Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 emphasis added). Paul further described Jesus’ death on the cross by saying that He “…gave Himself a ransom for all…” (1 Timothy 2:6 emphasis added). Did Jesus die for “many” or “all”? The answer is “yes”! The words “many” and “all” are not contradictory terms in these two verses.

 

“Many” is a subset of “all”. These two words in Matthew 20:28 and 1 Timothy 2:6 simply speak of the two different sides of a Christian’s salvation experience – one before conversion, the other afterward. “All” tells of how every sinner can be saved if he or she will trust in Jesus. However, “many”, not all, describes those who will actually come to Christ by faith. “All” people are invited, “many” actually come.

 

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 emphasis added). The words “worldand “whoever” includes all people. That is why the Bible says, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13 emphasis added). Anyone can be saved if they turn to Christ.

 

God’s offer of salvation is not limited to just some people, it is available to all lost sinners. To see this, notice the context of 1 Timothy 2:6. Two verses earlier, Paul writes that God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4 emphasis added). But not all men will be saved because not all men will receive Jesus as their Savior. However, many will trust in Christ.

 

Those who receive Jesus by faith are a part of the “many” the Lord spoke of in Matthew 20:28. That is what the Bible says: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John NKJV 1:12).

 

God loves all people. His salvation is available to everyone, that includes you. If you have not already, please receive Christ by faith and become a part of the many who have trusted Jesus as their personal Savior.

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