Did Jesus Really Die For the Sins of the World?

There is a huge dichotomy between the ardent Calvinist, who believes on the concept of Limited Atonement as developed by John Calvin, a French theologian who lived from 1509-1564 and the Arminian who believes on the contrast –unlimited atonement as developed by the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminian who lived from 1560-1609. The Calvinists believes that the redemption plan of God the Father in sending His only begotten Son is solely limited to the elect. In other words, Christ died for the elect only and not for everyone. This belief then suggests that Christ’s atonement is not universal but definite and limited.

Contrarily the Arminians takes on a different approach about the redemptive work of Christ. They believe that Christ death was for everyone. His death was not in anywise limited but unlimited. Hence the term “unlimited atonement” was coined out to represent this view which suggests that Christ’s atonement is universal.

Irrespective of the standpoint of John Calvin and Jacobus Arminian, an important question that must be addressed is: did Jesus really die for the sin of the world? Before I attempt to give an answer to this controversial question, it is imperative to make certain things clear about the use of the word -elect.

Who are the elect of God? Simply put the elect of God are the ones chosen by God unto salvation. However, we must understand that the use of the phrase “chosen by God or predestined by God” could also imply accepted by God. This then is a pointer to the fact that there is a condition that must be met before God can accept anyone as His elect. It is an election because of God’s attribute of omniscience. He declares the end from the beginning. It should be borne in heart that God cannot be caught up in a quagmire of contingencies. He knew it all and there is nothing new that is strange to the Most High. See Isaiah 46:9-10;

9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure…

It is without doubt that God knew what would become of man. He knew that Adam will fall and all his progenies will fall along with him. So God being a just God had already made provision for the redemption of man before the foundation or creation of the cosmos. Now God’s redemptive plan is something that should be accepted by anyone who wants to be saved. This then implies that the sinner would have to accept God’s provision in order to be forgiven. Once God’s provisioned redemption strategy has been accepted and adopted by anyone, that person automatically becomes an “elect of God”. It is important to note that on the part of man it is an election or predestination, but on God’s part it is foreknowledge. See the words of Peter in 1 Peter 1:2;

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ…

Apparently God is not holding anyone back from accepting His provision. Anyone who simply accepts God’s provision becomes an elect according to God’s foreknowledge. Speaking of the condition that leads one into becoming an elect of God, we can see from the scriptures above that those that will be accepted or elected by God must be sanctified through the “Spirit”, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. An unsanctified person can never become an elect of God. So the sole condition is to simply accept Christ.

A major reason why God sent Christ is so that He can give life to as many that will believe in Him. The Spirit of God is life and this life is immeasurably domiciled in Christ just as it is in God the Father. John 5:25;

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.

So any one that believes in Christ becomes sanctified through the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, which is meant to cleanse and purge the sinner from his old ways. This is the key to becoming an elect of God according to the foreknowledge of God. The point here is that the process of election is conditional. The sinner has to respond to God’s provision for his redemption by believing in Christ so that he can be accepted or elected according to the foreknowledge of God.

The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus is mandatory since there can be no remission of sin without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). It is important to state here that the death of Christ on the cross was an actualization of what has already been done before the foundation of the world.

Another important fact that we shouldn’t lose sight of is the fact that the elect of God are sons of God. They are sons of God because they have received and believed in Christ. See John 1:12-13;

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

It is apparent from the scriptures above that the only means for attaining God’s sonship is to simply receive Christ or believe in His name. Notice that the use of the phrase “as many as” could also imply “anyone” which indicates that there are no restriction given by God to hinder anyone from becoming His son. Hence since the elect of God are the sons of God, it then follows that anyone can become an elect of God without restrictions. Verse 13 of the scriptures above states that the recreation of those who accepts Christ into becoming sons of God or God’s elect is solely due to the will of God. In other words God does not desire that anyone should perish, but wills that as many as possible should become His sons. So there are no restrictions.

