Jesus died to save all believers from the wrath of God. This was an overwhelming demonstration of divine favor. God showed His love for those who would believe by sending Christ to die for them:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:6-10)

God demonstrated His love toward “us”—those who be justified by His blood and saved from His wrath. The death of Christ was for all who believe and are saved. Clearly, by his use of first-person plural pronouns (as, we), Paul is referring to all true believers, not the world collectively.

Thus, the extent of the atonement reaches as far as the elect, and no further. [Dr. Charles] Hodge comments, “The apostle’s absolute confidence in the continuance of this love (and therefore in the final perseverance of the saints) is founded on its being free. If He loved us because we loved Him, He would love us only as long as we loved Him, and on that condition.

Then our salvation would depend on the constancy of our treacherous hearts. But since God loved us as sinners, and since Christ died for us who were ungodly, our salvation depends, as the apostle argues, not on our loveliness but on the constancy of the love of God.”

 (Foundations of Grace: A Long Line of Godly Men, 363)

Dr. Steven L. Lawson

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End notes:

[1] Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 201), 405.

See also:

FUTURE DELIVERANCE

BACK TO ETERNITY PAST

RADICAL DEPRAVITY