Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also
ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep
in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (I Cor. 15:1-4).
WELL-MEANT OFFER / UNIVERSAL ATONEMENT ARGUMENT:
One of the arguments of those who contend for the
preaching of the gospel as a “Jesus died for you and for me” message—a message,
they assert, which must be declared to each and every one that outwardly hears
the preacher, whether in the church or on the mission field—is based on the
wording of Paul’s gospel summary in 1 Corinthians 15: “The gospel which I
preached unto you ... that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures” (vv. 1-3).
They argue that the apostolic gospel that was preached
to every unconverted hearer on the mission field was not this: “Christ died the
elect’s sins,” or “Jesus died only for the elect,” but rather this:
“Christ died for OUR sins” (the “our” being interpreted as being
inclusive of everyone who hears outwardly, bar none).
That, they say, must be the way in which we preach the
gospel to the unconverted; and whether or not the particular individuals who
hear that message are elect or not is none of our business—that
being God’s prerogative alone—but as far as we and the preaching are
concerned, the death of Christ must be preached as being for everyone ... because
that is how Paul preached it; that is how he preached it to the formerly
unconverted Corinthians—“Christ died for OUR sins” (i.e., for the sins
that you [the unconverted] and I [Paul] committed)—and it was after they
heard that message, and believed it, that they were then “saved” (v. 2); it was
preached even to those who “believed in vain” (v. 2), i.e., those who were
false converts and who didn’t truly have faith at all ... Christ died for their
sins also!
But is this really a sound argument? It professes to
take Paul’s words literally and seriously ... or does it? ... Is it really
saying that, when we witness to the unconverted about the death of Christ, we
must speak of it as being for “our” benefit (i.e., it was for “us and them”)?
(I)
Prof. David J. Engelsma
With regard to the argument that Christ must be preached as
having died for all men on the basis of I Corinthians 15:1-3, specifically, the
statement that “Christ died for our sins,” the argument fails in that Paul is
speaking to and of the church of confessing believers. Verse 1 addresses the passage to and
identifies the “our” in the phrase “our sins” as “brethren.” The entire epistle is addressed to “the
church of God…to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,” etc. (I Cor. 1:2).
Christ died for the sins of the “brethren” of I Corinthians 15:1. He died for “our” sins—the sins of
Paul and his fellow believers; not for the sins of everybody in Corinth.
And then, as do all the other epistles, the passage in
chapter 15:1-3 addresses the church and its members from the viewpoint of the
members’ confession, without recognizing that some members may be
hypocrites.
The apostle did not proceed on the mission field by
affirming that all of the as-yet unbelieving in his audience were persons for
whose sins Christ had died. Rather, he
humbled them all by exposing their sin. Then he set forth Christ as the sole
savior from sin and called them all to repentance and faith. Only then did he
assure those who believed that Christ died for their sins.
Consider what is implied by the doctrine that Christ died
for the sins of all in Corinth, unbelievers and ungodly as well as penitent
believers. First, the death of Christ
failed to save many for whom that death was rendered up to God—gross blasphemy
against that death and against the Christ who died that death. Second, the saving efficacy of that death
depends upon the condition of faith by those who are saved by that death—the
denial of the graciousness of salvation; this is the denial of the grace of the
gospel of salvation.
(DJE, 25/03/2021)
Other comments/quotes:
William Kelly (1821–1906): [1]
“It is evident that he thus wrote to them after they believed the gospel and
were baptized. Never is language so precise applied to unbelievers” (Words
Written to Christians).
https://bibletruthpublishers.com/words-written-to-christians/william-kelly-wk/christian-truth-volume-11/la52293
[2] “So also, if we appeal to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, we read in
chap. 15 how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Cor.
15:3). Now this is a great truth to lay before an anxious or truly enquiring
soul. But you cannot apply it save in a vague and general manner to an
unbeliever” (Lectures on the Day of Atonement).
https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/kelly/1Oldtest/levit_16.html
John Nelson Darby (1800–1882): “In the passage, however, Paul is
addressing believers as such … bearing sins never extended to those who are
lost.” (Letters of J. N. Darby, vol. 3, p. 272)
https://stempublishing.com/authors/darby/letters/53272E.html
Arthur Wellesley Pridham (1815–1879): “In declaring the reason of
Christ’s death, the apostle expresses himself according to the acknowledged
standing of those to whom he speaks” (Notes and Reflections on the First
Epistle to the Corinthians).
https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/A_Pridham/AP_1Corinthians.html
Frederick William Grant (1834–1902): “These words [‘Christ died for our
sins’] are the language of faith, of believers; and of believers as such only
is it true” (The Atonement, ch. 24, “Redemption and Atonement”).
