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Christ's Atoning Work in the Doctrine of Election

Election—the doctrine that God chooses certain individuals for salvation—stands at the intersection of divine sovereignty and human responsibility, and its relationship to Christ's atoning work has divided Christian traditions for centuries. The core disagreement centers on whether Christ died to accomplish the salvation of the elect alone, or to make salvation possible for all while securing it for those who believe.

The Reformed Position: Definite Atonement

The Reformed tradition, rooted in the theology of John Calvin and systematized at the Synod of Dort, teaches that election precedes and determines the scope of Christ's atoning work. According to this view, God chose specific individuals "according to the purpose of God" before the foundation of the world [1], and Christ's death secured the salvation of these elect persons specifically. Charles Hodge articulates this connection: "we are chosen to holiness; that we are created unto good works; in other words, that all good in us is the fruit, and, therefore, cannot by possibility be the ground of election" [8]. The atonement does not merely make salvation available but actually accomplishes it for those whom God has chosen.

This position finds scriptural warrant in passages like 1 Peter 1:2, which describes believers as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" [2]. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary interprets "foreknowledge" here as "foreordaining love," inseparable from election, proving that "God's foreknowledge is not the perception of any ground of action out of Himself" [5]. The blood of Christ is thus applied specifically to those foreknown and elected.

Calvin himself warned against separating election from calling: "those act perversely who, under pretext of faith and calling, darken this first grace, from which faith itself flows" [7]. In this framework, Christ's work as the "chosen" of God (Isaiah 42:1) [3] directly corresponds to his mission to save the chosen people. The atonement is definite in its design and efficacious in its application.

The Arminian and Wesleyan Position: Universal Provision, Particular Application

Methodist and Wesleyan traditions, following Jacobus Arminius, affirm election but understand it differently. They teach that God's election is "according to the foreknowledge of God" [2] in the sense that God foresees who will respond in faith to the gospel, and elects them on that basis. Christ's atoning work, in this view, was offered for all humanity without exception, making salvation genuinely available to every person, though only those who believe receive its benefits.

This position emphasizes passages that speak of God's universal salvific will and Christ's death for "the world." The atonement is unlimited in its scope but conditional in its application—conditioned upon faith, which God foresees but does not irresistibly produce. Election, then, is God's choice of believers as a class, or his choice of individuals based on foreseen faith, rather than an unconditional decree that precedes and causes faith.

The Wesleyan tradition particularly stresses that election must be understood in light of God's character as love. If Christ died only for the elect, they argue, the gospel offer to all people becomes disingenuous. The atonement must be sufficient for all and offered to all, even if efficient only for believers.

The Augustinian Foundation and Catholic Development

Augustine established the Western framework for understanding election as God's gracious initiative. He wrote that those "made to differ from that original condemnation by such bounty of divine grace" are provided the means to "hear the gospel, and when they hear they believe, and in the faith which worketh by love they persevere unto the end" [9]. Election is "of grace, not of merit," preceding any human response.

The Catholic tradition, while affirming predestination, has historically been more reserved about its precise mechanics. Thomas Aquinas and later scholastic theology maintained that God's predestination is certain but does not negate human freedom or the universal scope of Christ's redemptive work. The Catechism emphasizes that God "made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you" [11], suggesting both divine initiative and human longing.

The Anglican Via Media

The Thirty-Nine Articles attempt a middle path, declaring that "the godly consideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons" who experience "the working of the Spirit of Christ" [10]. This formulation affirms election's reality while warning against speculation divorced from Christian experience. The Articles connect election to sanctification and assurance rather than to speculative questions about the extent of the atonement.

Shared Ground and Divergent Hermeneutics

All orthodox Christian traditions agree on several foundational points: election is "of God" [1], "eternal" [1], and "of grace" [1, 4]. All affirm that salvation originates in God's initiative, not human merit. Scripture consistently teaches that "no other reason can be given why God has chose one, and not another, but his own sovereign pleasure, or that free favour and unmerited love" [4]. The elect are chosen "in Christ" [1], and Christ himself is God's elect one [3].

The divergence stems from different hermeneutical priorities. Reformed theology prioritizes texts emphasizing God's sovereignty and unconditional election, reading passages about Christ's universal work through the lens of definite intention. Arminian theology prioritizes texts emphasizing human responsibility and God's universal love, reading election through the lens of foreseen faith. Catholic and Orthodox traditions emphasize the mystery of divine action and resist systematizing what Scripture leaves in tension.

The debate also reflects different understandings of divine foreknowledge. Does God's foreknowledge merely observe future events, or does it determine them? The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary argues that "foreknowledge" in Acts 2:23 and Romans 11:2 means "foreordination" [5], while others maintain these are distinct concepts. This philosophical question about the nature of divine knowledge shapes how traditions connect election to atonement.

