Jesus Actually Died, and He Died Only for the Elect

THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION

The first covenant revealed in Scripture (though not expressly stated) is the ‘Covenant Of Redemption.’ Its parties were the distinct persons of the triune God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; its subject was human salvation for the elect. The covenant of redemption was executed in eternity and revealed in time through Scripture.

The Covenant of Redemption (also called the Covenant of Peace) is a covenant between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in eternity past (Eph. 1:4; John 6, 7, 18). The Holy Spirit effectuates the works of the covenant as the instrumentality of the divine will. See the article entitled Covenant of Redemption elsewhere on this website.

THE ELECT

God chose the Israelites to be his elect (Is. 41:9). But Israel failed in its divinely appointed mission. So, God chose Jesus Christ to succeed in the divinely appointed mission (Is. 42:1-4). He also chose the elect, those who would become Christians (John 6:35-40, 17:2, 6, 9, 11, 12, 24). He tells them that he has “called you in righteousness” (Is. 42:6). He also said to them that they would be “a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness” (Is. 42:6-7).

The Bible clearly shows that God has chosen Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and that he has chosen the Israelites as his chosen people. But the Israelites failed. So, he chose Jesus Christ as his perfect human on earth, fully man and God. Also, God has selected the Elect, the Christians, whom Jesus would lead to the promised land as their Surety.

The Elect were certain people selected by God the Father for salvation through His Son, who would be Surety for the Elect (John 6, 7, 18).

Jesus guarantees the elect a new and better covenant (Heb. 7:22). God gives the elect to Jesus, who becomes their guarantor or surety, ensuring their obligations to God.

This paper refers to Christians when we speak of the Elect, and the purpose is to show that Jesus died for the Elect because that was God’s plan from the beginning, as indicated in his Word.

THE SWOON THEORY

This theory states that Jesus did not actually die but passed out, was revived sometime later in the tomb, and was able to escape. Bahrdt, Venturini, Paulus, and Schleiermacher hold to some form of the swoon theory. But today, modern biblical scholars refute this hypothesis. This hypothesis is not in accordance with the revealed word of God (Ps. 22:14-18; Is. 53:5, 12; Matt. 20:28, 28:5; Mark 10:45, 15:37; Luke: 9:22, 23:46; John 15:13, 19:3; Acts 5:30; Rom. 4:25, 5:8, 10, 8:32, 33, 34; 1 Cor. 15:31; Gal. 1:4; 1 Tim. 2-6; Pet. 2:24, 3:18; 1 John 3: 16, 4:10).

THE REDEMPTION

As God’s Chosen One, Jesus lived a perfect life as a human being, which Adam could not do. Jesus also did something for Christians: He redeemed them by dying as the ransom for their sins. He died, which was God’s plan (See the Scripture referenced above, ” THE SWOON THEORY”).

Matthew 27:45-56, Mark 15: 33-41, Luke 23:44-49 and John 19:28-30 tell the story of Jesus’s death through crucifixion on the cross. In Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 8:30, we see that Jesus died. He did not swoon or do anything else but die. When someone gives up their spirit, it means that they died. The Bible clearly says Jesus “yielded up his spirit” or “he breathed his last” (Matt. 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30).

The person making the sacrifice must not have sinned and must die for those sins committed by others to pay the ransom required by God for an individual’s sins. Jesus, the Christ, is the only human being who could redeem Christians.

LIMITED ATONEMENT

Limited atonement, which is also referred to as ‘definite atonement’ or ‘particular redemption,’ is applied to the Elect only (see Scriptures listed above under The Swoon Theory). This means that not all people will be saved, but only the Elect will be saved. This is God’s plan of salvation. Those in the spirit who follow Jesus are the only ones who will be saved (Rom. 8:1-27).

The writer of this paper, and Calvinists in general, believe God chose certain people, in the beginning, to repent and believe in Jesus Christ honestly. These people are called the Elect. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the elect only. This paid the ransom for their sins.

So, God’s plan all along was that Jesus would exist as a man, live a perfect life, and pay the ransom for the sins of the Elect by dying. The Elect would be the only people converted from paganism to Christianity by their genuine repentance and belief in the life and works of Jesus Christ. Consequently, God applies Christ’s merited righteousness and the ransom paid by Christ on the cross by his death to each Elect, resulting in the Elect’s justification, adoption, and eventual salvation.

John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ isthe best book ever written on this.[1] A good summary is found in Andrew Naselli’s article “John Owen’s Argument for Definite Atonement in “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ: A Summary and Evaluation.”[2]

CONCLUSION

The Elect, the Christian believers in Christ, are the chosen ones of God the Father, whom He gave to the Son in the beginning to receive salvation. No one else shall obtain salvation except the elect. The whole world will not receive salvation. The CARM website says the following:

It seems that the ones who are given to the Son are the believers since they will come to Christ (John 6:37), that Jesus will lose none of them (John 6:39), will not be snatched out of Christ’s hand (John 10:29), will have eternal life (John 17:2), and will be with Christ (John 17:24). Therefore, we must conclude that the ones given to the Son are the Christians, the elect. They are the ones chosen for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13) and it is those whom Jesus came to redeem. Furthermore, since Jesus cannot fail to do the will of the Father, those who are given to the Son by the Father cannot be lost.  Otherwise, Jesus will have failed to do the will of the Father.[3]

The Elect are those people chosen by God the Father in the beginning and given to the Son. They are the only ones to receive justification and eventual salvation on the last day. Jesus did not come to save every human being on earth. He came to save the elect whom God had given him in the beginning.

Only Jesus, as a human, did live a perfect life. Jesus died a real death (Is. 53:12) because only a perfect human being who died a real death could pay the ransom price for the sins of the Elect and lead to eventual salvation.

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[1] John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Columbia, SC: Banner of Truth, 1959).

[2] Andrew David Naselli, “John Owen, Argument for Definite Atonement In “The Death Of Death In The Death Of Christ:” A Summary And Evaluation,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, 14, no. 4 (Winter 2010).

[3] “What Does It Mean That God The Father Gave People To The Son,” CARM website, written by Matt Slick on January 31, 2015. Accessed May 24, 2025, https://carm.org/about-doctrine/what-does-it-mean-that-god-the-father-gave-people-to-the-son/.