https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/FW_Grant/FWG_Atonement24.html
Dean Davis (1947–): “1 Corinthians 15 is the classic NT chapter dealing
with the resurrection of the body. In verse 3 of that chapter Paul writes, 'For
I passed on to you first of all what I myself also received, namely, that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.' For whose sins did
Christ die? For 'our' sins—that is, for those of the brethren (vv. 1, 58). That
the apostle has the brethren in mind is further confirmed in verse 22, where he
writes, 'For as in Adam all die, so too in Christ all will be made alive.' Here
Paul introduces the idea of union with Christ, a theme he will later develop in
2 Corinthians 5:16ff and Romans 6:5–11. In God’s sight those for whom Christ
died, died with Christ; and those for whom Christ rose from the dead, have
risen—or will rise—with him: whether to newness of life through the new birth
(Rom. 6:4), or, as here, to the fullness of eternal life through the bodily
resurrection of the righteous. The atonement—and also the resurrection that
vindicates its efficacy—secures union with Christ, both in death (to sin) and
in life (with God). But since both Scripture and experience teach that all are
not united with Christ, we must conclude that the primary (though not the
exclusive) purpose of the atonement was to secure the full redemption of God’s
elect” (In Search of the Golden Strand).
https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/davis/ISGS%20FV%20PDF.pdf
John Gill (1697–1771): “By dying for the sins of his people; this the
apostle represents as the first and principal article of the Christian faith, 'that
Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures' (1 Cor. 15:3) …” (A
Body of Doctrinal Divinity, “Of the Satisfaction of Christ”).
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/gill/doctrinal.vii.v.html
George C. Lubbers (1909–2001): “Such was the gospel which Paul had
received and such was what he had ‘delivered’ to the church at Corinth”
(“Exposition of I Corinthians 15 (1),” The Standard Bearer).
https://sb.rfpa.org/exposition-of-i-corinthians-15-6/
Stanley Bruce Anstey: “As a rule, when Christ’s work on the cross is in
view in the epistles, and the pronouns ‘we,’ ‘us,’ or ‘our’ are used, it is the
substitutionary side of His death that is in view (Isa. 53:5–6; Rom. 4:25; 5:8;
1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 3:5;
Rev. 1:5–6, etc.) Sadly, many evangelical preachers, missionary workers, and
Sunday School teachers, etc., have misunderstood this, and tell their unsaved
audiences that Christ died for their sins, and that He has borne their judgment
for them. This misunderstanding largely stems from assuming that those pronouns
in Scripture are referring to the whole human race, which they are not; they
are referring to believers—the Christian company. The epistles were written to
Christians, not to the lost people of this world” (“We Preach Propitiation to
the World, Not Substitution,” The First Epistle of John).
https://clickbible.org/post/1-john-21-11-stanley-bruce-anstey-171530/
Stephen Thomson: “The second is that ‘Christ died for our sins.’ Now I
should immediately qualify that by saying that in these verses Paul is
addressing believers. ‘The just for the unjust’ is perhaps more appropriate to
preach in the Gospel” (“The Authentic Gospel, the Gospel of Christ,” A Study
of Galatians).
https://www.truthfortoday.org.uk/transcripts/T0698
Bob Wilkin (1952–): “It’s my contention that Paul is not here explaining
the saving message he shared with unbelievers. There’s too much Paul doesn’t
say here to make it a statement of his saving message…. If Paul was stating
here the precise way in which we should share our faith, then surely every word
would be important. Yet what we find is that out of 185 words in verses 3–11,
most only cite part of the 40 words in verses 3–4. Why do they leave out over
75% of what Paul said in these verses if these are the precise words we should
use to share the saving message with someone?…. There’s the point. In this
chapter Paul is countering heresy among the believers in Corinth. Verses 1–11
lead into verses 12–58. The good news Paul preached to the believers in Corinth
while among them centered on Jesus’ resurrection” (“Another Look at 1
Corinthians 15:3–11,” Grace in Focus)
https://faithalone.org/grace-in-focus-articles/another-look-at-1-corinthians/
David Yan: “Christ died for the sins of all believers. There were great
sins in the Corinthian church. Christ died for sins that we might be forgiven
and get our lives right” (“Christ Died for Our Sins,” sermon on I Corinthians
15:3).
https://www.emmanuel.org.nz/sermons/christ-died-for-our-sins-1-corinthians-153
Shaftesbury Square Reformed Presbyterian Church: “Note v3 ‘Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures.’ In fulfilment of the prophecies of
the Old Testament, Christ in his death took the sin of all who would ever
believe in him, along with the punishment they deserve'” (“Christ Is Risen!” on
I Corinthians 15:3–8, 12–20).
https://shaftesburysquare.rpc.org/2020/04/1-corinthians-153-8-12-20-christ-is-risen/
Bible Truth Publishers [.com]: “Question: 1 Cor. 15:3, 4. Did the
apostle preach to the Corinthians, while unsaved, that Christ died for their
sins? How are we to use these words? R. M.
