How would you explain the doctrine of limited atonement to an Arminian? 

Thank you, Stephen Nichols, for your clear exposition of the doctrine of limited atonement. 🙂

No matter what you are going through right now, God will get you through it. We are praying for everyone reading this! ✝️

If they are meant to be saved; they will be. If they're not meant to be saved; they won't be.

Wonderful. It is always refreshing and calls for shouts of gratitude every time I hear these truths.

Hi Brother! How about that. It's marvelous! Thank You for making the Blible clear in this subject. Very well done; and it's definitly true. God bless you, and as well the Ligonier Ministries.

Here's how I would explain it: We all deserve the wrath of God. On the cross, Jesus propitiated the wrath of God; He satisfied it on our behalf. He took it all. Therefore, for all those He died for, there is no more wrath, for anything. It is finished; it is paid in full. Therefore, for all those He died for, there will be no hell, for hell is the wrath of God. Therefore, if He died for all humanity, then no one would be in hell. That leaves only two options: limited atonement, or universalism.

Hawayu Ligonier Ministries *& I Appreciate Pst. Stephen Nicols 4 Answering This Powerful, Blessful, Deep Question on "How Would Yu Explain The Doctrine of Limited Atonement 2 An Arminian ?"4 I Would Tell The Arminian That God Commandeth His Love Toward Us That While We Were Yet Still Sinners, Christ Died 4 Us Where Our Great LORD Jesus Christ Did Not Come 2 Condemn The World; But The World Thru Him Might Be Saved 4 My Sheep Know My Voice & I Know Them & They Follow Me Written In Romans 5:8, John 3:17 & John 10:27 Where What Pst. Stephen Nicols Has Explained Is Veryyyyyy, Veryyyyyy Ryt One 💯%* & May Our Great Almighty God Bless Yu Ligonier Ministries & Pst. Stephen Nicols So Veryyyyyy, Veryyyyyy Much.🙏🙏🕊️🕊️🕊️

thank you for the insight and clarity!

I catch myself trying to call it "The Remonstrous." Thank you for the simple explanation.

Amen, brother!

Amen brother!!!🙏❤️.

Truly spoken.

"Jesus did not come to make us savable, he came to save us" awesome. (Is "savable" a word?)

This video should have more views.

What a simplistic answer! Why not speak of the intra-conversation at Dort between those calvinists like James Usher and John Davenant who believed that the atonement is also unlimited in a sense? Wouldn’t that help the Arminians a bit? This is why short videos like these are both helpful and unhelpful.

Nice!

"It is accomplished!" Amen

I agree that the whole doctrine rests upon how you define “the elect”. To a greater or lesser degree, that will determine how hard or soft you will be in terms of Calvinism.

There is an article on a site called got questions titled “Limited atonement-is it biblical?” Which I believe is worth a read if you have questions on this.

This is how: "I am unsaved, blaspheming the Blood of Christ, and on my way to the Devil's Hell."

If it is on us to say Yes or No to Christ's Atonement, then Christ lied when He said, "It is finished," and thus sinned and could not be the Messiah. Praise God that the Messiah was speaking the truth when He declared it finished!

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee." Titus 2:11-15

How would you explain the doctrine of limited atonement to Saint Polycarp, student of Saint John the Beloved or Saint Ireneaus?

Should we remove all scriptures such as John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10. Or try to do a convolution work around. Why did Paul add or write “by grace are you saved through faith” if our faith is essentially immaterial. Perhaps Paul misspoke in Romans 1:16 when he said salvation “to everyone who believes” if my belief has already been decided by God. To me, limited atonement is limited love of God.

Sometimes you can swing so far to the right you leave out RESPONSIBILITY. Its easy to say, Limited Atonement (which I agree with BTW), but its hard to explain man's responsibility. God uses the preaching of the WORD to save- "How can they believe unless someone preaches to them.".... This was suppose to be an explanation to an Arminian- Makes me wonder if he engages these folks in daily life? Reinterating limited atonement is only going to stoke the fire, not help the arminian understand.

How would you explain the doctrine of limited atonement to Saint Athanasius?

1 Peter 1:2. Talks about G-d’s foreknowledge

Stephen Nichols is correct, taking for granted that Cakvinism is the supreme truth. Election saved you before the foundation of the world. Nothing else that has ever happened after that point in eternity past matters. The elect have never been in danger. Limited Atonement? Even better for you calvinists: Unnecesary Atonement. You calvinists were never lost. You were never in danger. Jesus didn't save you. Election saved you. It's great to be a calvinist! Super Special!

TULIP is an English language memory aid not much use to non English speaking Dutch.

