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To: one Lord one faith one baptism
No, Augustine did not believe in Limited Atonement, nor do the rest of your quotes support that notion. When Athanasius writes "Christ...gave Himself up to death for us all as a sacrifice to His Father," you are making the giagantic and erroneous leap that "us" includes all men who every lived. And it doesn't. Athanasius, like the rest of your quotes, was addressing "all" believers.

Your own source even says Augustine was well-known for his belief in Limited Atonement. lol. With "evidence" like that, you lose.

Christ's sacrifice was sufficient for the entire world, but it was efficient for only the elect, or else all the world would be saved.

Are you a universalist? Do you believe all men are saved?

Augustine didn't.

Here Augustine clearly draws a line between believers (THE CHURCH) and reprobates where "the whole world" means "all believers," not "all men," or he would not have drawn the distinction between "the church" and all others.

(Augustine on 1 John 2:2) - For he that has said, “We have Jesus Christ the righteous, and He is the propitiation for our sins:” having an eye to those who would divide themselves, and would say, “Lo, here is Christ, lo, there;” Matthew 24:23 and would show Him in a part who bought the whole and possesses the whole, he immediately goes on to say, “Not our sins only, but also the sins of the whole world.” What is this, brethren? Certainly “we have found it in the fields of the woods,” we have found the Church in all nations. Behold, Christ “is the propitiation for our sins; not ours only, but also the sins of the whole world.” Behold, you have the Church throughout the whole world; do not follow false justifiers who in truth are cutters off. Be in that mountain which has filled the whole earth: because “Christ is the propitiation for our sins; not only ours, but also the sins of the whole world,” which He has bought with His blood.

If Christ had "bought with His blood" the redemption of all men everywhere, then all men everywhere would be saved.

And they aren't.

As for "church fathers," Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas also believed in Limited Atonement.

If God wanted all men to be saved, all men would be saved.

Christ tells us in John 10 "the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep;" and all men are not Christ's sheep. Only those whom God has given to Him to bring home. If Christ died for men who are not saved, then his death failed in its purpose and this is impossible. Limited atonement is sometimes described as "definite atonement" or "particular atonement" because Christ's death definitely and literally provided redemption for the people of God.

To believe in a universal, unlimited atonement means that Christ's death merely made it possible for men to be saved. He didn't really save anyone in particular on Calvary. Which is not what Scripture tells us. Scripture says Christ came to redeem His sheep, and He did exactly that.

Read Charles Hodge's excellent chapter on the Limited Atonement of Augustine as opposed to the Unlimited Atonement of various universalists...

FOR WHOM DID CHRIST DIE?

This is a question between Augustinians and Anti-Augustinians. The former believing that God from all eternity having elected some to everlasting life, had a special reference to their salvation in the mission and work of his Son. The latter, denying that there has been any such election of a part of the human family to salvation, maintain that the mission and work of Christ had an equal reference to all mankind...

And speaking of the "church fathers," let's hear what Thomas Aquinas has to say about predestination and election...

“The reason for the predestination of some and reprobation of others (praedestinationis aliquorum, et reprobationis aliorum) must be sought for in the divine goodness.... God wills to manifest his goodness in those whom he predestines, by means of the mercy with which he spares them; and in respect of others whom he reprobates, by means of the justice with which he punishes them. This is the reason why God chooses some (quosdam eligit) and reprobates others (quosdam reprobat).... Yet why he chooses some for glory and reprobates others has no reason except the divine will (non habet rationem nisi divinam voluntatem).”

Sounds like a sturdy Calvinist.

1,282 posted on 01/28/2011 11:58:42 PM PST by Dr. Eckleburg ("I don't think they want my respect; I think they want my submission." - Flemming Rose)
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To: Dr. Eckleburg

your attempt to make St Augustine a Calvinist is about as believeable as Obama trying to make himself Reagan.


1,360 posted on 01/29/2011 6:47:09 PM PST by one Lord one faith one baptism
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