Is the Atonement of Christ Unlimited?

IS THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST UNLIMITED?

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

I am convinced that God's atonement in Christ is unlimited. By unlimited, I imply that it was not restricted to a given set or number of sinners. This is not to suggest that God intended to save all sinners unconditionally as claimed by proponents of the universalism doctrine. Scripture affirms that only those sinners who respond to God's saving grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be saved (John 3:16-17). The limited atonement doctrine advanced by deterministic soteriology groups holds that God predetermined that a specific number of sinners were appointed to eternal life. This doctrine is, in my considered view, theologically inconsistent with the revelation and authority of Scripture. It is neither discernible nor remotely implied in any text or passage of Scripture. 

The fact that some sinners will not believe the gospel does not imply that God's atonement is lacking in efficacy or that God's sovereignty is placed in theological obscurity. Scripture teaches that God has granted every sinner a free will choice in the same manner that He did Adam. In Genesis 2:16-17, God warned Adam about the consequences of disobedience. This implies that God permits men the exercise of free will decisions in their engagement with God. He does not robotically control men's consciences or wills. Scripture alone is the exclusive manual for understanding the mind of God. Human philosophical theories, however intellectually refined, cannot oust the authority of God's word. 

The doctrine of limited atonement, in my view, presupposes that God determined ahead of time that His redemption works in Christ Jesus shall be applied to only a limited number of sinners and to the exclusion of the rest that will be condemned eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-15). 

This doctrine also implies that God created some people, a large number of them, in His own image and likeness simply to deny them His saving grace. It also implies that some sinners would earn His grace unconditionally. This violates several passages of Scripture including John 3:16-17; Romans 10:5-21 and 2 Peter 3:9. These texts and passages reveal God's intentions on reaching out to all sinners with His saving grace. 

In settling for the limited atonement doctrine, the following regrettable theological inconsistencies stands out, in my view:

First, the God of Scripture is portrayed as insincere and dishonest concerning His revelation in Christ Jesus and that He never after all intended to reach out to all sinners except a select few. Such a conclusion is theologically inconceivable (cf. Numbers 23:19). It impugns the character of the holy and righteous God of Scripture. 

Secondly, God is portrayed as unjust. Sinners who end up in hell had no real choices to make either in their obedience or the lack of it since their destiny had been sealed long before they were born! This also brings into question the validity of God's justice in the face of theological determinism.

Thirdly, God is revealed as an utterly discriminative God. He condemns some sinners arbitrarily without an objective basis even as He saves others without any rational basis, contrary to the revelation of Scripture in Jeremiah 17:9-10; Ezekiel 3:18-20; John 3:16-17; and 1 John 2:2. 

Fourthly, the implications for the limited atonement doctrine are far reaching and appear to exceed the confines of the authority, provisions and intentions of the Author of Scripture. It also presupposes that God's promise in John 3:16-17 and other relevant passages of Scripture should be understood in a different context, far from the Author's intentions. Some deterministic scholars have attempted to deny the plain reading of some texts of Scripture that contradict their doctrines. 

The Limited Atonement doctrine is therefore unbiblical, in my view. While it finds the support of deterministic philosophical groups, the doctrine is inadmissible in any Bible centered Christian community that holds the revelation of Scripture as sacred, authoritative, and final. 

I submit that God's atonement in Christ Jesus is unlimited and efficacious in all ages since Calvary and that no sinner is beyond its divine path. The atonement is sufficient to cover virtually every speck of sin in the world, past, present, and future. The only impediment that holds back this atonement is unbelief or rebellion against God. A sinner who hears the gospel proclaimed and ends up hell cannot look God in the eye and blame Him for his fate. God made the way for ALL sinners to receive His pardon in Christ. A sinner's rejection of God's grace is a sure ticket to eternal damnation unless they change their minds while the window of God's grace is still open. 

God never chose or condemned sinners outside Calvary. He chose the means of atonement by which those who would believe the gospel of Jesus Christ would be saved. No sinners were predestined for eternal damnation. 2 Peter 3:9 says God does not wish that any sinner should perish but that all should come to repentance. 

Have you received God's atonement in Christ Jesus?

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2026