Christ's Death For All?

June 3rd, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 14:15b Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

One ramification for Christians who flaunt their freedom in front of their weaker brothers in Christ is that it can actually “destroy” (Gr. apollumi) the weaker brother. Contrary to acting in a loving way, these Christians act in a most hateful way. In so doing, they miss an opportunity to minister to one “for whom Christ died.” At least two questions arise from this passage. First, in what sense can a weak Christian be destroyed? Second, for whom did Christ die? All, or some?

In Paul’s epistles, apollumi mostly refers to one’s utter destruction and ultimate ruin (cf. Rom 2:12; 1 Cor. 1:18; 8:11; 10:9, 10; 15:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; 4:3, 9; 2 Thess. 2:10). But since all of the NT writers speak of salvation as that which cannot be lost (cf. John 10; Rom. 8:31-39; Eph. 1:13-14), this cannot be Paul’s point. The strong cannot be responsible for sending the weak into eternal hell by their insensitive behavior. Though the term is a strong word, it can simply refer to ruin. A strong believer can thus bring spiritual grief and self-condemnation to the weak, perhaps leading a weak Christian to depart the church or act against their conscience. Offended parties within the church can become jaded and guilt-ridden by the callous behavior of the strong.

On the other hand, though Paul addresses the “weak” in the Roman church as “brothers,” this term could merely signify one in the church claiming to be saved but who is actually not saved. By being “weak” they fail to comprehend the liberty they have in Christ. So perhaps they fail to grasp God’s grace too? The danger is that without proper knowledge of God’s grace, God’s people are destroyed (cf. Hosea 4:6; 1 Cor. 10:9-10).

Second, for whom did Christ die? The NT clearly teaches that He died for “all.” Note John the Baptist’s words, that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, italics mine). Jesus said of Himself that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16). Paul said, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13) and “God our Savior… desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth… Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:3-6). Peter warned of “false teachers among you who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them…” (2 Pet. 2:1, italics mine). John said, “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world… the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 2:1-2; 4:14, italics mine).

The question is, do these passages simply mean that Christ died for others outside of Israel (all, not just the Jews) or for every single person on the planet who ever lived? If the latter, then does Christ’s death on the cross mean that all are now saved whether they receive Him by faith or not? Or, as some have surmised, does it mean that Jesus only died for those God the Father chose and elected before the foundation of the world (cf. Eph. 1:4-5)? Perhaps Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, though sufficient to save everyone who ever lived, was only efficient enough to save the elect—those who would receive Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Food For Thought
Did Christ die for all or just the elect? I like how Dr. Charles Ryrie asks the question, for it allows the Bible to answer the question clearly: “Did Christ purpose by coming into the world to make provision for the salvation of all people, realizing that the Father would mysteriously draw the elect to Himself and allow others to reject the provision made? Because some reject does not invalidate the provision or mean that the provision was not made for them. If we say that a father provides sufficient food for his family, we do not exclude the possibility that some members of that family may refuse to eat what has been provided. But their refusal does not mean that the provision was made only for those who actually do eat the food. Likewise, the death of Christ provided the payment for the sins of all people—those who accept that payment and those who do not. Refusal to accept does not limit the provision made. Providing and possessing are not the same.”