7th February 2026 Question box

Does Jesus’ blood cover everyone? (Unlimited v Limited atonement). What implications are there for being on the fence about it?

Let me say, there are sincere bible believing Christians who answer this question differently. I mean, everyone who is serious about the bible agrees on three things:

• First, that anyone who trusts in Christ is definitely covered by his blood.
• And second that whoever continues to reject the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
• And third, we all agree that forgiveness is genuinely offered to all people.

But here’s the point of difference: If you believe in limited atonement, you would say that on the cross Jesus paid for the sins of the elect, that is Jesus died for those that God has chosen to save. And supporting this are verses like John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—15 …and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Notice that: Jesus lays down his life for the sheep; He went to the cross knowing exactly who he was dying for. (And yes, this is what I understand the bible to teach.)

The other view is sometimes called unlimited atonement, and those who believe in unlimited atonement would say that one the cross Jesus paid for the sins of every single person in the world. And they would point to verses like 1 John 2:2 “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

A side note: It has been pointed out the “Limited atonement” may not be the best term, because actually both positions put limits on the atonement:

• One side says that the atonement is limited in extent – that is Jesus’ blood doesn’t cover every single individual.
• The other side says that the atonement is limited in effect – that is whether or not Jesus blood “works” depends on you.

JI Packer is a modern evangelical leader who has thought a lot about this issue, and He says, how about we call it “definite redemption,” rather than “limited atonement.”

But back to the main question, if I believe that Jesus laid down his life for his sheep, then how do I understand 1 John 2:2? Well, it’s interesting to compare this verse, to another verse later in John’s letter, which also talks about “the whole world.” 1 John 5:19 says: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” So does “whole world” mean every single individual without exception? No, I think it means people of every tribe and tongue and age and gender and place. If that’s what it means, then 1 John 2:2 is saying that Christ’s death is not just for a small group of disciples who saw Jesus for themselves, but for people from all over the world who come to believe in him.

Now, what would be the results of sitting on the fence? Well actually whenever you come across differences in how people interpret the bible, its often wise to stay on the fence initially, so that you have a chance to weigh up the different positions, to get a nuanced understanding to the issue, rather than just jumping into a simplistic point of view. (And it may be that the way that the debate about the atonement often happens is that it causes us to approach some verses with a very narrow interest in the salvation of individual souls, and forgetting the bigger context of Jesus as Saviour who’s bring a whole new creation into existence….)

And yet, there is a danger in just staying on the fence forever. Because it may hold you back from fully grasping the grace of God in the gospel in at least two ways:

• First of all, there’s the question of what do I do in those times of life when I am struggling with assurance of salvation? If I believe in definite redemption, we will answer this question by focussing on the cross, and on Jesus words: “it is finished.” And we will say: “Yes, this is what covers my sins, on Christ the solid rock I stand.” But if you believe that the cross only fully works if I receive it correctly, then when I am struggling with assurance, I will probably by fixated with my response and trying to figure out whether I’ve responded properly… maybe I need to answer the altar call again… when I focus on myself… that could be sinking sand.
• Here’s a second danger: If I say the Father has chosen some, and the Holy Spirit has given new birth to some, but the the Son has died for a bigger group… Well, you’re separating the work of the Trinity. I’m not saying everyone who believe in unlimited atonement does this… but you could find yourself attracted to the grace of Jesus, but feeling a bit more distant from the Father and the Spirit. Whereas a good understanding of the atonement will put Father, Son and Spirit together and you’ll see the cross not only as evidence of Jesus love, but also as evidence of the great love of the Father for you.

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This question was originally answered in our evening service on 24 August 2025. I’ll aim to post another question and answer next week. You can read about how our question box works here.