore, John does not love his enemies”; “Mary loves her family. Therefore, she does not love her neighbors.”

Calvinists use verses such John 10:11, Ephesians 5:25, Acts 20:28 to make the same fallacious argument: “Jesus died for believers (the sheep, the church, the elect, etc.). Therefore, Jesus did not die for unbelievers (the goats, the reprobate, etc.).” When they do that, they make the error of the negative inference fallacy. Because the Bible is clear that Christ died and paid a ransom for all people. For example, Hebrews 2:9 and Acts 3:26 state that Christ died for “all”, “the world”, or “everyone”.

David Allen, in “The Atonement: Limited or Universal?” in Whosever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism, rightly points out that “the fact that many verses speak of Christ dying for His ‘sheep,’ His ‘church’ or ‘His friends’ does not prove that He did not die for others not subsumed in those categories.”[16]

We believe that Christ died for every single human person in such a way as to secure their salvation without requiring it or making it certain. Sinners need to personally appropriate the benefits of the cross for themselves. Trusting Jesus Christ is a condition for securing one’s salvation.

Instead, we believe that Christ died for every single human person in such a way as to secure their salvation without requiring it or making it certain. Sinners need to personally appropriate the benefits of the cross for themselves. Trusting Jesus Christ is a condition for securing one’s salvation.[17]

The atonement is universal and unlimited in the sense that the Church’s gates are wide open to “everyone who calls” (Rom. 10:13), to “him who is thirsty” (Rev. 21:6), to “all you who are weary and burdened” (Matt. 11:28). The invitation to believe in Christ and enter the Church extends to “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). In that sense, the atonement is universal and available to all.

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:10, NIV)

Thus, there is a difference between the provision of forgiveness of sins and the application of forgiveness of sins.[18] Robert Picirilli, in Grace, Faith, and Free Will, is right when he says in relation to 1 Timothy 4:10 “that He [Jesus] is Savior of all people speaks of provision; that He is savior especially of believers speaks of application.”[19]

Gary Schultz, in his article entitled “Why a Genuine Universal Gospel Call Requires an Atonement That Paid for the Sins of All People” in Evangelical Quarterly, has argued convincingly that there is no sincerity in preaching of the Gospel to everyone, and declaring an invitation for everyone to repent, believe, and be saved, if Christ did not die for everyone:

How can the Gospel be genuinely offered to the non-elect if God made no payment for their sins…. If Christ did not pay for the sins of the non-elect, then it is impossible to genuinely offer salvation to the non-elect, since there is no salvation available to offer them. In a sense, when offered the gospel, the non-elect would be offered something that was never there for them to receive in the first place.[20]

In other words, if we follow the Calvinist fallacy, the Gospel is not really Good News for everyone: “If the atonement was only for the elect, to preach this message to the non-elect would at best be giving them a false hope and at worst would be untrue.”[21] It would be a dishonest and a deceitful form of evangelism.

The truth is, God makes the provision of salvation for all men, but it is conditioned by faith. Thus, salvation becomes actual only for those who believe, although it is potential and available to all. “Our inheriting eternal life involves two separate factors: an objective factor (Christ’s provision of salvation) and a subjective factor (our acceptance of that salvation).”[22] Although the provision of atonement is unlimited, yet the application of it is limited.

In his book The Death Christ Died, Robert Lightner explains: “we believe the cross does not apply its own benefits but that God has conditioned His full and free salvation upon personal faith in order to appropriate its accomplishments to the individual…”[23]

Therefore, Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for the sins of every individual person in the world, but His death is effective only when the individual accepts it. God sent Jesus Christ into the world so that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). That is the reason why Jesus is referred to as the Savior of the world (John 4:42; 1 John 4:14). In dying for the whole world, Christ tasted death for every individual person (Hebrews 2:9), which makes Him truly the Savior of all people (1 Timothy 4:10). Atonement is unlimited in scope in the sense that the offer of salvation is for all men. Atonement is limited in effect in the sense that only those who believe in Jesus are truly saved.

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Non-Calvinist Evangelical Christians are fellow born again believers from various theological persuasions which include Provisionists, Molinists, Free Grace, Arminians, Freewill Baptists, General Baptists, Wesleyans, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Methodists, Mennonite, Brethren, Nazarene, Evangelical Free, Anabaptists, Anglican, and all believers who embrace “Whosoever Will” theologies.

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is a cross-denominational collaboration of various Evangelical Christian pastors, theologians, scholars, church leaders, and believers from all theological stripes who affirm and teach that God has provided the means of salvation for all people through the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God. So that all who trust in Jesus Christ are saved by grace through faith. We believe that the Gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) is asserting that God actually loves the entire world and that God sincerely desires every person to gain eternal life through Jesus Christ. God offers the free gift of salvation to all sinners and invites all humanity to respond in believing faith. The saving grace of God is sincerely offered to every person, not decreed to a preselected few. We desire to be a theological voice against teachings that limit the saving grace of God only to a chosen few, against theologies that teach that Christ did not die for all of humanity, and against doctrines that say that the Gospel is actually good news only to preselected individuals, not for every person.

We subscribe to the theological convictions of the 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀’ 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱, the 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱, the 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁, and the 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

[1] Roger Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God’s Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 90.

[2] Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 157.

[3]David Steele and Curtis Thomas, The Five Points of Calvinism, (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1963), 39.

[4] Olson, Against Calvinism, 89.

[5] David Allen, The Atonement: A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Study of the Cross of Christ (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group), 7.

[6] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology 1st ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1985), 829–830.

[7]The Logos Bible: New Testament, (Seoul, Korea: Logos Publishing Company, 1992), 188, 250, 242.

[8] Erickson, Christian Theology, 832.

[9] Brooke Foss Westcott, The Epistles of Saint John: The Greek Text With Notes and Essays, (Cambridge, UK: Macmillan and Co. Limited,1886).

[10] Olson, Against Calvinism, 92–94.

[11] Samuel Wakefield, A Complete System of Christian Theology (Cincinnati: Hitchcock and Walden, 1869), 383, as quoted in Erickson, Christian Theology, 831–832.

[12] Olson, Against Calvinism, 92–94.

[13] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Salvation: A Clear Analysis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1965), 26.

[14] Olson, Against Calvinism, 92–94.

[15] Olson, Against Calvinism, 97–98.

[16] David L. Allen, “The Atonement: Limited or Universal?” in Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism, 93.

[17] Olson, Against Calvinism, 97–98.

[18] Olson, Against Calvinism, 97–98.

[19] Robert Picirilli, Grace, Faith, and Free Will, (Nashville, TN: Randall House Publications, 2002), 153.

[20] Gary l. Schultz, Jr., “Why a Genuine Universal Gospel Call Requires an Atonement That Paid for the Sins of All People,” Evangelical Quarterly 82:2 (2010): 122.

[21] Schultz, Jr., “Why a Genuine Universal Gospel Call Requires an Atonement That Paid for the Sins of All People”, 115.

[22] Chafer, Salvation: A Clear Analysis, 31–39.

[23] Robert Lightner, The Death Christ Died: A Biblical Case for Unlimited Atonement (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998), 56.