 Did Jesus die for everyone, or did He just die for those who would believe, or just those who are the elect? An interesting discussion about Jesus' death can be shaped depending upon our theology. What I mean by that is this, depending upon where you're coming from, it may shape or color how you view Jesus' death. For example, if you are Calvinist, or if you are a Reformed believer, then you are likely to believe that Jesus died only for those who were elected. Or if you are a Median or a different persuasion, other than Reformed or Calvinist, then you are likely to believe that Jesus' death was for everyone and it makes it possible for those who want to believe to be safe. I think it's very important that you would divorce yourself as best you can from your theological system, and this is where I think you ought to just refer to your hermeneutics. Now, my particular hermeneutics would cause me to believe that Jesus' death was available or that He died for everyone. Now, I think everyone believes that it's effective. His death is only effective for those who believe. His death is not effective for those who don't believe. But does that mean that a payment for their sin was not made on their behalf? I think that the scriptures say that He did die for everyone, a payment for their debt that's owed to God, I think was made for everyone. It's just the faith that is required that would cause them to actually become believers, to be baptized in the Spirit. I think that's the only thing that's missing. Now, we can discuss how the people get that faith. That will be a discussion for another time as to whether it's on their own will or God causes it. We've covered that in the past, but in this discussion, we just want to look at was His death, His shedding of blood, was that for the entire world or did He shed blood just for some? Now, for those in the camp that believe that He only died for just certain people, one of the passages they may refer to is Matthew chapter 1 verse 21, let's look at it. He says, so speaking about Mary, she will bear a son and you shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. And so you can take it that His death or Him who He will save will be His people. Problem is, though, He's not speaking or she's not taking this and the audience would not be taking this coming from Matthew that His people will be anyone other than Israel. Well, we know it's more than just Israel. More than Israel is who heaven has in mind in terms of His people. And so the issue is, does His passage speak about His death? Not that who He will save. We understand that He is only going to save His people. The people that are saved are going to be His people. But again, did He die? Did He shed blood for everyone? John 10 also may cause some people to believe that He's only going to die for certain people. In John 10, 11, He says that I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. And then we've dropped down to verse 15. He says, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep. Obviously, we know that He's speaking of just those who actually are His sheep. But does He die for everyone? And does this negate the possibility of Him dying for everyone but only being effective for those who are sheep? I don't think so. Let me tell you why. In 1 John 2, 2, and this is one of the passages that people point to that say that no, He died for the entire world. I'm going to make two points off of this and build and then you see if you can see where I'm coming from. He says that John says in chapter 2, verse 2 of 1 John says, He, that is Jesus, is the propitiation of our sins. Now, we know who the hour is. He's speaking of believers because He just said, my little children. So clearly He's speaking about Christians. And so He's saying that Jesus is the propitiation or the payment of the sin debt, the elasma for our sins. That is Christians and not only ours only but also the sins of the whole world. Now, here's the issue. If He's saying that He died to pay the sin debt for us, He made propitiation for our sins. Who's the hour? Christian. But He says not only us Christians also for the sins of the whole world. Well, who's the whole world? It can't be anyone other than non-Christians. It can't be that He paid the debt for our sins and He also paid the debt for other Christians. Well, how do we see that He's dividing the two up? Our sins, all of verse John 2 that He's speaking of is for all believers. He died. He paid this debt for all believers and not only that, He paid the debt for non-believers as well. And this word I want to camp on going back to it is this word, propitiation. Well, where do we get this word and this idea of propitiation from? We get that from the Old Testament, specifically from Leviticus going forward. Remember, Jesus is going to play three roles that the Old Covenant Law requires, that the Atonement requires. That is the High Priest, that is the scapegoat. And then more importantly, as regard to this, He is going to be the propitiation. He's going to play the part of the sacrificial offering. It is the blood of the offering on the altar that we'll see in just a second in Leviticus 16. That's what pays the debt. Now, here's the question and we'll talk about it in a second. But the debt that was paid, the blood that was shed upon the altar, did that mean that all of Israel was saved at that moment? In other words, it's every single Jew at that time where their sins atoned for? Well, the answer is no. We'll come back to that in a second, but let's just go ahead and go to Leviticus 16. In Leviticus 16-15, let's start there. He says, then He shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and to do with its blood as He did for the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus He shall make atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel and because of their transgression, all their sins. So now, what I want to make it clear, when Atonement is being made for the people, it says for all of their sins, for all of their transgression, He is making a payment for all of their sins, however, for every Jew did not have their sins atoned for even though the possibility was made for them. Why? Because in order to have your sins atoned for, one, you had to believe you had to trust that God, when He accepted it, you had to trust in that as well, but also you had to make yourself ready as well. There were some things that the people had to go through before this as well. So just because the offer was made, payment was made possible for all of Israel, does not mean that all of Israel did adhere to it. Remember, we're speaking about some wayward people, just like us. We're speaking about wayward people then. And so it's pretty clear that all of Israel, though that Atonement was made for them on the day of Atonement, did not effectively atone for them. And had they died at that moment, anyone that died in that moment, in that state, in a state where their sins were not atoned for, though Atonement had been made