Extent of the atonement
- S12.1 Christ died for all, with saving benefit for believers; definite atonement has no pre-750 witness in our sources (medium)
- S12.2 Sufficient for all, effective for believers (1 John 2:2; Heb 9:28; Chrysostom, Homily 17 on Hebrews) (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 150 Ep. to Diognetus S12.1
- c. 335 Athanasius S12.1
- c. 335 Athanasius S12.1
- c. 395 Chrysostom S12.2
- 1547 Trent VI Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
S12 · Extent of the atonement
Particular or general.
Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Did Christ die for everyone or only for those God chose? Scripture has verses that point both ways: he died for ‘his sheep’ and ’the church’, but also ‘for all’ and ’the whole world’. The early fathers spoke of Christ dying for all. The idea that he died only for the elect appears first in the 9th century. Presbyterian and Reformed Baptist confessions hold that later view; the other seven say he died for all.
Plan
Question: S12.1: did Christ die for all people, or only for the elect? Scripture: John 10:11, 15; Acts 20:28; Eph 5:25; Rom 8:32–34; John 3:16; 2 Cor 5:14–15; 1 Tim 2:4–6; 4:10; Heb 2:9; 1 John 2:2; 2 Pet 2:1. Fathers: Athanasius, On the Incarnation 7–9; Diognetus 9. Later: Gottschalk (9th c.), Dort, Amyraut. S12.2: is Christ’s death sufficient for all though applied to believers (1 John 2:2; Heb 9:28)?
Questions
- S12.1 For whom did Christ die?
- S12.2 Is Christ’s death sufficient for all, though not applied to all?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
S12.1 · For whom did Christ die?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S12.1 | Christ died for all, with saving benefit for believers; definite atonement has no pre-750 witness in our sources | Medium | S12.1.1 · S12.1.3 weighing | athanasius-s12-s1 · athanasius-s12-s2 · diognetus-s12-s1 | S12.1.4: low-medium |
S12.2 · Is Christ’s death sufficient for all, though not applied to all?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S12.2 | Sufficient for all, effective for believers (1 John 2:2; Heb 9:28; Chrysostom, Homily 17 on Hebrews) | High | S12.2.1 · S12.2.3 weighing | chrysostom-s12-s1 | S12.2.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
| Orthodox | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
| Lutheran | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
| Anglican | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
| Presbyterian | S12.1, S12.2 | partly S12.1 |
| Reformed Baptist | S12.1, S12.2 | partly S12.1 |
| General Baptist | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
| Anabaptist | S12.1, S12.2 | — |
Overall verdict
The fathers speak of Christ dying for all; definite atonement (Presbyterian, Reformed Baptist) has no pre-750 witness here. On Scripture both positions have real texts, so all score 3 on Scripture; the Reformed position scores lower on the fathers. All nine affirm sufficiency (S12.2).
Verification status
Trent VI.3, Dositheus 8, Art. XXXI, WCF III.6 and VIII.5, 1689 8.5 and SC 1660 art. 3 verified against online texts. FC SD XI and Menno are also verified.