Council of Nicaea I on Extent of the atonement
325 · ECUMENICAL COUNCIL · DOCUMENT, NOT A PERSON
READ IN A PRIMARY SOURCEQUESTION NOT FRAMED°
Never framed in these terms
"Who for us men and for our salvation came down and was incarnate and was made man."
THE POSITION
The creed states the purpose of the incarnation without any restriction or universalization of its scope. The question of for whom Christ died is simply not posed, and the 381 revision repeats the phrase unchanged.
3 OTHERS HOLD THIS
Definite — for the elect, effectuallyVODDIE BAUCHAM · JONATHAN EDWARDS · SECOND LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION · JOHN MACARTHUR · JOHN OWEN · JOHN PIPER · R.C. SPROUL · WESTMINSTER CONFESSION · GEORGE WHITEFIELD
Universal — for all, applied on faithJACOBUS ARMINIUS · ATHANASIUS · CHRYSOSTOM · CHARLES GRANDISON FINNEY · BILLY GRAHAM · LUTHER · PHILIP MELANCHTHON · WESLEY
Sufficient for all, efficient for the electAQUINAS · CALVIN · JOHN DUNS SCOTUS · CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON
See all 29 figures on extent of the atonement →ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Settled that the Son is homoousios — of one substance — with the Father, against Arius. Also fixed a common date for Easter and issued 20 disciplinary canons.
7 OF 7 POSITIONS QUOTED
Everything Nicaea I holds →Cite this page
"Council of Nicaea I on Extent of the atonement", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/nicaea-1/atonement-extent (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/nicaea-1/atonement-extent).