While the Scripture throughout reveal that Christ died for the entire world, it is implied that the world needed dying for, and that death would have to be accomplished by One not tainted by sin Himself. He could not die substitutionally for others if He had sin of His own to contend with. Man, in his spiritual naivety would like to think that Christ died for those who were worthy and deserving of Him. But, human worthiness and deservedness negates the need for a Savior. It is precisely because of our unworthiness and undeservedness that necessitates a Savior. And, unflattering as it is, there exists not one shred of goodness sufficient to merit our being connected with God. In fact, some test God’s limits to the maximum, but they still cannot exhaust God’s love and grace poured out for them in the vicarious death of His Son.
Unreasonable as it is to our human thinking, there is no sin or sins, the greatest and most evil among us, past or present, that is so great God’s love could not overcome and forgive. No one, no matter how vile, is so vile that the grace of God is insufficient to redeem them. To even think that demeans and depreciates the death of Christ. And, yes, this extends to the most notorious of mass murderers that history can identify. And, while these almost certainly died horrible deaths and were separated from God and His salvation, it was, nonetheless, available to them had they only accepted it through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of these moral ingrates are referred to by Peter in his second epistle, chapter 2, whom he identifies as false teachers. Peter said, These teachers secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them. What? How and When did the Lord buy those who deny Him? When He died! When He died, He died for every person, even those who deny Him. He died for those who deny Him today, even as He died for those of whom Peter spoke.
Christ dying for the entirety of humanity makes Him the Savior of the world, not the Savior of certain ones in the world to the exclusion of others. Of course, we humans see no logic or rationale in dying for enemies, or those denying the very One giving up life for them, but that’s what grace is all about. That’s why it’s so amazing. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” including all the unbelievers who deny Him, as referred to by Peter. And, let’s not forget to include one who labeled himself the “chief of sinners”, Saul of Tarsus, whom God saved and used to write one-third of the New Testament. Saul became Paul, the great apostle, who humbly declared, “I am what I am by the grace of God,” and aren’t we all? Christ’s loved and died for even the likes of us. Saul of Tarsus… amazing grace indeed. Christ’s love saves the very worst among us.
CC 10-18
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