This is the part I don't understand.
I've often heard it said that Jesus died for everyone's sins.
But you say that's wrong? That Jesus died for the sins of his friends and everyone else can make their own arrangements?
Why would you have to believe in Jesus to receive this benefit? What if you live somewhere where they still haven't heard of Jesus? It's a very old question. A form of it even pops up in the lyrics of
Jesus Christ, Superstar:
You'd have managed better if you'd had it planned.
Why'd you choose such a backward time in such a strange land?
If you'd come today you could have reached a whole nation.
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication…
And you've probably come across the 'harrowing of Hell' legend, which says that, having been crucified on Friday, on Saturday Jesus went down to Hell and released all the good people who'd lived before he came, before returning and resurrecting on the Sunday.
None of that would be a problem ─ instead it would all follow automatically ─ if Jesus died for everyone's sins.
Is it your view that all the Jews, whom the bible unequivocally identifies as God's Chosen People, are in Hell because they didn't and don't acknowledge Jesus as their savior?
I don't believe I said that was wrong that Jesus died for everyone's sin. He did. Your next question is all important, however. "Why would you have to believe in Jesus to receive this benefit.?"
Jesus died in a 'Federal' sense. One representing all. There are only two men representing the human race in a Federal manner. Adam and Christ. Because Adam sinned, all born of him are sinners. You didn't get to make the decision on your own. You are born that way because your Federal head, Adam, sinned. If you're born of Adam, you're a sinner.
Enter Jesus Christ the last representative of the human race. He is unstained with Adam's sin via the virgin birth. Because He is not stained with Adam's sin, He can be a sacrifice for others, for sin. And so He was. He paid the penalty for all sin. But, as this is done through and in a Federal sense, to benefit from this this one must be 'in Christ'. Just like you're a sinner due to Adams sin, and in Adam, you're born of Adam. To have Christ's sacrifice applied to you, and righteousness applied to you, you must be born of Christ, and in Christ.
So, all of us who are in Adam, the birthing room is when the woman bears the child. That places us under the Federal headship of Adam. Sinners, just like he was. Nothing you can do can get you out of Adam. You can be a bad person. You can be a good person. You're still in Adam, a sinner and separated from God.
Again, enter Jesus Christ the 'Last Adam'. (1 Cor. 15:22), (1 Cor. 15:45). In the Messianic Psalm, (Psalm 2:7), God says, "I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son;
this day have I begotten thee." What day is God talking about? It is not the virgin birth when Christ was born into this world. It is
the resurrection. (Acts 13:33) "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee."
Thus you have two representatives of the human race. One in sin. One in righteousness. The birthing room of one is the physical birth. The birthing room of the other is the resurrection. A child of Adam is born due to the union of a man and woman. A child of God is born due to faith in the promised Saviour resulting in their being 'born-again'. (1 Peter 1:3) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead."
In other words, it is never just a question of 'did Jesus pay for all sins'. He did. It is a question of who you are in. Adam or Christ?
It doesn't matter if a person is Jew or Gentile. If they have not come by faith to God, then they haven't come and are lost. Today the same is true. Jew or Gentile. If you reject Jesus Christ then you are not saved. You're still in Adam.
Good-Ole-Rebel