Really? Then why is the extent of the atonement spoken of so often in restrictive terms?
Isa 53:4-6, 8b
4 Surely he took up
our infirmities
and carried
our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for
our transgressions,
he was crushed for
our iniquities;
the punishment that brought
us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds
we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of
us all....8bFor he was cut
off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of
my people he was stricken...
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify
many,
and he will bear
their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of
many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
NIV
Matt 26:27-29
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with
you in my Father's kingdom."
NIV
Luke 22:19
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
NIV
John 10:14-16
14 "I am the good shepherd; I know
my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life
for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
NIV
Acts 20:28
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the
church of God,
which he bought with his own blood.
NIV
Gal 1:4-5
4 who gave himself for
our sins to rescue
us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
NIV
Eph 5:2
2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved
us and gave himself up for
us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
NIV
Titus 2:14
14 who gave himself for
us to redeem
us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
NIV
1 Peter 2:24
24 He himself bore
our sins in his body on the tree, so that
we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds
you have been healed.
NIV
Rev 5:9
9 And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
NIV
Context, pronouns, words and qualified statements mean something. For example, in Rev 5:9, the text doesn't say that Jesus purchased all men for God. Furthermore, the next clause below qualifies what John meant by "men", i.e. "from every tribe and language and people and nation." Or "many" doesn't equal each and every person in the world, etc.
Also, universal terms are often used in a restrictive sense in scripture. The bible is loaded with such examples which I'll be happy to supply such example in a separate post if anyone doubts this.
Next, as another poster has already pointed out, God would be unjust if he punished Christ for the sins of each and every person in the world, but then turned around and punished all unbelievers anyway! And what manner of doublespeak is this: My Son died for all...but not really!?
Finally, it's patently absurd to posit the idea that Christ died for everyone's sins in a distributive sense even even in the erroneous understanding of God's "foreknowledge". Since God knew in eternity before the foundation of the world who is elect are, why would he send his Son to also die for the non-elect?
Therefore, Christ's atonement is both limited and unlimited! It's limited quantitatively in terms of its scope of people for whom Christ died; yet it's also unlimited qualitatively since Jesus will lose none of his sheep for whom he has laid down his life.