The Extent of the Atonement

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This is my fourth reflection on the fourth chapter of John Murray's book, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied where he talks about The Extent of the Atonement. Keeping with my goal to provide a directory for this series, you can check my first three articles below:

• The Necessity of Christ’s Atonement

• The Nature of the Atonement

• The Perfection and Finality of Christ's Atonement

In Chapter 4, Murray deals with the appropriation of salvation to its beneficiaries. The following question would be the course this chapter will tread:

To whom does the salvation primarily apply, and to what extent?

With the above question in mind, Murray delved into some textual considerations that seem to argue for the universal application of salvation. The negative assertion of these verses would help answer the chapter’s objective. Verses such as Heb 2:9 and 1 John 2:2 appear to imply a universal concept of salvation, as they contain words like "world," "all," and "everyone" (p. 59)

However, Murray also notes, that the concept presented herein should not be taken literally, but that the context is the best interpreter of it—if so done inappropriately, a predetermined answer would follow—then Christ’s work is not that effective at all—which is the second argument in this section. The struggle of the seeming idea of universalism in Biblical passages, if entertained would open another door, that is, to question the effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice.

Another struggle in terms of the idea that the subject has is the possibility of salvation for mankind:

Did Jesus come to save sinners? Or did He just make salvation possible? (p. 63)

On one hand, some argue that Jesus came to save sinners definitively, implying that His sacrifice ensures salvation for those who believe in Him.

On the other hand, others posit that Jesus merely made salvation possible through His sacrifice, leaving the ultimate decision of salvation to individuals. Answering in a classical stance, Murray leaned on the former theological framework; and for him to contradict the idea of limited atonement is to limit its efficacy.

In addressing the challenge posed by the notion of limited atonement, this chapter confronts the potential implications for the nature of redemption. If the concept of limited atonement is to be rejected, Murray highlights then the risk of diminishing the certainty of salvation and reducing Christ's work to a mere assistance for individuals to seek their way to heaven.

In conclusion, the chapter reaffirms the death of Christ, and what favor inheres in it for "His people," restrictedly and effectively, that is to say, in the plainest sense, Christ did ensure the believers’ salvation presently, and securing their eternal destination.

Reference:

Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955. Reprinted April 1980.

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