Forgiveness God said many times that He would forgive, and He forgave (past tense), long before Jesus was born. Many texts could be listed. The following are just a few of these: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and WILL FORGIVE their sin.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and YOU FORGAVE the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 32:5 “Their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, FORGAVE their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh.” Psalm 78:37-39 “YOU FORGAVE the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin.” Psalm 85:2 “LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a FORGIVING God, though you punished their misdeeds.” Psalm 99:8 NIV “Who is a God like you, PARDONING iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” Micah 7:18 “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly PARDON.” Isaiah 55:7 Basic logic tells us that a complete payment cancels forgiveness, and complete forgiveness voids any demand for payment. You cannot forgive a debt that has already been paid, and you do not need to pay a debt that has been forgiven. Forgiveness is granted because a debt has NOT been paid, not after the payment has been made! Forgiveness that can be bought or sold is not true forgiveness. If you think that you or a third party can purchase genuine forgiveness, you do not understand forgiveness! We humans can forgive others when they sin against us. To claim that God could not do a good thing that we can do is to make us more moral than God. PSA’s "infinite justice” claim has God incapable of truly forgiving us without first getting a proxy payment by murder and blood. How can that be genuine forgiveness? If someone says, “I forgive you,” you assume it is done right then, not secretly projecting it into a nebulous future when a payment will eventually be made by someone else. Secretly projecting the act of forgiving into the distant future would be considered deceptive. For a deep dive into this topic, look for the book entitled “Atonement and Reconciliation” by Kevin George

Then why do we have to choose to place our faith in Christ? I'm confused.

The Remonstrance

I believe that I'm elect, saved by grace through faith, and that is a gift from God. However, the atonement Christ provided by His death is far above the sins of every man who has ever lived x infinity. That's why Peter wrote; There will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them. 2 Peter 2:1. So atonement is not limited. it's perfect and complete. However, God will save only those He has chosen. If He didn't choose, no one would be saved, and most certainly never an evil guy like me.

I would teach them God so loved the world that he sent his son to die for some of them

I hold on to classical Sufficient for all, Efficient for the Elect. I also don't deny that Christ died to save the elect. At the same time I also say that Christ died for everyone though not everyone will be saved

So then a person doesn't need to believe in order to be saved? What about repentance? Also not required? Or do the elect automatically believe and repent apart from having any will of their own in the matter. If so, exactly how does that glorify God? It no longer becomes about God's love, mercy, and grace, but rather about His election. Problem is, that's not the picture or example we see in scripture.

Actually that is how you would explain it to a young Calvinist, not an Arminian.

Matthew 7: 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, AND THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT. The L in T.U.L.P. Stands for “Limited Atonement” it is a Mistranslation from Dutch to English. Dutch is the original linguist in which the 5 articles of the Contra Remonstrant were written. It was a response on the 5 articles of the remonstrant written in 1610 by the Arminian Uittenbogaard . He wrote the 5 articles that the synod of Dordrecht 1618 - 1619 opposed to. There were 62 Dutch delegates, and 27 foreign delegates representing eight countries. The word which Uittenbogaard used means: “Particular Atonement” and Christ Died particularly for every person of the whole world. Which is borderline to universal redemption. The Synod upheld the Sufficiency of the dead Of Christ for the whole World and if it was for 1000 worlds, but opposed the idea of Particular redemption for every person ever born. At the time that this controversy on the Synod of Dodrecht Calvin had already Died in 1564, and had nothing to do with it. The true meaning of limited attonement is stated in these articles that were written and put together by the delegates of the Synod to explain the Atonement Of Christ. 2-3. This death of the Son of God is the only and perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; of infinite power and dignity, abundantly sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world. 2-4. And this death is therefore of such great power and dignity, because the person who suffered it is not only a truly and utterly holy man, but also the only begotten Son of God, of one eternal and infinite being with the Father and the Holy Ones. Spirit, such as our Savior must be. Moreover, because his death has been attended with the sense of the wrath of God and of the curse which we have deserved by our sins. 2-5. Furthermore, the promise of the gospel is, that whosoever believeth on Christ crucified shall not perish, but have eternal life; which promise to all nations and men, to whom God, according to his good pleasure, sends his gospel, must be proclaimed and presented indiscriminately, with a commandment of repentance and faith. 2-6. But that many, being called by the gospel, repent not, neither believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief, this is not for want or insufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ offered on the cross, but through their own unbelief. COMMENTARIES OF JOHN CALVIN ON THE BIBLE. “He makes this favor common to all, because it is propounded to all, and not because it is in reality extended to all; for though Christ suffered for the sins of the whole world, and is offered through God’s benignity indiscriminately to all, yet all do not receive him.” [Calvin’s Commentary on Romans 5:18] Nevertheless, forasmuch as it is not in us to discern between the righteous and the sinners that go to destruction, but that Jesus Christ has suffered His death and passion as well for them as for us, therefore it behoves us to labour to bring every man to salvation, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be available to them ...” [Sermon CXVI on the Book of Job (31:29-32)] “The word many is not put definitely for a fixed number, but for a large number; for he contrasts himself with all others. And in this sense it is used in Romans 5:15, where Paul does not speak of any part of men, but embraces the whole human race.” [Calvin’s Commentary on Matthew 20:28] “For he intended expressly to state [in John 3:16] that, though we appear to have been born to death, undoubted deliverance is offered to us by the faith of Christ; and, therefore, that we ought not to fear death, which otherwise hangs over us. And he has employed the universal term whosoever, both to invite all indiscriminately to partake of life, and to cut off every excuse from unbelievers. Such is also the import of the term World, which he formerly used; for though nothing will be found in the world that is worthy of the favour of God, YET HE SHOWS HIMSELF TO BE RECONCILED TO THE WHOLE WORLD, when he invites all men without exception to faith in Christ, which is nothing else than an entrance into life.” (Calvin’s Commentary on the Gospel of John)