Answer: On the contrary it is evident that the apostle thus writes to the
Corinthians, after they believed the gospel and were baptized. Never is
language so precise applied to unbelievers. Those who so preach assume what is
false: namely, that all are saved, but that it after all avails only for such
as believe … We are therefore to use the words of the apostle to the
Corinthians, as he wrote them, when they bore the name of the Lord … It is
wholesome for every soul who confesses Christ…” ("Scripture Queries and
Answers").
https://bibletruthpublishers.com/questions-and-answers-on-scripture-from-the-bible-treasury/bible-treasury/lbd25797
Rexford Semrad: “First Corinthians 15:3, according to Johnson, ‘implies
that Paul had no problem telling everyone that “Christ died for our sins”’
(113). Paul is not speaking to unbelievers in this passage, but rather to the
church for whom Christ died. There is no reason to assume that Paul was here
giving a direct quote of the words he used in preaching the gospel to
unbelievers. The fact that there is not one example in any of the Gospels or
the book of Acts of anyone telling unbelievers that Christ died for them strongly
suggests that this is not the proper interpretation” (A Critical Review of
[Jeffrey Johnson’s] “He Died for Me: Limited Atonement & the Universal
Gospel” [part 3 of 7]).
https://content.cbtseminary.org/a-critical-review-of-he-died-for-me-limited-atonement-the-universal-gospel-part-3-of-7/
Ra McLaughlin: “The only situation in which this would not be
appropriate would be one in which ‘our’ was intended to include the sins of the
audience, and was proclaimed to unbelievers … Nevertheless, 1 Corinthians 15:3
is not a gospel presentation to unbelievers but a gospel presentation to
believers … So, when Paul wrote that Christ died for ‘our’ sins, he wrote from
the perspective of believers to an audience that he treated as consisting of
believers … Moreover, Paul was not quoting words that he had earlier spoken to
the Corinthians before they had come to faith, but Paul simply reminding them
of the content of their belief” (“Christ Died For You,” Third Millennium
Ministries Q&A).
https://thirdmill.org/answers/answer.asp/file/40109?utm
Jeremy Myers: “The gospel Paul defines in 1 Corinthians 15 is a message
for believers to help prepare them for the Judgment Seat of Christ. This
passage is not about the essential elements that must be believed in order to
receive everlasting life. This is not a passage for unbelievers” (“Is the
Gospel Defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4?”).
https://redeeminggod.com/1-corinthians-15-1-4/
Spencer D. Gear (1945–2023): “That only believers are mentioned in 1 Cor
15:3, ‘Christ died for our sins’, is because of the grammar and semantics of
writing a letter to anyone. When the Bible uses ‘our’, ‘us’, and ‘we’ regarding
the atonement, it does this because this is the group of people that a writer
(in this case, Paul) is addressing … In 1 Cor 15:3, the language of ‘Christ
died for our sins’ is using simple etiquette. When I’m writing to my friends
and use ‘our’, I’m referring to them and me exclusively, so ‘our’ is appropriate.
That is what Paul is doing here in 1 Cor 15:3” (“Is This Verse Forced into
Limited Atonement Theology?”).
https://www.truthchallenge.one/blog/2013/12/23/is-this-verse-forced-into-limited-atonement-theology/
Elliot Clark: “The epistles, which provide the best defense of penal
substitution, are not necessarily a representative sample of early Christian
evangelism. They’re letters written to churches or individual Christians and
would more accurately be categorized as discipleship material…. We can’t
automatically appeal to epistolary literature to resolve this tension. Letters
written to believers don’t necessarily represent the content of initial gospel
proclamation…. If we merely tell people (even children) that ‘Jesus died for
your sins,’ it means almost nothing. We can’t simply preach Christ and him
crucified as if the gospel exists in a vacuum” (“Explaining Penal
Substitutionary Atonement in Our Personal Evangelism,” 9Marks).
https://www.9marks.org/article/explaining-penal-substitutionary-atonement-in-our-personal-evangelism/
Samuel Vincent: “1 Corinthians 15:3–5 is routinely treated as a
standalone assurance formula—detached from its context and pressed into service
as a proof-text for later atonement theories. That approach does violence to
both Paul’s argument and the letter as a whole…. When Paul opens chapter 15, he
is not evangelizing outsiders. He is re-grounding baptized believers who are
drifting from the apostolic framework they received” (“1 Corinthians
15:3–5—Putting Paul Back in His Own Letter”).
https://restoringapostolicfaith.com/2025/12/26/1-corinthians-153-5-putting-paul-back-in-his-own-letter/
Michael Doyle: “The fact that you may say to an unbeliever ‘Christ died
for our sins’ (or ‘your sins’) meaning one thing in your mind does not prevent
it from being heard in the common universal sense. Therefore the use of the
phrase remains problematic. I am happy to say, ‘Christ died for sinners just
like you and me’” (“May We Say to the Unconverted, ‘Christ Died for Your
Sins?’”).
https://puritanboard.com/threads/may-we-say-to-the-unconverted-christ-died-for-your-sins.44611/
Martin Marsh: “No. We can say he died so sinners might be saved.” [Note:
This was his direct answer to the question, “May we say to the unconverted,
‘Christ died for your sins’?” The subsequent discussion expressly applied the
question to Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15:1–3.] (“May We Say to the
Unconverted, ‘Christ Died for Your Sins?’”).
https://puritanboard.com/threads/may-we-say-to-the-unconverted-christ-died-for-your-sins.44611/
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