14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;
then all died;
If Christ died for all, then people do not go to hell because of their sin; they go into a Christless eternity because they do not believe in the One who died for their sin/s. They do not receive the benefit of His dying for them because they rejected Him.
Christ died for everyone; they should have died, but He died in their place. He took their penalty (Eph. 5:2; 1 Thess. 5:9–10; 1 Tim. 2:5–6; Titus 2:14; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). Everyone is liable to spiritual and eternal death because all sinned. Eternal death is the penalty for sin and sinning. However, “all died” when Christ died the death that everyone else should have died. He bore their penalty. He took their death upon Himself.
This is spiritual death; Christians died to their sin/s when Christ made His sacrifice for them.
PRINCIPLE:
Christ took our hell that we might have His heaven.
APPLICATION:
The substitutionary death of Christ for sins is at the foundation of Christian belief. God must judge sin if He maintains His integrity. If God is not consistent with His absolute character, then He would violate His nature. Christ’s death fully satisfied His justice and righteousness. “All were dead” to sin in Christ. People do not go to hell because they sin; they go because they reject God’s method of paying for sin (1 Ti 4:10). We can say that the atoning death of Christ is sufficient for all people but efficient for all true believers.
