Universal redemption
Christ died for all alike
The problem it faces
Scripture repeatedly says Christ died for 'all' and for 'the world,' and a gospel freely offered to everyone seems to require that he actually died for everyone — otherwise the universal call rings hollow.
The move it makes
It affirms a general ransom: Christ's death is a universal provision for all people, its saving benefit becoming effective on the condition of faith. (The milder 'hypothetical universalist' variant says the death is sufficient for all but efficient only for the elect.)
The new problem it opens
If Christ actually bore the full penalty for everyone, then either all must be saved or God punishes the same sin twice in those who still perish — the exact vulnerability Death of Death was written to exploit.
Where this sits
Downstream
- Death of Death in the Death of Christ written to refute