Have you ever wondered about the work of Christ on the cross and its scope? Did He die for all or just for some? Was His precious blood shed for only those who would believe? Does God only deal with certain individuals and leave others to perish?
Perhaps someone has tried to convince you that the only ones who can be saved are the ones for whom Christ died. In fact, some Christians even say this in their prayers. “Lord, please save those for whom Christ died.” That’s a rather strange prayer, wouldn’t you say?
The apostle Paul spoke emphatically and unequivocally to the people of Athens when he said: God commands “all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
God commands everyone everywhere to repent. Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person on the planet, without exception. Every person? Wouldn’t it be a cruel and taunting message if we were to preach it to everyone but only some of them were chosen by God to enter into the benefits of the glad tidings! Would God really stoop to such trickery and play mind games as a form of despotic pleasure to tempt people with good news and then slam the door shut on them?
When you read John 3:16, do you think there is some small print that God hopes sinners won’t read, a footnote to the “whosoever” in the middle of the verse that limits God’s invite to a select few? What does 1 John 2:2 mean if it doesn’t mean that Christ’s death satisfied God not only for our sins but for the sins of everyone everywhere in the world? Christ was the satisfying sacrifice for the sins of the entire world.
The Word of God makes it clear that God our Savior wants all people to be saved. That’s the desire of His heart (1Tim 2:4). When Christ died He gave Himself a substitutionary ransom on behalf of every single person of the human race – without exception. He paid the price in full for all (1Tim 2:6).
Christ didn’t die for a select few nor does the Spirit of God call a select number to be saved. The invitation is to all and God now commands everyone everywhere to repent. God is not the author of Calvinism – John Calvin and his followers evolved the teaching. Stick to the Word of God and praise Him for the full and free provision of Christ for everyone everywhere.
