Many, All, World: What Does It Mean?

Last update: 2024, January 02

For many new Christians, Limited Atonement is a hard one to take in. One of the reasons is that words such as many, all, and world don’t always mean everyone without exception. I remember a time when I was on FB and this John MacArthur’s follower blasted all over her FB’s wall the teaching that God didn’t die for everyone, and how He came only for the Elects. I didn’t bother engaging at the time because I believed that she was insane and out of her mind. Why even bother with someone who believes that Christ only died for the Elect when “all” and “world” means exactly just that? Right? A decade later and here I am, in her shoes. If you fully embrace the other points of Calvinism but still struggle with the big L, let me say that I do understand. It’s a hard one, but I can assure you that as you renew your mind daily and let go of the wisdom of man, you’ll eventually come to that place where it all makes sense and you can have peace about it. I know because I’m in that place.

We have a lot to talk about in future posts, but first I need to prepare the way with this post, so that I’ll be referring to it instead of repeating myself each time. The purpose here is not to examine a particular passage in great detail; that would require a separate post for each. Here I’m showing you that context is what determines the meaning of the word all and world. The mistake Non-Calvinists make is assuming that all and world ALWAYS mean “everyone without exception” when the context says otherwise.

Let’s start with Genesis 6:12-13 and I’ll be quoting from the NKJV unless stated otherwise.

“So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

“All flesh” had corrupted themselves — Does this include Noah and those with him? When God said, “the earth is filled with violence through THEM” did He have Noah and or his family in mind? You might say, “Duh! It’s obvious that ‘all flesh’ and ‘them’ are referring to the ungodly, and certainly not Noah and his family.” This line of thinking is subjective and can lead to inconsistencies. What is obvious to one person might not be obvious to another. Take John 3:16 for example,

“For God so loved the world (κόσμος) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Does “the world” here include the fallen angels? If you say no, that’s because you’re not a Universalist, and also because you read elsewhere that Satan and his angels can’t and won’t be saved. So you see, your knowledge of the Bible (as a whole) helps you to understand the passage, and the context determines the meaning. Otherwise Satan and his angels are included in this Kosmos (κόσμος) according to Acts 17:24 and 1 Corinthians 6:2, and many other passages to say that fallen angels can be saved! Not obvious to you but very obvious to a Universalist.

“God, who made the world (κόσμος) and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)

Acts 17:24 says that God made the world and everything in it. Does this include the creation of angels? The answer is ‘yes’ according to 1 Corinthians 6:2,

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world (κόσμος)? And if the world (κόσμος) will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?”

This is the reason why we can’t just say “It’s obvious. It’s common sense that it can’t be referring to Noah and his family or the fallen angels.” Subjectivity isn’t the way to do theology because subjectivity leads to inconsistencies. We must get the meaning from the context and the Bible as a whole, comparing scripture with Scripture (aka the Analogy of Faith). And according to Hebrews 2:16,

“…He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”

We learn two things:

1. Christ didn’t come for the angels.

2. Nor the seed of Adam but the seed of Abraham (crucial distinction).

Killing two birds with one stone here. This is why Calvinists interpret Hebrews 2:9 through the lens of v.13 and v.16! It’s the Non-Calvinists that are ignoring the immediate context and the Bible as a whole.

Christ died for “everyone without exception” is something Non-Calvinists read into the text. Scripture states that Christ’s atonement is for: many, all, world etc… but never “for everyone without exception” or “every single individual.” Calvinists seek to be faithful to the text by not going beyond what’s written. This is why we, Calvinists, go to the Scripture to get our understanding of what these: many, all and world mean in its context. For example, you might read Psalms 8:8,

“You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,”

and say that “all things” under his feet has no exception. All means ALL, including God himself, right? Not according to Paul!

For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. (1 Corinthians 15:27)

Here’s the NLT for clarity:

For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)

But isn’t it obvious that God himself is excepted? Like I said earlier, what is obvious to you might not be obvious to me and vice-versa. God doesn’t want us to handle His words with carelessness and unbiblical assumptions but with precision. Here in 1 Corinthians 15:27 God is setting an example of how to carefully handle His words!

A lot more can be said and examples to be shown in future posts. For now, it’s enough to say that Calvinists didn’t get their understanding of Limited Atonement from John Calvin but the very word of God. Consistency demands that we get our understanding of “many, all” and “world” from the Scripture itself. Otherwise we’re just picking and choosing what a word means whenever it suits us.

see also: https://soteriology.substack.com/t/atonement