for them, they were not redeemed. They were not saved. They did not bypass the penalty of death. They will wait for utter destruction to come. Now, I also want to look at chapter 17 verse 11. Here it says that for the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it on the altar to make Atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes Atonement by the life. Look what he says. For your souls. Whose souls is he speaking of? He's speaking of all of Israel's soul. But we know for a fact that all of Israel will not be redeemed. All of Israel will not be atoned for. Why am I making that a point? Because if the exact same thing is happening now, as we fast forward, rather than inferior elements and inferior high priests and inferior scapegoat and inferior blood, Jesus is paying his blood. He's doing the exact same thing. And with the exact same effects, the only difference is though, we know that everyone is not going to believe, but does that negate what the blood does? The blood is not what saves us. The blood makes payment for the debt, but it is the faith in the blood. Absent faith in the blood, then no one is saved. Now, we're not saved because Jesus shed his blood. No. Now hear what I'm saying. We're not saved because Jesus shed his blood. We're saved because we have faith that Jesus shed his blood. Well, so that's the issue that we ought to focus on. Not did he die for the word. He absolutely died for the entire world, again, according to what he says in 1 John 2. Some will point to Romans 10. Let's see what it says. For the scripture says that everyone who believes in him will not be put to death. And the word that's used here, we've come as before, is the pasapist one. So the believing ones in him will not be put to shame. However, it's not necessarily speaking of his blood. Again, the blood has to be a given. And then if you believe in what he's done, believing in him, that he shed the blood. So again, the blood is the first portion of it. It's the faith in the blood that caused us to be saved. Hebrews 2 9 says this, But we see him for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. So that the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone, for all. Now, could someone come back and say he only tastes the death for who? Each of the believers? Well, that's not what it says. It just says for all. Now, we can speculate, but to do so, we would have to read our theology into the passage. In 2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15, it says for the love of Christ controls us or compels us because we have concluded this, that one has died for all. Now, I want to pay attention to this word, all. And let's see if we remain consistent in interpreting this. For one has died for all. The word is Ponton. Therefore, all, same word Pontes, have died. And he died for all, Ponto, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him, for their sakes, died and was raised. Now, the question is, who is the all that he's speaking of? Well, it can't be the all is just the believers. Why do I say that? If the all is just for the believers, let's spread that evenly and consistently across just this passage. So we read it this way. For the love of Christ compels, controls us because we have concluded this, that one died for just the believers. That's what the all means here. Therefore, just the believers have died. Are we saying that just the believers are the ones who have died? And says, and he died for just the believers, that those who live might no longer. Well, here's the problem right there. If we're speaking of just the believers, well, then verse 15 doesn't really make sense. If he died for just the believers, verse 15, that those who live might no longer live for themselves. It seems to be a contrast or comparison between all the people that were died, that he died for and then those who live and believe. So that those who live no longer for themselves, he's making the contrast between all of those who died, who no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sakes died and was raised. And so there seems to be a contrast between all of the people who died and then those who also died and also no longer live for themselves. That seems to be indication. And then he makes a sincere plea. The Lord does in Revelation 22 17 says, let them the bride say come. That's Jesus and us say come. Let us and let the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires to take the water of life without price. In other words, let the one who wants to receive this living water without having to pay for it. Why? Going back to it again. The dead has already been paid, which is why we keep seeing this word pop up. We see it in Romans and other places. This word propitiation. Jesus Christ with the propitiation for all of mankind. All of us had our debt paid. And if we would only believe now, the issue is now will everyone believe? Well, obviously not everyone will believe. And so because they don't believe. Well, then the payment that was made, the effective payment that was made won't benefit them. Not because it wasn't paid for them, but they didn't accept it. They didn't have faith in it. And so for this reason, I personally believe that he died for all. This belief of limited atonement, which is one of the staples of Calvinists, my reformed brothers who I've been accused of being a Calvinist. And so it's not like that we have a large difference between us. I guess apparently according to most, but I do not agree with the issue of limited atonement. Does it change anything? I don't think so. I really don't think it's even something that ought to be made a big issue and certain shouldn't be an issue that we should fight over, though people are going to fight over. People are going to say, Cory, you're out of your mind. You have no idea. Cory, you're a Calvinist, but you're the worst kind of Calvinist because you don't believe in limited atonement. Fine. Whether you believe it or not, what does that do in terms of the rest of your theology? More than likely nothing. More than likely it doesn't do anything. Jesus died and made payment available because people who go to hell will have this said at the end. You had the opportunity. You had the opportunity and you did not believe. They won't be in hell because they did not have the opportunity. I do believe that they had the opportunity. They had the ability to choose and just simply did not. Now, where I do depart from my Armenian brothers and now they have a group called the provisionist where I depart from them is that God knows that we won't choose him. God knows that but for his grace, I'd be in hell also and the Lord can say you had the opportunity to choose, you didn't but thankfully he chose me. So I do depart and I am in agreement with the Calvinist on this part that there is this thing called election but it is our faith that saves in the blood and the blood was shed for all. He made propitiation for all, not just us only but for the whole world according to John.