Matthew Henry's commentary on 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 captures the pastoral dimension all traditions share: "When we hear of the apostasy of many, it is matter of great comfort and joy that there is a remnant according to the election of grace which does and shall persevere" [6]. Whether one holds to definite or universal atonement, the doctrine of election assures believers that their salvation rests on God's eternal purpose, not their own fluctuating faithfulness.

Sources

  1. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Election — Of Christ, as Messiah -- Isa 42:1; 1Pe 2:6. Of good angels -- 1Ti 5:21. Of Israel -- De 7:6; Isa 45:5. Of ministers -- Lu 6:13; Ac 9:15. Of churches -- 1Pe 5:13. Of saints, is Of God. -- 1Th 1:4; Tit 1:1. By Christ. -- Joh 13:18; 15:16. In Christ. -- Eph 1:4. Personal. -- Mt 20:16; Joh 6:44; Ac 22:14; 2Jo 1:13. According to the purpose of God. -- Ro 9:11; Eph 1:11. According to the foreknowledge of God. -- Ro 8:29; 1Pe 1:2. Eternal. -- Eph 1:4. Sovereign. -- Ro 9:15,16; 1Co 1:27; Eph 1:11. Irrespective of merit. -- Ro 9:11. Of grace. -- Ro 11:5. Recorded i”
  2. King James Version “[KJV] 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: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
  3. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Chosen — Spoken of warriors (Ex. 15:4; Judg. 20:16), of the Hebrew nation (Ps. 105:43; Deut. 7:7), of Jerusalem as the seat of the temple (1 Kings 11:13). Christ is the "chosen" of God (Isa. 42:1); and the apostles are "chosen" for their work (Acts 10:41). It is said with regard to those who do not profit by their opportunities that "many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 20:16). (See [114]ELECTION.)”
  4. Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 11:6: And if by grace, then is it no more of works,.... Upon election, being called "the election of grace", the apostle forms an argument, showing the contrariety and inconsistency of grace, and works, in that affair; proving, that it must be by the one or the other: and if by the one, then not by the other; and that these two cannot be mixed and blended together in this matter. If election is "by grace", as it certainly is; for no other reason can be given why God has chose one, and not another, but his own sovereign pleasure, or that free favour and unmerited love, with ”
  5. 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:2: foreknowledge--foreordaining love (Pe1 1:20), inseparable from God's foreknowledge, the origin from which, and pattern according to which, election takes place. Act 2:23, and Rom 11:2, prove "foreknowledge" to be foreordination. God's foreknowledge is not the perception of any ground of action out of Himself; still in it liberty is comprehended, and all absolute constraint debarred [ANSELM in STEIGER]. For so the Son of God was "foreknown" (so the Greek for "foreordained," Pe1 1:20) to be the sacrificial Lamb, not against, or without His will, but His ”
  6. 2 Thessalonians (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 2 Thessalonians 2:13: Here observe, I. The consolation the Thessalonians might take against the terrors of this apostasy, Th2 2:13, Th2 2:14. For they were chosen to salvation, and called to the obtaining of glory. Note, When we hear of the apostasy of many, it is matter of great comfort and joy that there is a remnant according to the election of grace which does and shall persevere; and especially we should rejoice if we have reason to hope that we are of that number. The apostle reckoned himself bound in duty to be thankful to God on this account: We are bound to give thank”
  7. CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, section 48.6: lost sheep and joins them to his flock, and holds out his hand to those that were wandering and estranged from him. Hence a knowledge of our election must be sought from this source. As, however, the secret counsel of God is a labyrinth to those who disregard his calling, so those act perversely who, under pretext of faith and calling , darken this first grace, from which faith itself flows. “By faith,” say they, “we obtain salvation: there is, therefore, no eternal predestination of God that distinguishes between ”
  8. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 66: and just [u poses come from God, it is of Him, and not of us, that we seek and find his favour. Election is to Holiness. 4. Another plainly revealed fact is, that we are chosen to holiness; that we are created unto good works; in other words, that all good in us is the fruit, and, therefore, cannot by possibility be the ground of election. In Eph. i. 3-6 , the Apostle says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us ”
  9. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 13.--ELECTION IS OF GRACE, NOT OF MERIT.: Whosoever, then, are made to differ from that original condemnation by such bounty of divine 477 grace, there is no doubt but that for such it is provided that they should hear the gospel, and when they hear they believe, and in the faith which worketh by love they persevere unto the end; and if, perchance, they deviate from the way, when they are rebuked they are amended and some of them, although they may not be rebuked by men, return into the path which they had left; and some who have received grace in”
  10. Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 242: As the godly consideration of Predestination, and our Election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and heavenly things, as well because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God: So, for curious and carnal per”
  11. Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, CHAPTER ONE (part 2): witness of others who teach him to seek God. You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised: great is your power and your wisdom is without measure. and man, so small a part of your creation, wants to praise you: this man, though clothed with mortality and bearing the evidence of sin and the proof that you withstand the proud. Despite everything, man, though but a small a part of your creation, wants to praise you. You yourself encourage him to delight in your praise, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it”
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