“The Protestant Reformation brought a particular emphasis
upon Augustine’s doctrine of the grace of God but it appears that all
the early Reformers considered Christ’s sacrifice as bearing a general
aspect and as offered for all mankind so as to establish a ground of
hope for all. This, unquestionably, was Calvin’s view. So also taught
Bullinger, Musculus, Zanchius, and the English Reformers generally. Only
in the works of Tyndale and Ridley do we read of any tendency towards
the more limited and narrower interpretation.
But in the period succeeding that of the early Reformers, when the
effort was made to present theology in a more systematic way, the idea
of a particular redemption became more general amongst Calvinistic
divines. This, indeed, had begun with Beza who was the first of them to
teach the doctrine definitively and to interpret all the general and
extensive phrases employed in the New Testament in this context as
referring either to the elect only, or to the Gentiles as well as the
Jews, or as being used in an indeterminate manner and referring to all
ranks and classes of men.” (Owen Thomas, The Atonement Controversy: In Welsh Theological Literature and Debate, 1707-1841, (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 2002), 123. [first published in 1874. Translated by John Aaron.]
Owen Thomas wrote that Calvin’s view of the atonement was
unquestionable. For the unquestionable nature of Calvin’s view of
Christ’s atonement, see the following article:
http://www.outsidethecamp.org/norefcal.htm
