One of the most difficult theological challenges for Calvinists is in having to answer the “all men” and “world” arguments frequently raised by non-Calvinists. The term “world” implies a meaning of everyone indiscriminately, as an unbounded or unrestricted term. So, when God says that He “so loved the world” that He gave His only begotten Son to be its Savior (John 3:16), one naturally feels included in that unbounded term for “world.”
The term “world,” as it is found in Scripture, reveals that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) 1st John 2:1-2 speaks of Jesus’ atoning death at Calvary as being a propitiation for the sins of the “whole world.” John 12:47 mentions that Jesus came to “save the world.” 1st Timothy 2:4 says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” while 1st Timothy 2:6 adds that Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all.” For this reason, non-Calvinists contend that Jesus loved and died for the whole world, and naturally desires that all men come to know Him and be saved. Calvinists, however, don’t truly believe this, since they believe that God only intended for an elect class (not everyone), to spend eternity with Him in Heaven, and decreed it so. Thus, to deal with these texts mentioning “all men” and “world,” Calvinists often infer a limitation, so that the texts intend a meaning of all men of the elect or world of the elect.
Sometimes in the Bible, the word “all” is indeed meant to be limited, but only when the context makes it reasonably clear. For instance, Romans 3:23 is an unqualified reference to “all,” since it is indisputable that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. By contrast, Philippians 4:13 is a qualified reference to “all,” since “all things” pertain specifically to godly living, most certainly excluding sin and wickedness. Additional examples of unqualified references are as follows:
Romans 12:17-18: “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Galatians 6:10: “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Titus 3:1-2: “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.”
The unqualified sense is the normal understanding of the term, and hence, should be the default meaning, unless the context reasonably indicates otherwise, and thus the burden of proof rests with those asserting a special qualification.
Often, Calvinists will suggest that if one interprets John 3:16’s reference to “the world” in an unqualified, unrestricted sense, then the result is necessarily Universalism (which is the false teaching that everyone will ultimately be saved). However, Universalism is not what the Bible teaches, nor is it what John 3:16 teaches. The essential point to raise with Calvinists is that whereas the Bible uses the universal terms “all men” and “the whole world” when speaking of the extent of Christ’s atoning death and God’s salvific desire, the Bible conversely never invokes similar comprehensive universalities when speaking of redemption and salvation. That’s the difference, and it’s certainly a point that is lost on the minds of many Calvinists who often erroneously assert the false doctrine of Universalism as a logical necessity for non-Calvinistic theology. In other words, while the Bible speaks of Jesus having died for everyone and God’s desire to “show mercy to all” (Romans 11:32), no apostle ever said that “the whole world will be redeemed” or “all men will be saved.” Of course, all men do have a Savior (1st Timothy 4:10), but that doesn’t mean that all men are saved. One must still believe in Jesus in order to receive His promise of eternal life. (John 3:16) That’s where the restriction comes in.
So it’s worthwhile to ask Calvinists: Why do you suppose that the Bible uses universal expressions to describe the extent of Christ’s atoning death at Calvary and the extent of God’s salvific love for the world, while yet refraining from using the same universal terms to describe redemption and salvation?
The other issue is this: Calvinists tend to manipulate the meaning of the term “world” at various portions in Scripture. Consider two verses:
John 17:9: “‘I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours.’”
John 17:21: “‘That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.’”
Do Calvinists believe that the term “the world” means the same thing at John 17:9 and John 17:21, or do Calvinists believe that two different types of worlds are in focus? Calvinists often point to John 17:9 as proof that Jesus does not pray for the world, but if we keep reading, John 17:21 concludes Jesus’ prayer with the message that through the disciple’s message, the world may believe. In 5-Point Calvinism, though, Jesus (according to Calvinism) excludes most of the world from His atonement at Calvary, and if that was true, for what purpose would He still want the excluded ones to believe in Him? It makes much more sense to believe that none are excluded, and His desire that everyone come to know Him is real and genuine.
[This post has been excerpted with permission from Richard Coords, Calvinism Answered Verse by Verse and Subject by Subject, © 2024.]
