Amyraldism: It is the belief that God decreed
Christ's atonement, prior to his decree of election, for all alike if they believe, but he then
elected those whom he will bring to
faith in Christ, seeing that none would believe on their own, and thereby preserving the
Calvinist doctrine of
unconditional election. The efficacy of the atonement remains limited to those who believe.
Let me try to unpack this definition:
1) God chose His Redeemer, His "Lamb of God" before He elected any individual for salvation. This is true. However, when God chose the Second Person of the Trinity to be His Redeemer, He chose corporately those His Redeemer would redeem. (Ephesians 1:4)
2) Christ was chosen to provide the substitutionary sacrifice (as the Lamb of God) for the sin of the world, thus He died for all mankind, rather than the supposedly chosen individuals before creation. 1 John 2:2
3) God did not elect those He would bring to faith, He elects those whose faith He credits as righteousness. Since we are chosen through faith in the truth, we believed before we were chosen, not the other way around.
4) "Seeing that none would believe on their own." Three of the four soils of Matthew 13 were able to believe, in varying degrees, in the gospel. Therefore the assertion that none would believe on their own, is only true in that we have to hear and understand the gospel of Christ in order to believe in the gospel of Christ.
5) Numerous verses including James 2:5, and 2 Thessalonians 2:13 clearly say we are chosen through faith, such as those rich in faith that love God. Unconditional election is refuted by verse after verse.
6) The substitutionary sacrifice of Christ provides the means of salvation from God's wrath for all mankind, but only those whose faith is credited as righteousness and then transferred spiritually into Christ receive the reconciliation provided by His sacrifice. That is why that although Christ died 2000 years ago, we as His ambassadors still beg the lost, be reconciled to God. The reconciliation is available to whoever believes.
