Unlimited Atonement: Amyraldism and Reformed Theology

by Michael F. Bird, Scott Harrower

Limited atonement is not the only Reformed model of atonement

"Hypothetical universalism," or "unlimited atonement," states that Christ's death is sufficient for the guilt of all people yet is only effectively applied to those with faith. This tradition, typified by the French Reformer Moïse Amyraut, has continued among Anglicans and Baptists for over four centuries, yet has been underexplored in Reformed systematic theology.

Unlimited Atonement fills a gap in resources on atonement theology that begin with the unlimited love of God. Editors Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower draw on the specialties of each of the ten contributors, addressing themes such as • the biblical and historical sources of the soteriological position known as Amyraldism • distinctive features of Anglican atonement theology • hypothetical universalism, election, and the Baptist theological tradition • other prominent advocates of unlimited atonement • the issues of systematic theology at stake • atonement theology in preaching Unlimited Atonement is the most comprehensive analysis of Amyraldism to date, providing a resource for theology and Bible students and teachers in an esoteric stream of Reformed theology. Bird and Harrower provide a starting point for anyone who wants to understand the sources and merits of Amyraldism.

Genres: Theology

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2023

About the author

Dr. Michael Bird (Ph.D University of Queensland) is Lecturer in Theology at Ridley Melbourne College of Mission and Ministry. He is the author of several books including Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission (2006), The Saving Righteousness of God (2007), A Bird’s-Eye View of Paul (2008), Colossians and Philemon (2009), Crossing Over Sea and Land: Jewish Missionary Activity in the Second Temple Period (2009), and Are You the One Who is to Come? The Historical Jesus and the Messianic Question (2009).

Reviews

[Sarah Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful read that makes an historic and theological case for the position of unlimited atonement. I had no idea how prevalent this idea was in reformed thinking (including Anglican and even Baptist traditions) historically beyond Amyraut.
Several essays were noteworthy, including RT Mullins’s essay. One caveat is that the book isn’t exactly easy to read- the type setting isn’t great and it is a resource designed for a seminary class so not exactly a “popular level” theological resource. But worth reading nonetheless

[Peyton Mansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains much of the history, theology, and implication of hypothetical universalism (aka. four-point Calvinism), all in a fairly small package. However, it may not be the best entrypoint to the conversation.

Hypothetical universalism has been a belief held by multiple traditions since the reformation era — Amyraldian, Anglican, Baptist, and more — and it was fascinating to see the distinctions between them. Interestingly, few of the contributors land in the same niche (some even holing to fewer points of Calvinism), so you definitely get a varied picture of the doctirine.

The contributors do a fair job avoiding redundancy, many choosing to offer their account of hypothetical universalism from the perspective of different figures (Amyraut, Davenant, D. B. Knox, Fuller, etc.), but it's hard to avoid redundancy entirely. For instance, multiple contributors try their hand at answering the double payment objection.

The not-entirely unified perspective, slight redundancy, and overall niche-ness of the book prevent me from giving it five stars. As well, I felt the final chapter contributed very little to the book — a five-page "sermon" which served only to make the point that "Jesus dined with Judas" didn't seem to match the tone and depth of the rest of the book.

But in the final analysis, this book greatly expanded my knowledge and appreciation for a position I had already found myself drifting into. I'd say this book is not a casual introduction to the position, if you're not already familiar with extent debates, but a historical overview and defense. Thus, if this position is also your conviction, then I recommend this book to you as an encouragement to hold fastly to it.

[Jacob DeVries · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting series of essays on various historic and contemporary models of 4-point Calvinism (Amyraldism). Apart from the penultimate essay, all the essays are useful and informative. While I have disagreements with many of the author's conclusions, it is important to understand the various perspectives on these issues within Church history.

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review at Spoiledmilks (10/24/23).

According to editor Scott Harrower, hypothetical universalism means “Christ’s death is ordained by God as sufficient for the sins and guilt of all people, yet [it] is only effectively applied to those who have faith” (15). This view is also known as unlimited atonement (UA) since it begins with the unlimited love of God.

Part One
There are three parts to this book. Part One (chapters 1–5) deals with the position of UA itself. Part Two deals with historical-systematic approaches to one of the worries connected to UA, which is the problem of “double payment.” Part Three covers Amyraldianism and Tradition.

The authors show how UA is very much a Reformed doctrine and ought to be considered and more highly thought of by the Reformed community. Definite/limited atonement is not the only biblical option.

This book covers problem topics like the “double payment” issue, or if and how all people could be forgiven or have their sins atoned for without it leading to their salvation because they themselves don’t express faith.

The chapters show well the logic behind UA and how this strand of theology really can stand on its own legs. However I would like to have seen more work with the biblical text aside from the obvious UA (“all the world”) verses. How would UA fit into biblical theology and make better sense of the Bible’s story and texts than limited atonement? How does UA make sense of the standard texts that are championed for Limited Atonement? This would have really helped make the case. More than anyone, Amy Peeler’s final chapter fits the bill for this, and I wish either more of the chapters would have done this or that there would have been more chapters that did this.

I think there is a lot of evidence for the definite atonement position. However, I don’t agree with the arguments that say that when we read how Jesus died for “all the world,” the Bible really just means he died for all kinds of people in the world, that is, Jews and Gentiles. So a work like this is needed and appreciated. If you are looking for a deep dive into the viability of unlimited atonement, pick up this book!

Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Kregel Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Jon Cheek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a pretty helpful book for understanding various views on Unlimited Atonement. Each chapter is written by a different author, the majority of whom are Anglican. A few key observations:

1. Some believe that Amyraldianism = 4-point Calvinism. The authors in this book point out that Amyraldianism is one of three primary versions of 4-point Calvinism. Amyraldianism specifically refers to a specific ordering of God's decrees of salvation in contrast to the supralapsarian and infralapsarian concepts. Unlimited Atonement was part of Reformed theology well before the time of Amyraut--and well before any had pronounced a Limited Atonement view.

2. Several of the early chapters put a lot of emphasis on dealing with the double jeopardy objection to unlimited atonement. Most of them work to make penal substitution compatible with unlimited atonement. One of the authors proposes rejecting penal substitution for the satisfaction view of atonement. I'm not sure any of their explanations would be satisfactory to Limited Atonement advocates.

3. The book does not interact with Hammett's multiple intention view. I feel like the absence of this view is glaring, given the significant discussion in recent years of this view.

4. Overall, the book successfully demonstrates that Unlimited Atonement has a firm place in reformed theology ever since the 16th century, though, of course, the 5-pointers view this as a weaker form of Calvinism.

[Circulo De · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of scholars discussing Amyraldism. Unfortunately, most of them interpreted the doctrine of Unlimited Atonement under the polemic of Dordtian Calvinism for Limited Atonement.