Christ Died For The Elect

Based on what we have learned so far, a fair question would be, “Well, then for whom did Christ die?” It is commonly taught today that Christ died for the sins of every single human being, and it's understandable that we would assume this conclusion if our salvation doctrine is based on free will. However, when we understand the true nature of salvation we see that Christ only took to the cross the sins of the elect. Let's take a look at this.

Christ Died For Many, But Not All

"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28)

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28)

Christ Died For His People

"And she shall bring for a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." (Ephesians 5:25)
(speaking here of the eternal church made up of all the true believers)

Christ Died For His Sheep

"As the Father knowest me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:15)

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10:14)

Christ Prays Only For Those Whom The Father Gave Him

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them." (John 17:9-10)

"Neither I pray for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. (John 17:20)

The Sin Of Rejecting Christ

There are those who will say that perhaps Christ died for everyone's sins except the sin of rejecting Christ, the sin of not believing on Him. Therefore, those who end up in eternal death are a part of that because of one sin. This idea contradicts the Bible which teaches that the unsaved are judged for far more than one sin:
"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:36)

If we believe that Christ went to the cross for every single human being and paid for all of their sins except that of rejecting Christ then we now have a gospel that is based on grace plus works. If the sin of rejecting Christ was not covered by His blood then that means ultimately we are the ones who merit our salvation. We end up being the ones who chose God, which is not Biblical:
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you..." (John 15:16)

First Timothy 2:6
"Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

Here we have a seemingly direct contradiction to Matthew 20:28 which states that Christ gave Himself a ransom for many, but when we read it in light of the rest of Scripture we should read it as "all of the elect," not "all of mankind."

Normally when we use the word "all" we think of it as an all-inclusive kind of word. If we read in a hotel brochure, "All rooms include a microwave," we immediately get the picture that all rooms have a microwave in them. But God doesn't always use it that way and this is why it is so important to let Scripture interpret Scripture. Let's look at this.

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." (Luke 2:1)
Does this mean that the entire world was to be taxed, including Africa and North America, etc? No, it's referring to all of the world that was subject to the taxation, the Roman Empire. The word "all" is conditioned by the context in which it is found.

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." (Acts 2:17)
We know from the rest of the Bible that God does not pour out His Spirit on every last individual in the world. Rather, He pours out His Spirit on those who will believe. The "all" is conditioned by the rest of the Bible which states that those who are elected will believe.

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22)
The first "all" is actually all-inclusive because we know that the effects of sin infect the entire human race. However, the second "all" cannot be all-inclusive because we know that not every single individual becomes saved.

Saved By Grace

Christ Suffered Twice