Jesus Died for All?

As usual, this morning I was doing my daily routine. I usually scroll through my favorite blogs to see what others have written, and I scroll through some other interesting sites as well. One thing that I have been noticing for a while is the big uproar with regards to Calvinism within the Southern Baptist Convention. Many have called it a virus plaguing their beloved convention.

As I was reading articles from anti-Calvinists, I came across an interesting statement made by one of the pastors in the convention. “Jesus died for all. No man goes to hell for his sin — people go to hell for unbelief … they have not believed in Jesus Christ.” This pastor went on to say, “Therefore, the atonement covers the sin of every person — but that’s not universalism. We must give them the message, they must believe.” Well, we must get one obstacle out of the way first and that is “people go to hell for unbelief.” First, it is implied that unbelief is not a sin. However, unbelief is considered a sin because it is against the command of the Gospel to “repent and believe” (1 John 3:23; Mark 1:15). The Scriptures testify that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), so then if they die in their unbelief, their reward is eternal death.

His conclusion is that Jesus died for each individual dead, alive, yet to be born, and has atone for their sins. If Jesus died for each individual then all would be saved. This would be the natural outcome of such belief. On the other hand there is a contradiction in his belief system. One the one he is teaching universalism and on the other he is teaching the ineffectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Both of which are not orthodox teachings. So then, Christ lied on the cross when He said that “It is finished” (John 19:30)? To have the audacity to say that Christ died for those who went to hell is just plain blasphemous.

Did Christ die for each individual person known and unknown? No, He died for the elect. Paul states, “Husbands love your wives, just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Orthodox teaching is that the cross was efficient for the elect alone. The fluff and puff that this pastor endorses is a message of unorthodox proportions. How does this pastor get away with saying, “No man goes to hell for his sin” without any repercussions is beyond me. Such a person should not be allowed to teach the sheepfold of God.

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