John 3:16;

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Apparently the elect of God are those who have accepted Christ and have been sealed by the Spirit of Christ. Now the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in those who have accepted Christ will serve as their guide. Leading and directing them. As a matter of fact the proof for being a son and an elect of God is in this act of being led by the Spirit of God. Here are Apostle Paul’s words as found in Romans 8:14;

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

It is crystal from the foregoing that one of the major reasons why Christ had to lay down His life is so that we can have life and have it in abundance. This is because the first Adam lost this very life in the Garden of Eden when he fell to the deceit of the serpent. Consequently all his progenies were also without life in them. The life we are speaking of is not the breadth of man but the Spirit of God which is the seal of man’s sonship unto God. Anyone without this life is not God’s own and definitely not an elect of God. Christ being the last Adam came as quickening Spirit to quicken as many as possible that will believe in Him. The result of this quickening process is that it gives one the privilege to become God’s elect. See 1 Corinthians 15:45;

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

So we have an inkling of the “very sin” of the first man. The very sin of the first man is not just due to his disobedience in taking out of the forbidden tree, but due to the result obtained from eating out of the tree. In other words it was disobedience that expedited the very sin of the first man. The scriptures made it known that after the Adam and Eve ate out of the forbidden tree, their eyes were opened. Genesis 3:7;

And the eyes of them both were opened…

The opening of the eyes which Adam and Eve experienced was a translation from the marvelous light of God into darkness. It was a translation or a cutting off from the life of God. See the words of Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23;

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…

The phrase “the glory of God” as used in the scripture above is the life of God. In other words man is found wanting of the life of God which is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the spirit of man. So the very sin of the first man is in his departure from the life of God. Now because the father (Adam) has been cut off from the life of God, then his unborn children which were still in his loins will also be cut off from the life of God.

Due to His foreknowledge, God had already prepared a Lamb before the foundation of the world that will take away the very sin of man. See 1 Peter 18:20;

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you…

In verse 20 of the scriptures above we can see that Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world and was made manifest when He came in the flesh according to the seed of David. This readily explains why John the Baptist exclaimed that (John 1:29);

…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

The writer of the book of Hebrews puts it as (Hebrews 9:26);

…but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Recall that the “very sin” is the cutting off of the life of God from spirit of man. Man can never have a relationship with the true God without this life in his spirit. This life was described in the book of John as the light of men. In other words it is this life that guides a man into doing the things of God. See John 1:4;

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

So there is the need for a restoration of the life of God back into the spirit of man. Consequently the death of Christ signifies the result of the very sin of man as it serves as an insignia for his cutting away from the life of God. While the resurrection of Christ signifies the restoration of the life of God back into the spirit of anyone who would confess, believe and proclaim his name. In describing the nature of His death Christ told His disciples the following as found in John 12:24;

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The “corn of wheat” in the scripture above is symbolic to the body of Christ. Just as the corn will have to fall into the ground and die, Christ will have to die and then buried, otherwise the life which is in Him will be resident in Him only. So Christ must die so that just as the corn grows and “bringeth forth much fruit”, Christ will resurrect from the dead and also give life to as many that believes in Him. It should be noted that the dying of the corn implies the bearing of the sin of the world in the body of Christ. Consequently upon His resurrection, Christ came up from the dead with a sinless body which signifies our restoration back to God. Romans 6:10;

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

It is without doubts that Jesus lived a sinless life. See Hebrews 4:15;

…but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

So just like a lamb without blemish, the body of Christ was immaculate. A body which can bare the penalty of the “very sin” which made the first man and all his progenies to be cut off from the life of God. In paying this penalty of the very sin of the first man, Christ automatically paid for the entire human race. See Isaiah 53:12;

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Back to our question: did Jesus really die for the sin of the entire world? The answer to this question is NO. Christ did not die for the sins of humanity neither did He died for the sins that the world is still committing but did died for the sake of the “very sin” that made the first man and all his progenies to be cut off from the life of God so that he that believes in Him and look up unto Him might have life and have it abundantly. This explains why the death of Christ was meant for all humanity including the first man because the cause of the sinful nature of man is as a result of the very sin of the first man. So when Christ died and was amidst the dead, He also preached to them about the liberty which they now have in Him. All that they (the dead) just have to do is to believe in Him. See 1 Peter 4:19;

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

There are no contradictions in the scriptures. Read the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 49:7;

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him…

Ezekiel was much more explicit in Ezekiel 18:20;

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Everyone will be held responsible for their deeds. However the grace to live a holy and righteous life has been restored back to man in Christ. So it is crystal from the foregoing that Christ did not die for a select set of people according to John Calvin neither did he die for the sins of the world according to Jacobus Arminian, but died for the sake of the very sin of the first man, so that by virtue of His death He could pay the penalty of the curse of death which God has placed upon the fruit of the forbidden tree in restoring man back to God. See Colossians 1:12-14;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

 

 

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