Couldn’t Jesus complete the mission of opening the gates of heaven to those who choose to accept, by faith, his work?

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:27 KJV How do we become Jesus' sheep? Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24 KJV Calvinism and Arminianism are both not Biblical. I encourage everyone to read the Bible for themselves. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 KJV

If Jesus died for EVERYONE why do people wind up in Hell? If People who have gone to Hell cannot have choose Christ bc his spirit wasn’t in them. It means if Jesus died for everyone who doesn’t have a chance to accept Christ without his spirit due to total deprivation then Hell just doesn’t exist because everyone would then go to heaven. Which obviously is false

Christ did not atone (pay the penalty for sin and appease the righteous wrath of God) for ALL people in the World. Otherwise no one would be going to Hell! He paid the price for sin only for His elect. And all those who come to Him in saving faith are those who are elect. Because the Holy Spirit has regenerated their heart to believe the Good News of the Gospel.

Calvinists do not believe in Total Depravity though they claim to believe in TULIP and build their own doctrines around this basic doctrine. This is the proof: if they truly believe in man’s total depravity how could they fall into the most fundamental of what is good and evil? It is the evil of man to want fellow men to be in hell!

False doctrine with no support from the scripture. You think there is support because you do not study the scripture hard enough. Here I give you an example: many use Matthew 1:21 as proof verse for Limited Atonement. They said Jesus Christ died only for His people. They interpreted “his people” to be the church. Have you asked these questions below? If not that is the prove that you have not being diligent in your studies of the Bible! 1. Why is the interpretation “his people” to be the church? Anyone do not know that Israel is God’s people in the Old Testament? Therefore, there are two groups of people who fits “his people”. 2. Why did Jesus Christ primarily minister to the Jews only, after His resurrection then the commission to evangelize the world? 3. So is this time (when the angel proclaim the gospel in Matthew 1:21) in the New Testament or Old Testament? When you find out the questions above, you will have no doubt the atonement is unlimited!

That’s easy for a Calvinist, just lie. Let God be God and every man a liar. ☦️🙏🏼📖

Wow! This has become just -another cult- that explains the Scriptures away. Romans 1:22

Calvinism versus Arminianism, versus ... This sort of manmade competition is divisive. Folks, fellow believers, Christ taught neither. So let's follow Christ, the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

Sorry, but no. Jesus did not die just for a "few" but "tasted death for every man(person)".

This is a philosophy, or worldview, far removed from Scripture. I’m shocked by the false logic used… that if I have to do something such as believe or accept, then Jesus’ work was incomplete and He left His mission undone, and that I have to finish it. This is false teaching, not in line with the true gospel. Paul said that any other gospel than the one he’d taught is false. The illustration Jesus gave of the serpent on the pole is clear. God told Moses to set it up so that any of the people could just look at it and be delivered. God provided a way of salvation and made it so simple for them. The assertion being made by the speaker here is that if the people needed to look at it, then Moses failed to do what God said. It’s flawed thinking and false teaching.

Just 1 scripture mentioned and that without context. This is a false "doctine".

You can't explain limited atonement, because there's no such Biblical thing as it.

So the next question that comes from an Armenian's mouth is this, then why does he send the "unelected" to hell? I always use the Potter vs. clay analogy here, is their a better argument to use?

No sense talking to them. They have Moses and the Prophets. If they do not believe them they will not believe even if one rises from the dead. Stop.falling into their self righteous cult trap of making it up to humans to save people. It's up to God.