Did Jesus save everyone? If He did there would be nobody in Hell. But He did come to make salvation available to the whole world. He certainly told his disciples to go and preach the gospel in all the world—right on down to the uttermost parts of the Earth. (All bold are my emphases added. Square brackets [ ] indicate meanings of words. King James Version Easy-Reading Bible (KJVER) used.)
Mark 16:15,16 And He said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature [human]. 16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.
Christ came to Earth to die for the sins of whosoever would call on Him for salvation, that is, upon the power and authority of the name of Jesus. The Apostle Paul, quoting Joel 2:32,
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But God chose who He would save, even before the foundation of the world. And He chose and predestined our salvation according to His own Will.
Ephesians 1:3-12 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: 5 Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; 8 Wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence [insight]; 9 Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself: 10 That in the dispensation [era] of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.
2 Timothy 1:8-10 Be not you therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be you partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
We are called in Christ and we must be firm and hold strongly to the faith knowing that He chose us from the beginning of Creation.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast [firmly], and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle [letter].
He came into the world to find those sinners who he had chosen.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Christ gave His life on that Cross as a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
In the following passage it is clear it is speaking of Christ, but note verse 8 defines who He gave His life for, a particular people, and verse 12 that it was a many but not all humans who ever lived.
Isaiah 53:6-12 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity [sin] of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opens not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. 9 And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief: when you shall make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
Titus 2:14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity [sin, lawlessness], and purify to Himself a peculiar [special] people, zealous of good works.
Christ is depicted as the good shepherd who has a fold of sheep, not of this world, and they follow Him. There are others who are not in His fold.
John 10:14-17 I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep [non-Jewish believers] I have, which are not of this fold [Jewish believers]: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold [all believers], and one shepherd. 17 Therefore does My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.
John 10:26,27 But you believe not, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:
There are some verse that use the word ‘all’ but they all mean ‘all without distinction’; i.e. Jew and Greek (non-Jews, the Gentiles), bond and free etc. There is no distinction among believers; there is no class system.
Hebrews 2:9-17 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 Saying, I will declare your name to My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise to you. 13 And again, I will put my trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God has given Me. 14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver [free] them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but he took on Him the seed [offspring] of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behooved [was best for] Him to be made like to His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
From the latter it is clear that ‘every man’ cannot refer to all humans through all time. It is a finite group of brethren, those children of God which God has given Christ.
Romans 8:28-33 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies.
We are God’s elect, those chosen and predestinated and justified. It is all God, nothing of ourselves. So we are eternally saved and it is a sure thing. Can anything separate us from His Love?
Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are more than conquerors because we may be tried and suffer tribulation in this life, but we will come out the ‘other side’ in heaven with Him. God will save those who believe ‘to the uttermost’, which is forever.
Hebrews 7: 24,25 But this man, because He continues ever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.
Christ will lose none of His children, His elect, given Him of the Father.
John 6:38,39 For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which has sent Me, that of all which He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Jesus is our high priest Who paid for all our sins once and forever.
Hebrews 9:11-15 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Dead works can never save you. But by Christ He redeemed His elect once and forever. He entered into heaven and represents us to in the presence of God. His blood covered our sins and God’s justice is satisfied.
Hebrews 9:24-28 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin to salvation.
He bore the sin of many not all. Not all are saved! In John 17 Jesus several times speaks of those for whom the Father has given Him. Not all Israel, but a spiritual kingdom. It includes believers whether they be Jews or non-Jews.
Romans 9:6-8 Not as though the word of God has taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall your seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Paul describes the history of God choosing Jacob over Esau, because He can, because it is His will. God has mercy on whomever He chooses not the other way round. Man gets no credit, it is all by God’s Will and plan, who He saves.
Romans 9:9-16 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. 10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid [or “No way!”] 15 For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.
God, uses anyone for His Will. The created being has no say in it. Salvation belongs with the Lord, totally. Man does not choose, he is chosen. God shows mercy to those He chooses and hardens those he chooses.
Romans 9:17-19 For the scripture says to Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore has He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardens [makes stubborn]. 19 You will say then to me, Why does He yet find fault? For who has resisted His will?
Are we puny humans able to tell God what He should do? Tell Him who He should save? No way! We are but clay in His hands, and he can make of us whatever He likes. Some are fitted for destruction from their very creation. Some are shown mercy and saved from hell fire, not because of their own righteousness but because God in His wisdom so chooses.
Romans 9:20-28 Nay but, O man, who are you that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? 21 Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor? 22 What if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared to glory, 24 Even us, whom He has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 25 As He says also in Hosea, I will call them My people, which were not My people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. 27 Isaiah also cries concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
Jesus gave his disciples instruction before He departed this world, via His death of the Cross. He instructed them to break bread and drink of the cup (wine). The bread symbolised Christ’s body broken on the Cross and the cup His blood shed for those he died for. Not all but, all those He chose.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: 24 And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. 25 After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do you, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
Christ said to do this in remembrance of His sacrifice. This is true of the sin bearer (Christ) not of sin. His perfect sacrifice paid it all.
Bible Science Forum 