Is atonement limited only to the elect? Is the grace resistable?

Today, our longsuffering God is still not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). Is atonement limited only to the elect? Is the grace resistable? 

We reveal a fundamental theological tension between Calvinist and Pentecostal-Arminian frameworks on atonement and grace.

On Limited Atonement

Limited atonement holds that Christ did not die for all sinners, but only the elect (those chosen for salvation)[1]. However, the scriptural evidence strongly contradicts this doctrine. Paul declares that Christ “died for all” and “died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him”[2], and John affirms that Christ “is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world”[2]. God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” and Christ “gave himself as a ransom for all”[2].

On God’s Desire vs. God’s Decree

The passage 2 Peter 3:9 proves crucial here. Thomas Schreiner distinguishes between God’s “desired” will and his “decreed” will—God has not ordained that all will be saved since many will perish forever, yet God genuinely desires in one sense that all will be saved, even if he has not ultimately decreed that all will be saved[1]. This distinction allows God’s universal desire for salvation to coexist with particular outcomes.

The Charismatic-Pentecostal View

The Pentecostal perspective fundamentally rejects Calvinism’s framework. Arminians, Wesleyans, Pentecostals and Open theists argue that it is God’s will for all to be saved, understanding salvation synergistically—God always initiates the redemptive relationship which enables the depraved person the ability to respond to or reject God’s grace[3]. Critically, God’s grace is resistible, and when people resist God they grieve the Holy Spirit[3].

For synergists like early Pentecostal leader William Seymour, monergism (Calvinism’s determinism) is incompatible with the overarching biblical portrait of a loving God who sent the Son to save all who call upon his name[3]. The Pentecostal view prioritizes human responsibility and God’s genuine offer of salvation to all, making grace truly resistible rather than irresistible.

[1] Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2009, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2009), 90.
[2] Dave Armstrong, Biblical Catholic Salvation: “Faith Working through Love” (Dave Armstrong, 2010), 112–114.
[3] Kenneth J. Archer, The Gospel Revisited: Towards a Pentecostal Theology of Worship and Witness (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2011), 115–116.