The small plane circles and the skywriter closes his loop of smoke. Under a cloudless sky, tens of thousands of people look up and see the forming of a massive smiley face against a blue infinity. Now the skywriter begins his text message. Skillfully he writes. Children look on and wonder if he can finish his last word before the wind scatters the first word. The smiley face is already a wind?blown oval. He races. They watch curiously from the ground. And now the message is out. “Christ died for you!”sprawls across the sky. People point and the children marvel. But is it really true? Can we tell a hundred thousand people of all walks of life and viewpoints that Jesus died for their sins and know that we speak the truth?
Some well?known theologians don’t believe that Jesus died for all. And the message has gained ground in recent times. “After all,” they say, “He only died for the chosen, the elect. Why would Jesus die for everyone? Why die for people who won’t even believe in Him?”
So to a failing culture with a weakening church comes an idea marching called “limited atonement.”
Make no mistake about it. If Jesus didn’t die for all, then Christmas will never be the same. If I can’t tell a drunk, any drunk, “God loves you,” then the gospel is no longer good news. If Jesus didn’t die for all can you imagine Judgment Day? People might angrily shake a fist at God and say, “I’m going to Hell because you paid the sin of others, but not mine.” So much for mercy.
What is the Basis?
Any idea about God should be examined carefully. What is its basis? The degree of fame a speaker (or author) has is not the measure of the validity of his message. The number of people who believe an idea doesn’t make the idea correct. In fact, the majority is usually wrong, historically. Age is not a good measure of truth. Old ideas can be wrong too. So can denominations. God didn’t reference them when he wrote the Bible. Our current culture, including church culture, seems to sway so quickly towards what is hip. But what if hip is ungodly? When ideas about God are presented, look past the speaker; look for the basis. And the greatest basis is scripture.
What Does the Bible Say?
The atoning sacrifice of Christ was not limited. Following are a few verses showing the unrestricted nature of Christ’s sacrifice. Some underlines are provided for clarity.
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” ? John 1:29
“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.” ? John 3:16
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” ? John 3:17
“…now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” ? John 4:42
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” ? II Corinthians 5:19
Jesus Didn’t Die only for the Chosen
Jesus died for the lost: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” ? Luke 19:10
He died for all: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” ? I Timothy 2:5, 6
“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” ? II Corinthians 5:14, 15
He died for the ungodly:
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” ? Romans 5:6
He died for every man: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” ? Hebrews 2:9
He died for all men: “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” ? I Timothy 4:10
What about Matthew 20:28?
Matthew 20:28 says, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Christ absolutely died for many people. This does not make the statement that He died for all people untrue. A father might say, “I love my sons.” This statement would not be understood to mean that he doesn’t love his daughters also.
Despite the popularity of some popular authors and hip speakers, the truth hasn’t changed. Jesus died for everybody, including you. No matter who you are, or what you’ve done, you can have everlasting life because it has already been purchased for you. The best news in the world is still in the Bible. If never before, won’t you believe Christ for your eternal life right now? That would be cooler than skywriting.
– Freddie Coile
President of Focus Evangelistic Ministries
This article is published here to be copied and used for ministry. It is not to be edited in any form. No further permission is needed to use this article unedited, and properly referenced.